Unagi Don
Unagi is a Japanese freshwater eel that is quite popular in American sushi restaurants. That is where I tried it for the first time. But in Japan, unagi is a luxurious fish and is considered a delicacy. Instead of eating a tiny piece in sushi, unagi is roasted whole and eaten on top of steamed rice. Unagi has a rich flavor with very soft delicate flesh. It might sound weird to eat an eel, but once you give it a chance you’ll realize how “normal” tasting it is. Almost all unagi is farm raised. It is extremely rare to ever see fresh unagi in a grocery store. Pretty much all unagi comes precooked in a vacuum sealed package. It takes a lot of skill to properly fillet, debone, and cook an eel. Let the experts do it. So all you have to do is heat it up on a baking pan. And that only takes 8 minutes. While the unagi is baking, you can whip up the sauce that goes with it in the same amount of time it takes to cook the unagi. The sauce adds a sweet and saltiness that compliments the unagi. Once the unagi is finished, cut it in half and put over steamed rice. Drizzle with the sauce.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 unagi fillet
- 1/2 tbsp sake
- 3 cups steamed rice
Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/6 cup mirin
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sake
Instructions
- Simmer the sauce ingredients over medium heat for 8 minutes until thickened. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the unagi fillet on a baking pan lined in foil. Drizzle 1/2 tbsp of sake over the unagi.
- Bake the eel for 8 minutes.
- Place 1 1/2 cups of steamed rice in a bowl. Spoon over 1 tbsp of the sauce.
