Unagi Don
Unagi don is a bowl of glazed, charcoal-grilled freshwater eel served over vinegared or plain steamed rice, one of the most prized dishes in Japanese cuisine. The eel is butterflied, deboned, and cooked with the kabayaki technique: repeatedly basted with a sweet soy-based tare sauce as it grills, building layer upon layer of glossy caramelization. Specialty eel restaurants, called unagi-ya, have served the dish since the Edo period, when it became closely tied to the sweltering heat of the Japanese summer. Custom holds that eating unagi on Doyo no Ushi no Hi, the midsummer «Day of the Ox», restores stamina and guards against heat exhaustion, a belief that dates back to the eighteenth century. Regional styles differ: Tokyo cooks typically steam the eel before the final grilling for a softer bite, while Osaka grills it directly for a crisper skin. Whichever method is used, the dish is prized for the contrast between the rich, smoky eel and the plain rice beneath it, which soaks up the extra tare.
Kabayaki grilling
The eel is basted again and again with sweet tare sauce as it grills, building a deep, glossy lacquer.
Rice soaked in tare
Extra sauce is drizzled over the steamed rice beneath the eel, so every bite carries a savory-sweet glaze.
A dusting of sansho
Ground sansho pepper, tingly and citrusy, is sprinkled on top to cut through the richness of the eel.
A midsummer tradition
Eating unagi on the Day of the Ox is a centuries-old custom believed to fight off summer fatigue.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 4 unagi (freshwater eel) fillets, butterflied and deboned
- 600g cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- 120ml soy sauce
- 100ml mirin
- 80ml sake
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp sansho pepper
- 2 sheets nori, cut into thin strips
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
How to make it
- 1Split each eel fillet along the belly and remove the backbone, then rinse well and pat dry.
- 2Simmer the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small pan until it reduces to a glossy tare sauce.
- 3Skewer the fillets and grill them skin-side down over medium heat until the skin blisters slightly.
- 4Turn the fillets and brush them generously with the tare, repeating the basting several times as they cook.
- 5Steam the grilled eel briefly to render excess fat and keep the flesh tender before the final grilling pass.
- 6Return the eel to the grill for a last glaze, letting the tare caramelize into a dark, sticky lacquer.
- 7Slice the fillets into portions and lay them over the hot rice, then finish with nori strips and a dusting of sansho pepper.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
