Go Back
–+ servings
Eel will take on the taste of sauces used
Print Pin
No ratings yet

Sushi eel unadon recipe

This is a classic Japanese dish that contains steamed rice. It's topped up with grilled eel fillets that are glazed with a sweetened soy-based sauce, also known as tare, and then caramelized over a charcoal fire (preferably).
Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese
Keyword Eel, Rice
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author Joost Nusselder
Cost $25

Ingredients

  • 2 fillets (320g) unagi (eel)
  • 1 Japanese sansho pepper for topping (optional)
  • 4 cups white rice

Unagi sauce (tare)

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup mirin
  • 2½ tbsp brown sugar
  • 1½ tbsp sake

Instructions

Making the unagi sauce

  • In a small saucepan, add sake, brown sugar, and mirin. Then turn on the heat to the medium setting and whisk your mixture.
    Add mirin and sake with brown sugar for unagi sauce
  • Add the soy sauce and allow it to boil. Once it's boiled, reduce the heat to a low setting and then allow it to simmer for an additional 10 minutes. As you come to the end of the cooking, you should be able to see more bubbles.
  • Now, you can turn off your stove and allow the sauce to cool. You'll realize that the sauce has thickened as it cools. This sauce can be kept in an airtight jar for 2 weeks, but it must be refrigerated.
    Preserve the unagi sauce in an airtight jar

Preparing the unagi

  • First, you'll need to preheat your oven to broil at 550 degrees F or 290 degrees C for around 3 minutes. As your oven preheats, cut your unagi in half or thirds. This should depend on the size of your serving bowls.
  • Cook the rice in a cooking pot or rice steamer for about 8 minutes.
  • Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil and then brush a light layer of oil on it. Place the unagi on the baking sheet.
    a tray of eel meat
  • Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and then broil on high heat for around 5 to 7 minutes. You don’t need to flip it.
  • After the 7 minutes, take out the unagi, and then brush it all over with the sauce.
  • Continue to broil for an additional 30 to 60 seconds, or until you see some bubbles on top of your unagi.
  • Serve your cooked rice in a bowl and then brush or pour unagi sauce on top of the rice. Then, serve unagi on top of the rice and brush or pour more unagi sauce. You can also sprinkle some sansho, but this is optional.
    Serve the unadon immediately
  • Serve immediately.