Love Japanese food? Unagi kabayaki is a favorite. You might think you need to go to a restaurant to eat it. But you can make it at home. If you can't get fresh eel, frozen options work well. Try frozen unagi kabayaki, unagi kabayaki frozen, or frozen broiled eel. Here's how to cook it.
First, get your ingredients. If you use fresh eel, great. If you use frozen eel, thaw it in the fridge overnight. This helps it cook right.
Next, make the sauce. You need soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. Put 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup mirin, 2 tablespoons sake, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small pan. Turn on low heat. Stir until sugar melts. This sauce gives eel its sweet - salty taste.
After eel thaws, prep it. Check for bones. Even frozen broiled eel might have small bones. Use tweezers to pull them out. Rinse eel under cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel. Dry eel helps sauce stick.
Now, start cooking. Heat oven to 400°F (200°C). You can also use a grill. Put eel on a foil - lined baking sheet or grill rack. Brush thin layer of sauce on eel. Frozen unagi kabayaki needs sauce to bring out flavor.
Cook eel for 5 minutes. Take it out. Brush more sauce on eel. Flip eel over. Brush other side with sauce. Put eel back to cook for 5 more minutes. Do this one more time. Brush sauce, flip, and cook. This makes eel shiny with glaze.
When eel looks shiny and sauce is thick, it's done. Serve over hot rice. Add sliced green onions on top. Some people like to add a soft - boiled egg.
If eel edges burn, lower heat. Or move eel to cooler part of grill. If sauce is too thick, add a little water.