Unagi

How unagi is prepared

For kabayaki, the eel is filleted, skewered and grilled over charcoal. In the Kanto style around Tokyo it is steamed partway through, which makes it especially soft. In the Kansai style around Osaka it is grilled directly and stays a little crisper. During grilling it is brushed several times with tare, a reduced sauce of soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake.

The sauce – often called unagi sauce or eel sauce – contains no eel itself. It gives the fish its typical gloss and the sweet-savoury note that many sushi fans love.

Unagi in sushi

As nigiri, a piece of grilled eel is placed on the rice and often held in place with a thin strip of nori, frequently finished with a little sauce or sesame. Unagi also turns up in rolls, such as the “dragon roll”, and as unadon – grilled eel on a bowl of rice.

Because unagi is cooked, it is a good choice for guests who do not eat raw fish but still want to try fish sushi. With its bold, sweetish flavour, it is best eaten at the end of a sushi selection.

Unagi or anago?

Besides unagi there is anago, the saltwater conger eel. It is slimmer, leaner and milder, and is usually simmered rather than grilled. In Tokyo, anago is the classic eel for nigiri; elsewhere in the world, unagi is more common.

Eel and where it comes from

The eel’s life cycle is still not fully understood, and eels cannot be bred from eggs commercially. Fish farms therefore raise wild-caught young eels. Several eel species are considered endangered, and trade in European eel is strictly regulated. If origin matters to you, ask the restaurant.