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Fish, East Asian

Grilled eel unadon

Unadon is a Japanese rice bowl topped with grilled eel glazed in a sweet soy sauce, for 4 people, ready in 25 minutes, easy level, for €6.40 per person. The key to success is a well thickened tare and rice that soaks up the sauce before the eel goes on top.

A bowl of warm rice topped with grilled eel glazed in sweet soy sauce, Japan's big summer dish, ready in twenty minutes.

Grilled eel unadon
Total time
25 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€6.40
Calories per person
590 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Summer, Fall

Unadon plays on a simple contrast, warm sticky rice soaks up a sweet savory sauce while the grilled eel brings its own tenderness and slightly caramelized edges. The tare, a mix of soy sauce, mirin and sugar, carries the whole dish, it should coat a spoon and shine without turning sticky. Sichuan pepper adds a small tingle that wakes up the flavors without ever taking over.

This is the kind of dish to bring out on a summer evening or in early fall, when you want something different without spending hours in the kitchen. Pre grilled vacuum packed eel fillets make the recipe doable even on a weeknight, everything comes down to how you reheat and glaze them. Plan on serving this to adults or curious teens, the eel's strong flavor and the Sichuan pepper aren't always an easy sell for younger kids.

The ingredients

4 people

Frozen foods

  • Grilled vacuum packed eel fillets (kabayaki) 400 g

Pantry

  • Short grain riceoften in the pantry 320 g
  • Soy sauceoften in the pantry 5 tbsp
  • Mirin or honeyoften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Sugaroften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Sichuan pepperoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Sesame seedsoften in the pantry 1 tbsp

Fruits and vegetables

  • Scallions 2

Allergens Fish, Soy, Gluten

The step by step recipe

  1. Cook the rice in water, then keep it warm. 15 min

    Short grain sushi style rice sticks better under the eel.

  2. Make the tare by heating the soy sauce, mirin and sugar until it thickens. 5 min

    The tare is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.

  3. Reheat the eel fillets in the oven at 200°C with a bit of tare. 8 min

    If you don't have eel, use mackerel or salmon glazed with the same sauce.

  4. Serve the rice in deep bowls and ladle some tare over it.

    The rice soaks up the sauce, that's the secret to a good unadon.

  5. Place the eel on top, glaze it one last time and sprinkle with scallion and sesame seeds.

    A pinch of ground Sichuan pepper stands in for Japanese sansho.

Our tips to get it right

  • Let the tare reduce slowly over low heat, a sauce that's too thin will never cling properly to the rice or the eel.
  • Keep the rice covered while you prep everything else, the steam keeps it from drying out before the sauce goes on.
  • Slide the eel under the broiler for a few seconds at the very end if you want the skin glossy and slightly crisp.

The variations

  • Swap the eel for mackerel or salmon glazed with the same tare, the flavor stays close to the original.
  • For a vegetarian version, glaze grilled eggplant slices with the same soy sauce, mirin and sugar mixture.
  • To save time, buy a ready made Japanese tare sauce and only handle cooking the rice and reheating the eel.

What to serve it with

  • A light miso soup
  • Japanese pickled vegetables
  • Hot green tea

Storage

Store the rice and eel separately in the fridge in a sealed container, up to 2 days. Reheat the eel in the oven with a bit of tare so it stays glazed, and the rice in the microwave or steamer with a spoon of water. Cooked eel freezes fine, the already seasoned rice is less recommended for freezing.

Questions about this dish

Where can I find grilled kabayaki eel?

Vacuum packed grilled eel fillets, called kabayaki, are sold in the frozen section of Asian grocery stores. They come already cooked and glazed, you just need to reheat them before serving.

Can I make the tare ahead of time?

Yes, the tare keeps for several days in the fridge in a sealed jar. Warm it gently before glazing the eel, it thickens a bit more as it cools.

What rice should I use if I don't have Japanese short grain rice?

Risotto or paella rice works too, as long as it stays a bit sticky. Avoid long grain rice since it won't hold the tare well.

Is Sichuan pepper essential?

It stands in for Japanese sansho pepper, the traditional topping for unadon, and adds a mild tingly kick. You can leave it out without changing the dish much if you don't have any.

How long does it take to make a grilled eel unadon?

Count 25 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a grilled eel unadon?

About 590 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a grilled eel unadon cost?

About €6.40 per serving, or €25.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains fish, soy, gluten. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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