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Unagi (grilled eel): photo of the dish
Illustrative photo: Wei-Te Wong from Taipei City, Taiwan, Republic of China — CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Fish & seafood

Unagi (grilled eel)

A split freshwater eel grilled and glazed with a sweet-salty sauce called tare. Its smoky, melting flavour is one of the classics of Japanese cooking, served over rice.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

Tare (sauce laquée)

Spices & seasoning

Optional extras

Instructions

  1. If you're using fresh eel, degut and scale it, then cut it into fillets and skewer them.
  2. Mix the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and the sake or water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes to thicken slightly, then set aside.
  3. Preheat the oven grill to 230 °C. Lay the fillets on a tray, skin side up.
  4. Grill for 4 minutes, then brush with sauce and grill for another 3 minutes. Repeat twice, brushing each time, until well glazed.
  5. Serve the fillets on the hot rice, drizzled with the remaining sauce, with a pinch of sansho.

Variations and tips

Using what's easy to find. Smoked eel sold in supermarkets (in fillets, usually in the smoked fish section) makes an excellent alternative for a quicker result.

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Original Ecomely recipe.