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School of Fish: Anago and unagi are not just eel

sushi - unagi

So I was mistaken. I called uni the best, and thought it would be the ultimate, but alas, it was the penultimate. It is everyone else in my family who order uni last because perhaps to them, the luscious, creamy flavor of sea urchin gonads truly is the best way to end a meal of sushi. For me, I make it unagi - freshwater eel that has been broiled or barbecued, then glazed with a sweet sauce. It really is sweet, and that is what makes it the best for last. If you're squeamish about raw fish, unagi might work since it is cooked, but then again, it is eel.

I love it when the unagi is charred to almost black on the edges, and inevitably end up burning the roof of my mouth with its soft, fatty flesh because I can't wait patiently for it to cool slightly from the oven. There is also saltwater eel, called anago, which is not barbecued like unagi. I have had it several times before, and it just fish filler. I'd much rather have the unagi.

Previous lessons at the School of Fish:
Saba - holy mackerel!
Hirame - white fish, sometimes halibut
Tai and Suzuki - snapper and sea bass
Maguro - tuna
Toro - fatty belly of tuna
Shiro Maguro - "white" tuna, aka albacore
Ahi tuna
Hamachi - amberjack, aka yellowtail
Sake - salmon
Gai - the bivalves, i.e.clams, scallops, and oysters
Ebi - shrimp
Ika and Tako - squid and octopus
Kani - crab
Masago and tobiko - roe, roe, roe your boat
Ikura - salmon roe
Uni - sea urchin (but not roe!)

Filed under: Ingredients, How To, Method
Tags: anago, appetizers, asia, barbecuing, broiling, dinner, eel, fish, food, food and drink, food and wine, grains, hors doeuvres, Japan, japanese, japanese cuisine, japanese food, japanese sushi, lunch, school of fish, SchoolOfFish, sushi, unagi

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

TheMatt

3-24-2006 @10:52PM TheMatt said... Ahh, unagi... Unagi-zushi, unadon, unagi kabayaki. This one fish is probably second to dover sole in the grand scheme of great fish.

But for the price, I'd buy unagi at Whole Foods everyday if I could.
Reply

Hawk

3-25-2006 @10:02AM Hawk said... Eel sounds gross when you think about it. Ewwwww, eel. That's like, a snakey fish!

But there's *nothing* gross about unagi when prepared as the glazed, cooked deliciousness that shows up in sushi, or anywhere else. I'd strongly recommend it for anyone who's afraid of sushi.


Reply

Jessica

3-28-2006 @11:24AM Jessica said... holy crap i'm hungry!
Reply

umetaro

4-05-2006 @10:32AM umetaro said... the sight of unagi on nigiri is mostly an american thing. the higher amount of fat in unagi compared to anago, in addition to the boiling, grilling, and lathering it with nitsume, is thought to overpower the taste of the shari. which is why you mostly see unagi in japan in the form of unagidon or unagikabayaki.

anago is quite tasty when prepared correctly, i wouldn't pass it up at a good sushi restaurant.

Reply

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