An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of replacing fishmeal with defatted black soldier fly larvae meal (DBSFLM) in the diets of Japanese eel on their growth performance, fillet texture, serum biochemical parameters, and intestinal histomorphology. Six isoproteic (520 g kg−1), isolipidic (80 g kg−1), and isoenergetic (15 MJ kg−1) diets were formulated with fishmeal replacement levels of 0% (R0), 15% (R15), 30% (R30), 45% (R45), 60% (R60), and 75% (R75). The growth performance, feed utilization efficiency, survival rate, serum liver function enzymes, antioxidant ability, and lysozyme activity of fish were not affected (P>0.05) by DBSFLM. However, the crude protein and cohesiveness of the fillet in groups R60 and R75 significantly decreased, and the fillet hardness significantly increased (P