Japanese BBQ Eel

By Britt Shoffner
Jul 23, 2020

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Chef Britt celebrates her birthday by firing up the Kamado Joe Classic II for one of her favorite dishes: Japanese BBQ Eel! Also known as Kabayaki, or Unadon, it's a simple, sweet, grilled fish dish served over rice.

Japanese BBQ Eel

Ingredients

2 packages of eel filets (fresh, frozen, or broiled/pre-marinated)

1 cup Short Grain Japanese Rice, or sushi rice

For the kabayaki sauce:

½ cup mirin

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup sake

1-2 Tablespoons Zingerz Cayenne-Infused Honey

For the furikake:

2 large sheets of roasted nori

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

2 tablespoons white sesame seeds

1 tablespoon high-quality salt, such as Jacobsen Salt Co. Pure Kosher Sea Salt

Optional add-ons: bonito flakes, or dried shrimp

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Instructions

To prep eel filets:

For fresh/frozen eel filets:
- Thaw the eel filets if needed.
- Remove the spine of the filets by taking a knife and slicing just to the side of the spine. Continue slicing around the spine on both sides until a knife can slide underneath to remove it. Once the spine is fully removed, the filet should lay flat.
- Transfer butterflied eel filets to a steam basket and steam until cooked through (about one minute in a pressure-cooker).
- Remove from steam basket and place into kabayaki sauce to marinate before grilling.

For broiled/pre-marinated packs (Eel in the U.S. is most commonly found this way)
- Simply thaw and grill on a cast-iron skillet or griddle until heated through.

For the kabayaki sauce:

Combine sake, mirin, soy sauce, and honey in a saucepan and reduce over medium-low heat until thickened and syrupy.

**Recipe Notes: The honey can be replaced with any kind of sugar to obtain similar results.

For the rice:

Bring one cup of rice to a vigorous boil with 2 ½ cups of water.

Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and let stand covered for an additional 10 minutes before serving.

**Recipe Notes: You can substitute another kind of rice if preferred (use manufacturer instructions for best results), but for authenticity, use short-grain Japanese rice.

For the furikake:

Finely chop the nori and mix with the remaining ingredients. Use as a finishing seasoning for rice, fish, or vegetables.

To grill/assemble:

Set up your Kamado Joe Classic II for high-heat, direct grilling. The use of a cast-iron griddle is also ideal. Without, you may want to a fish basket accessory to help keep the tender eel whole as it grills.

Place the pre-cooked, marinated eel filets directly on a hot griddle, skin-side down. Cook until the skin is slightly charred/crispy and the filet is heated through (only a couple minutes per side).