Japanese cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Unagi Kabayaki

Steamed and grilled eel fillets, lacquered repeatedly with a syrupy soy glaze, served over warm rice.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 2 eel fillets (about 300g each)
• 300g sushi rice
• 100ml soy sauce
• 100ml mirin
• 4 tbsp sake
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp sanshō pepper (or substitute Sichuan pepper)

Instructions

1. Rinse the eel fillets, pat dry, pull out any remaining bones, and cut into manageable pieces; wash the sushi rice until the water runs clear, then cook it.
2. Stir together the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small pot and reduce uncovered over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, until the tare clings to the spoon like syrup.
3. Steam the eel pieces skin-side down in a steamer insert for 10 minutes, until the flesh is pale and soft – this step is what makes kabayaki tender instead of tough.
4. Brush a grill pan thinly with oil and fry the pieces skin-side down over high heat for 3–4 minutes, until the skin is crisp.
5. Flip, brush with the tare, and glaze three more times at 1–2 minute intervals, until a dark, glossy lacquer forms.
6. Arrange over the warm rice, drizzle with the remaining tare, and sprinkle with sanshō pepper.