Unagi no Kabayaki (Japanese Glazed Grilled Eel)

About This Recipe

Unagi no kabayaki is one of Japan's most luxurious traditional dishes — freshwater eel butterflied, steamed to tenderness, then repeatedly brushed with tare (a sweet-savory glaze of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar) and grilled over charcoal until the surface lacquers and the fat renders. Served over a bed of plain steamed rice as unaju (in a lacquered box) or unadon (in a bowl), it is the dish Japanese people eat on the summer solstice, doyo-no-ushi-no-hi, to combat heat fatigue. Specialist unagi-ya shops have been making it for 200+ years; their tare pots have never been emptied, only topped up — the depth of flavor compounds over generations. At home, you'll use pre-cooked frozen unagi from an Asian grocery, but the at-home version is still extraordinary.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 filletspre-cooked frozen unagi (kabayaki-style, about 300 g total)
• 120 mlsoy sauce
• 120 mlmirin
• 60 mlsake
• 60 gsugar
• 1 tbsphoney (optional, for shine)
• 3 cupshot cooked Japanese short-grain rice
• 1 tbspJapanese sansho pepper (or freshly ground black pepper)
• 1 small bunchfresh shiso leaves, julienned (optional)
• 1 tbsptoasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the tare

   Combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat. Simmer 12-15 minutes until reduced by about a third and slightly syrupy. It should coat the back of a spoon thinly. Reserve half for the table; the other half is for basting.

2. 2

   Steam the unagi (refresh)

   Even pre-cooked frozen unagi benefits from a brief steam to soften before glazing. Place fillets in a steamer over simmering water for 4 minutes. The eel should look plump and tender.

3. 3

   First glaze

   Transfer unagi to a foil-lined tray. Brush with a thick coat of the basting tare.

4. 4

   First broil

   Broil under a hot grill (or in a 240°C oven on top rack) for 90 seconds — the tare bubbles and starts to lacquer.

5. 5

   Glaze and grill again

   Pull out, brush with another thick coat of tare. Broil 60 more seconds. Repeat the brush-and-broil cycle a third time. The unagi should have a deep mahogany sheen and slightly caramelized edges.

6. 6

   Build the unadon bowls

   Divide hot rice among 4 deep bowls. Slice each unagi fillet crosswise into 4-5 pieces with kitchen shears. Lay the slices across the rice.

7. 7

   Sauce and dress

   Drizzle the reserved table tare generously over the eel and rice. Sprinkle with sansho pepper, sesame seeds, and shiso.

8. 8

   Serve immediately

   Eat while hot — the tare glazes the rice as you mix, the eel falls apart, the sansho lights up the back of your throat with its citrus-tingle.

Variations

• •

  Hitsumabushi (Nagoya-style): served in a wooden tub. Eat the first portion plain, the second with wasabi and scallion, the third in dashi tea (ochazuke).

• •

  Una-Tama: top with a soft-boiled egg in the center of the bowl.

• •

  Anago version: use sea eel (anago) — same technique, lighter result.

Storage

Glazed unagi keeps refrigerated 2 days. Reheat briefly in a 200°C oven or pan to re-lacquer. The tare keeps in a jar for months.

Frequently Asked Questions