Unagi

Combine all the ingredients for the tare sauce in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium and reduce by ¼ or when until the sauce starts to become viscous. This can take about 5 to 10 minutes.

There are two methods to cook the eel:

The first method consists of grilling the eel over charcoal, then steaming, then grilling again over charcoal while brushing the fillets with tare.

The second method, since not everyone has a charcoal grill, is to broil the eel, steam, then broil again while basting it with the tare sauce.

The key to this method is getting your charcoal to about medium heat, like the heat that would slowly crisp the skin on a chicken thigh to golden brown. You don’t want the fire so hot that it would burn the chicken thighs.

Depending on the size of your eel fillets, you can leave them whole or cut into 2 or 3 pieces.

Place the fillets on the grill (skin side down) and slowly cook each side until the skin starts to bubble and turn golden brown. Do this on the non-skin side too, until golden brown. 

Once they are golden brown, remove them and steam for 10 minutes. I use bamboo steamer baskets, but you can steam in a pasta pot with a strainer insert or whatever you normally use for steaming.

After the fillets are steamed, brush with the tare sauce and place them back on the grill. Watch them carefully and when they start to caramelize, flip them over and brush with more tare sauce. You’ll want to continue cooking them this way and will probably end up brushing the fillets with sauce and flipping them over 2 to 3 times. They are done when the tare sauce has created a nice, medium sticky glaze on the eel and have a nice toasted soy sauce aroma.

Remove, garnish generously with sansho and serve immediately.

You can either use a toaster oven or the broiler function in your oven.

Preheat your broiler (or toaster oven), then lay the fillet(s) skin side up on a small foil-lined tray and place under the broiler. Keep the eel as far away from the element as possible, as you want to slowly broil these until the skin starts to bubble and becomes golden brown. Flip over and broil the other side until golden brown. The slower the cooking, the better.

Once they are golden brown, remove and steam for 10 minutes. I use bamboo steamer baskets, but you can steam in a pasta pot with a strainer insert or whatever you normally use for steaming.

After the fillets are steamed, brush with the tare sauce and place them back under the broiler.  Watch them carefully and when they start to caramelize, flip them over and brush with more tare sauce. You’ll want to continue cooking them this way and will probably end up brushing the fillets with sauce and flipping them over 2 to 3 times. They are done when the tare sauce has created a nice, medium-sticky glaze on the eel and have a nice toasted soy sauce aroma.

Remove, garnish generously with sansho and serve immediately.

Combine all the ingredients for the tare sauce in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium and reduce by ¼ or when until the sauce starts to become viscous. This can take about 5 to 10 minutes.

There are two methods to cook the eel:

The first method consists of grilling the eel over charcoal, then steaming, then grilling again over charcoal while brushing the fillets with tare.

The second method, since not everyone has a charcoal grill, is to broil the eel, steam, then broil again while basting it with the tare sauce.

The key to this method is getting your charcoal to about medium heat, like the heat that would slowly crisp the skin on a chicken thigh to golden brown. You don’t want the fire so hot that it would burn the chicken thighs.

Depending on the size of your eel fillets, you can leave them whole or cut into 2 or 3 pieces.

Place the fillets on the grill (skin side down) and slowly cook each side until the skin starts to bubble and turn golden brown. Do this on the non-skin side too, until golden brown. 

Once they are golden brown, remove them and steam for 10 minutes. I use bamboo steamer baskets, but you can steam in a pasta pot with a strainer insert or whatever you normally use for steaming.

After the fillets are steamed, brush with the tare sauce and place them back on the grill. Watch them carefully and when they start to caramelize, flip them over and brush with more tare sauce. You’ll want to continue cooking them this way and will probably end up brushing the fillets with sauce and flipping them over 2 to 3 times. They are done when the tare sauce has created a nice, medium sticky glaze on the eel and have a nice toasted soy sauce aroma.

Remove, garnish generously with sansho and serve immediately.

You can either use a toaster oven or the broiler function in your oven.

Preheat your broiler (or toaster oven), then lay the fillet(s) skin side up on a small foil-lined tray and place under the broiler. Keep the eel as far away from the element as possible, as you want to slowly broil these until the skin starts to bubble and becomes golden brown. Flip over and broil the other side until golden brown. The slower the cooking, the better.

Once they are golden brown, remove and steam for 10 minutes. I use bamboo steamer baskets, but you can steam in a pasta pot with a strainer insert or whatever you normally use for steaming.

After the fillets are steamed, brush with the tare sauce and place them back under the broiler.  Watch them carefully and when they start to caramelize, flip them over and brush with more tare sauce. You’ll want to continue cooking them this way and will probably end up brushing the fillets with sauce and flipping them over 2 to 3 times. They are done when the tare sauce has created a nice, medium-sticky glaze on the eel and have a nice toasted soy sauce aroma.

Remove, garnish generously with sansho and serve immediately.