Here’s a topic I can wrap my insomniac fingers around: Unagi, a true fish, not a snake. Elf, mega dittos on the sushi.
Eel is a firm fish, true, but can also be fork-tender.
The unagi we usually enjoy at sushi bars is typically broiled…brushed with a mixture of soy sauce and sweet sake. The result is a caramelized filet that is almost candy-like. Oh, I love broiled eel!
Far beyond this method exists a huge realm of ways in which eel is prepared. In ancient Japan, eel was always grilled. It was sliced open down the underbelly, gutted and de-boned, skinned, slathered with a sweet basting sauce and thrown onto the charcoal. Today, that method exists in the west, while East Japan has a more modern version that is first steamed, then grilled, then steamed again. And the resulting texture is still firm (which eel definitely is), but much more moist and delicate. Walking past a restaurant grilling eel and catching one faint scent of that wonderful aroma will bring you to your knees begging for a taste. For me, it’s the same as walking past a BBQ joint in Memphis, or a smoker with a succulent pork roast inside. The texture is very similar to chicken teri-yaki...you've had that at a Chinese restaurant, right?
Among a huge number of recipes, you will find eel braised, broiled, baked, grilled, pan-fried, smoked, pickled and on and on. Heck, I fell absolutely in love with Eel Liver Soup! (Tastes quite similarly to Monkfish Liver, if you’ve gotten that “sushi-brave” Elf…)
Here’s a recipe you can try at home…and it uses more American ingredients, assuming you don’t have mirin and miso in your cupboard!
Go to a good Asian market, pick out a cute eel and have the fishmonger (for lack of a better term) provide you with filets. Go immediately home and cut each filet into several 2-3 inch wide sections.
In a large saute pan, saute ¼ cup each of finely diced onions and celery in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the vegetables are transparent. Add your eel sections, then moisten them with about ½ cup of white wine, adding 3-4 chopped shiitake mushrooms. Next, add salt and pepper, the juice of half a lemon, ½ teaspoon of lemon zest, 1 tsp. each of fresh mint and thyme. Simmer until the eel is tender and remove to a plate. Add about half a cup of fresh heavy cream to the pan, and reduce. Return the eel to the sauce, reheat, and serve this over a bed of good sticky rice.