Japanese Sushi Eel “Unagi” | What it tastes like +Unadon recipe

Japanese sushi eel is called unagi, and is an essential part of Japanese cuisine. Unagi has a mouthwatering taste, especially when marinated and grilled.

In addition to this, Japanese sushi eel is particularly nutritious and comes with numerous health benefits.

If you have ever visited a Japanese sushi restaurant, there is a possibility that you have seen most of the sushi rolls have an ingredient known as unagi, also known as Japanese eel.

Even though an eel has a close resemblance to a snake, it is just a particular type of fish—and a very tasty one.

Many people have a natural repulsion to the thought of eating eel—and this also includes most of the passionate sushi lovers. They always shy away from the eel.

However, when you come across a normal eel dish, you will be surprised how it resembles any other fish meal.

And, when you happen to taste the soft meat of Japanese eel, you are likely to change your whole idea of eating unagi.

What does Japanese eel taste like?

Well, if you have ever eaten unagi, you are aware of its subtle, but yet sweet flavor, which is a bit chewy, and somehow reminiscent of raw salmon.

Other people say that its taste has a close resemblance to the taste of catfish. But, what you need to note is that unagi always has a good taste when served alongside an accompanying sauce or seasoning.

One thing you need to note about unagi is that readily absorbs the flavors of different sauces that are drizzled over it or even served on its side for dipping. One of the most popular condiments is eel sauce.

This sauce is thick, sweet, and savory, which gives unagi an amazing taste of umami, as well as other maki rolls.

Also, you will need to note that the taste of unagi can be affected by how it is prepared and served. Smoked, deep-fried, or grilled methods are some of the most popular preparations of eel.

In Japan, unagi is an important part of the traditional cuisine—to the extent that there is a special day that’s dedicated to unagi.

When being prepared traditionally, unagi is butter-fried, marinated, and then grilled, or served on top of the donburi rice bowl.

Also read: all you wanted to know about sushi grade tuna

What are the health benefits of unagi?

As we highlighted earlier, unagi comes with tons of health benefits, as well as nutritional values. The fact that the Japanese consume unagi is probably another reason why Japan is one of the healthiest nations across the globe.

First, you need to note that unagi comes with a wide variety of minerals and vitamins, and this includes vitamins A, D, E, B1, B2, B12, and phosphorus.

Phosphorous is essential to our bodies since it assists in balancing the PH levels in our bodies. In addition, it assists in improving metabolism and digestion, and also allows our bodies to absorb minerals better.

Moreover, the eel has a high content of omega-3. It assists in improving blood pressure, reducing cholesterol, and even reducing the risks of arthritis and diabetes.

In addition to these health benefits, unagi has other health benefits that are more specific to women.

These benefits include:

• Reducing menstrual pain
• Reducing wrinkles and improving skin health
• Slowing down tumor growth
• Lowering the risks of breast cancer
• Improving blood flow to the brain
• Boosting memory
• And reducing any chances of dementia

Here are a few recipes for Japanese eel.

Unadon is a short word for unagi (eel) and donburi (rice bowl dish).

The recipe requires a preparation time of 10 minutes, cooking time of 10 minutes. If you love Japanese food, your mouth will definitely water as you go through this recipe.

Recipe notes:

This is for the unagi sauce/tare: this is a third of the original recipe since it’s meant for 2 fillets.

Here is the original unagi sauce recipe

Ingredients

• Soy sauce – ¾ cup
• Mirin – ¾ cup
• Sugar – ½ cup (125 g)
• Sake – ¼ cup

Directions

• Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan
• Allow the sauce to simmer for 20 minutes or until it thickens—rather than the 10 minutes indicated above. You can store your unagi sauce in a refrigerator.

Re-heating your sauce: use a frying pan or an oven broiler. In case you don’t have an oven, consider using an oven toaster. 

Also read: teppanyaki seafood recipe that’ll make your mouth water

Unagi don recipe

Ingredients

For the sauce

• Sugar – 2 ½ tbsp.
• Cooking sake – 1 ½ tbsp.
• Soy sauce – 4 tbsp.
• Mirin – 4 tbsp.

You will also need:

• Rice – 200g
• Water – 260 ml.
• Eel fillets – 2 (skin-on)

Directions

1. To prepare the sauce, you will need to mix the sake and mirin in a small saucepan, and then allow them to boil. Once they have boiled, reduce the heat and then add sugar and stir until it has completely dissolved. Then, add the soy sauce and allow it to boil. Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for around 10 minutes or until it thickens. When done, turn off the heat and then set it aside to cool.
2. As your sauce cools, start preparing and cooking your rice—you can use your preferred rice preparation method. One of the recommended methods of cooking 200 g rice is to boil it with 260 ml of water—once you have washed it under cold running water.
3. Next, preheat your grill to around 250 degrees C. Mostly, eel fillets come sliced in half lengthwise. So, you will just need to cut the eel fillets in half-widthwise so that they can fit on top of the rice bowl.
4. Next, line your baking with an aluminum foil. Place the fillets on top of the baking sheet and then brush them with some vegetable oil. Put the baking sheet on your oven, and then grill for around 5 to 7 minutes, or they have turned brown.
5. Remove your fillets from the oven and then brush the unagi sauce carefully—and make sure that you spare some sauce for later use. Put back the fillets on the grill and grill for an additional 1 minute.
6. For serving, add a portion of your cooked rice in an empty bowl. Brush some unagi sauce on top of the rice, and then put some unagi fillets on top of the rice.

Additional tips:

• If you want to experience and authentic unagi don experience, you can try to serve the dish in a two-tier bento lunch box, or jubako. When you serve the dish like this, it’s known as unaju.
• Traditionally, eel is eaten during the summer in Japan. Since it’s rich in minerals, vitamins, and proteins, it is believed that the dish can produce increased stamina, which is highly needed in the hot days.

Read more: these are all the different types of sushi you need to know