Teriyaki BBQ Unagi (aka How to Cook an Eel)

Did you know that unagi on a sushi menu means eel?

There sure ain’t no Caterpillar in your Caterpillar roll. Instead, that’s generally eel that’s been grilled, slathered in teriyaki sauce, vacuum-packed sous vide in plastic, frozen, shipped half way around the world, defrosted and reheated.

The eel is generally not sustainable caught or farmed.

It’s usually a bottomfeeder, which means that if it comes from an eel farm that’s diseased, it’s taking in a lot of that disease.

BUT! It has a thick layer of fat, which makes it delicious in sushi (think prized cuts of tuna or beef that are considered even more of a delicacy when there’s more fat).

AND! It can be caught wild in Quebec.

All you need to do is know someone who catches eel and has a couple sitting around in his deep-freeze and you’re golden. Then all you need to do is marinate it in a homemade red wine teriyaki sauce and grill it. Nothing could be simpler.

…except, there’s that whole filleting it part…which is pretty disgusting. I mentioned eels are slimy, right? I mean, filleting any kind of fish is pretty slimy, but eels are really slimy. And their skin is very thick, which keeps in all that fat.

So if you don’t have a sharp filleting knife, I’d recommend using an electric turkey carver, which is what I did. But first, watch this video on how to fillet fish, so you know how to apply it to the eel:

Then chop off the eel’s head and get to work, being careful not to slice off any fingers…

Was it worth it?

Yes.

Teriyaki BBQed Eel (Unagi)

1 to 2 eels, depending on size (enough to serve 4)
1/4 cup soy sauce (gluten free for me)
1 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp red wine 
2 tbsp brown sugar, honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup water
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 green onions, finely chopped, optional (I used parsley, which is very not traditional, but hey, it worked)

Fillet eels and chop into 4-inch pieces. Don’t bother removing the skin. You’ll end up wasting the whole fish.

Bring soy sauce, vinegar, wine, sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and add garlic, oil and ginger. Cool to room temperature. Stir in green onions. Set aside 1/4 of the marinade to use as a dipping sauce.

Add the eel to the remaining marinade. Let marinate 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours).

Preheat and oil a barbecue or grill. Remove eel pieces from the marinade and pat dry on paper towels. Grill for 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serve with steamed rice and Japanese pickles. Roll any leftovers into a Caterpillar roll.