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Putting a little spin on a classic Japanese dish and making unagi don. This seafood version comes together in minutes and tastes incredibly satisfying!
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Watch how to make this
What makes this dish special
Ever since I was little, unagi has been one of my favorite Japanese dishes. A sweet-salty sauce is brushed on an eel fillet and grilled until caramelized. You may be hesitant to give it a try because it is eel, but it just tastes like tender fish.
Nowadays, you can purchase already prepared eel at many Asian markets. All you have to do is pop it in the oven, and it's ready to serve. In fact, I can rarely find eel fillets without the Japanese tare sauce already brushed on.
Today, I wanted to take my lunch a step further and prepare unagi don, a donburi-type bowl with sweet simmered eggs on steamed rice. The combination is unbeatable!
If you want to try another great unagi dish, check out this cold ramen noodles with broiled unagi recipe.
Ingredients
- Unagi: Freshwater eel, typically grilled and glazed with a sweet soy-based sauce.
- Mirin: Sweet rice wine used in Japanese cuisine to add sweetness and shine to dishes. If you can't find mirin, use dry sherry instead.
- Sake: Japanese rice wine used in cooking to enhance flavors, especially in Japanese dishes. If you can't find sake, you can substitute it with Chinese rice wine.
- Nori: Use the same type of seaweed used for sushi. You can also use furikake if desired.
- Togarashi: The Japanese spice blend typically includes chili peppers, orange peel, sesame seeds, and various other spices. Togarashi adds a bit of heat to the dish, but can be omitted if preferred.
Substitutions and variations
- Protein: If you dislike unagi, you can replace it with salmon, halibut, or scallops. Make or buy unagi sauce and bake the seafood seasoned with the unagi sauce.
- Grains: Rice is the traditional base for this dish, but you can substitute it with any other grain, such as cauliflower rice, quinoa, farro, or barley.
Recipe
Unagi Don
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups rice cooked
- 8 ounces unagi fillet
- 6 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1 sheet nori, torn into small pieces, for garnish
- ¼ cup chopped scallion for garnish
- togarashi, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place unagi on a lined baking sheet and cook in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until hot. Turn on the broiler and broil for 1 minute. Remove from oven and keep warm.
- Heat 1 tablespon oil in a non-stick saute pan over medium heat. Whisk eggs and add soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. Pour egg mixture into hot pan. Cover and let cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. The eggs should still be wet but set. Remove from heat.
- Portion rice into 2 bowls and top with sweet simmered eggs and unagi. Finish with avocado slices, chopped scallions, and nori. Sprinkle togarishi on top if desired.
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Heat unagi
Unagi don is one of those quick and easy meals that also tastes fantastic. Since markets already sell the unagi preseasoned, all you have to do is heat it and cook some eggs.
Heat the unagi in the oven until hot and then finish it in the broiler for about 1 minute or until slightly charred.
If you are unable to find the already prepared version of unagi, you can make it yourself at home. The unagi sauce is simply a combination of soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake. You can also find unagi sauce sold in many Asian markets.
I like to prepare a batch of the sauce and add it to other meats, fried eggs, meaty vegetables like mushrooms or eggplant, and even ramen noodles.
Step 2: Cook eggs
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a bowl with soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Heat a nonstick saute pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the eggs to the pan, cover it with a lid, and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes.
The eggs are ready when they are set but still a little runny. You want the eggs to be still wet; that is the true Japanese way!
Step 3: Putting it all together
Now it's time to plate the unagi don. Distribute the rice among the bowls and carefully pour the eggs over the rice. Top with unagi, nori, fresh scallions, sliced avocado, and a sprinkle of togarashi if desired.
This unagi don was amazingly good. I mean, really good people. I may be a little biased since I already love unagi, but how can you go wrong with eggs, rice, and unagi?
If you're still questioning whether you should give this a try, I recommend just preparing the eggs with the rice. That alone is already delicious!
For another fantastic don recipe, check out this General Tso's chicken oyakodon!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: Since this dish comes together so quickly, it's best to assemble everything right before cooking. You can cook the rice ahead of time and reheat it when ready to serve.
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refridgerator for up to 2 days.
Frequently asked questions
Look for it in the frozen section of Asian markets.
Absolutely, you can use another fish, such as salmon, or a firm white fish, such as halibut. Make or buy your own unagi sauce and bake the fish with the sauce. For a vegetarian option, you can prepare portobello mushrooms.
More Japanese seafood recipes
Looking for more Japanese seafood dishes? Try these:
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