Hitsumabushi (Nagoya Style Grilled Eel)

Method26 steps · about 1 hr

1. 1

   Step 1: Add the 3 tbsp turbinado sugar and 1 tsp dark brown sugar to a saucepan and heat over medium-high until they begin to melt.

   Uses 3 tbsp turbinado sugar (light brown with coarse texture) · 1 tsp dark brown sugar (muscovado or similar)

   
2. 2

   Step 2: Once the sugar starts melting, add the 5 tbsp sauce sake and 5 tbsp mirin. Bring to a boil and bubble for 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking from 1 minute.

   Bubble sauce base · 1 minUses melting sauce sugars · 5 tbsp sake · 5 tbsp mirin

   
3. 3

   Step 3: Add the 5 tbsp sauce soy sauce to the boiled sugar, sake and mirin mixture, then lower the heat to a simmer.

   Uses boiled unagi-sauce base · 5 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)

   
4. 4

   Step 4: Simmer the sauce from step 3 until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning and skim foam as needed. Remove from the heat and let it cool while preparing the eel. Reserve this sauce for glazing, rice and serving.

   Thicken unagi sauce · 10 minUses complete unagi-sauce mixture

   
5. 5

   Step 5: Set the 300 g raw eel fillets on a stable chopping board and pat dry. Cut each fillet into 2–3 pieces with a sharp knife; plastic wrap on the board can help hold the slippery fillets.

   Uses 300 g raw filleted eel

   
6. 6

   Step 6: Place all the cut eel from step 5 skin-side down in a frying pan and add the separate 2 tbsp steaming sake.

   Uses cut raw eel fillets · 2 tbsp sake

   
7. 7

   Step 7: Heat the eel-and-sake pan over medium-low with the lid on. Once steaming, steam for about 3 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

   Steam eel with sake · 3 minUses eel and steaming sake in the covered pan

   
8. 8

   Step 8: Preheat the overhead grill or broiler on medium-high for about 5 minutes and line its tray with foil. Keep the steamed eel off the heat until the grill is ready.

9. 9

   Step 9: Lift the steamed eel from step 7 onto the foil-lined grill tray, skin-side down. Grill under the overhead grill or broiler for about 6 minutes, watching closely.

   Grill eel flesh side · 6 minUses All steamed eel fillet pieces; leave pan liquid behind

   
10. 10

    Step 10: Turn the eel on the tray from step 9 so the skin faces the overhead heat. Grill for about 5 minutes, watching for the skin to char lightly.

    Grill eel skin side · 5 minUses eel on the grill tray after its first face

    
11. 11

    Step 11: Pour a glazing portion of the sauce reserved in step 4 into a separate small dish, keeping the rice and serving sauce separate. Brush an even, generous layer onto the eel skin. Return the tray from step 10 under the grill or broiler for 30 seconds, watching to prevent burning. For later coats, pour extra clean sauce into the glazing dish if needed; keep the used brush out of the reserved rice and serving sauce.

    Grill skin glaze 1 · 1 minUses eel on the grill tray, skin facing up · Enough reserved sauce for an even coat

    
12. 12

    Step 12: Turn the eel from step 11 flesh-side up, brush evenly with glaze from the separate dish in step 11 and grill for another 30 seconds, watching closely.

    Grill flesh glaze 1 · 1 minUses Tray of eel after skin glaze 1 · Enough glaze from the separate dish for an even coat

    
13. 13

    Step 13: Turn the eel from step 12 skin-side up, brush with glaze from the separate dish in step 11 and grill for 30 seconds, watching closely.

    Grill skin glaze 2 · 1 minUses eel on the tray after flesh glaze 1 · Enough glaze from the separate dish for an even coat

14. 14

    Step 14: Turn the eel from step 13 flesh-side up, brush with glaze from the separate dish in step 11 and grill for 30 seconds, watching closely.

    Grill flesh glaze 2 · 1 minUses eel on the tray after skin glaze 2 · Enough glaze from the separate dish for an even coat

15. 15

    Step 15: Turn the eel from step 14 skin-side up, brush with glaze from the separate dish in step 11 and grill for 30 seconds, watching closely.

    Grill skin glaze 3 · 1 minUses eel on the tray after flesh glaze 2 · Enough glaze from the separate dish for an even coat

16. 16

    Step 16: Turn the eel from step 15 flesh-side up, brush with glaze from the separate dish in step 11 and grill for the final 30-second glaze, watching closely. These six glaze intervals total 3 minutes. Check the thickest eel pieces reach 63 °C (145 °F) and are fully cooked; continue grilling carefully if needed. Discard any glaze left in the brushing dish.

    Grill flesh glaze 3 · 1 minUses eel on the tray after skin glaze 3 · Enough glaze from the separate dish for an even coat

17. 17

    Step 17: Lift the cooked, glazed eel from step 16 onto a clean board and cut into strips.

    Uses All cooked eel pieces; leave tray residue behind

    
18. 18

    Step 18: Mix the 300 g ready cooked rice with about ½ tbsp of the remaining unagi sauce reserved in step 4.

    Uses 300 g ready cooked Japanese short-grain rice · About ½ tbsp reserved unagi sauce

    
19. 19

    Step 19: Divide all the seasoned rice from step 18 between two bowls and top with all the sliced eel from step 17. Brush with more reserved unagi sauce from step 4 to taste.

    Uses sauce-seasoned cooked rice · sliced grilled eel · More reserved sauce to taste

    
20. 20

    Step 20: Heat the 300 ml ready dashi to about 80 °C (176 °F). Add the 2 g green tea bag and the separate 2 tsp tea soy sauce. Steep for 2–4 minutes, checking from 2 minutes, then remove the tea bag. Put the dashi tea in a teapot or jug for serving.

    Steep dashi tea · 2 minUses 300 ml dashi stock (for ochazuke) · 2 g green tea bag (for ochazuke) · 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) (for ochazuke)

    
21. 21

    Step 21: Use a rice paddle to mark each assembled eel-and-rice bowl from step 19 into four equal quarters. Each person can taste the four quarters in the following styles; this still makes two bowls.

    Uses two assembled glazed-eel and rice bowls

    
22. 22

    Step 22: Take the first quarter from each bowl prepared in step 21 into a small eating bowl and enjoy it plain, with a little optional sansho to taste.

    Uses First quarter from each of the two bowls · Optional sansho to taste

    
23. 23

    Step 23: Take the second quarter from each bowl prepared in step 21 and add your choice of green onion, nori or wasabi from the topping supplies.

    Uses Second quarter from each of the two bowls · Optional green onion from the 1 tbsp supply · Optional nori from the 1 tbsp supply · Optional wasabi from the 1 tsp supply

    
24. 24

    Step 24: Take the third quarter from each bowl prepared in step 21 and pour over some dashi tea from step 20. Add optional wasabi and toasted sesame to taste.

    Uses Third quarter from each of the two bowls · Enough dashi tea for the third tasting quarter · Optional wasabi from the remaining supply · Optional sesame from the 1 tsp supply

    
25. 25

    Step 25: Enjoy the final quarter from each bowl prepared in step 21 in your favourite style: plain, with remaining chosen toppings, or with some remaining dashi tea.

    Uses Final quarter from each of the two bowls · Remaining dashi tea to taste · Optional remaining sansho to taste · Optional remaining green onion · Optional remaining nori · Optional remaining wasabi · Optional remaining sesame

26. 26

    Step 26: Serve while hot. Keep any unused unagi sauce separate and refrigerate it promptly once cooled; unused sauce and toppings are not extra eel-and-rice portions.

    Uses Any unused sauce remaining after glazing and serving