Korean Grilled Eel Rice Bowl
Quick answer
- Total time
- 25 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 1 serving
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
This bowl starts from a 200 g raw, cleaned freshwater eel fillet rather than a packet of cooked kabayaki, and that changes how it has to be handled.
Read more
The sugary glaze darkens well before the center is done. The signal is the thickest part reaching 63°C/145°F, not the shine.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Simmer 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp ginger juice over low heat for 4-6 minutes until lightly syrupy.
Reserve some in a clean bowl for serving before using the rest for brushing.
- 2
Use 200 g raw freshwater eel fillet with the gut and large bones removed, and pat dry.
Thaw frozen fillets according to their package. For cooked glazed eel, follow the package reheating method instead of these raw-fillet steps.
- 3
Preheat the grill or pan over medium heat, then place the eel skin-side down.
Cook for about 5 minutes, adjusting the heat if fat drips cause flare-ups, until the skin crisps and the edges turn opaque.
- 4
Flip the eel and brush on a thin layer of the reduced sauce.
Grill over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, then brush again once the surface looks drier and lightly caramelized.
- 5
Check that the thickest part has reached 63°C/145°F.
If it has not, lower the heat, cook further, and check again. Brush on a final thin layer and grill briefly to set the glaze.
- 6
Place the cooked eel over 1 cup warm cooked rice.
Add a little of the clean sauce reserved at the start if needed, then finish with 1/4 tsp sansho pepper and 2 sheets roasted seaweed.
References checked
These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.
- Unadon (Grilled Eel Rice Bowl)
Namiko Hirasawa Chen, Just One Cookbook · Checked: 2026-09-12
- Safe Food Handling
FDA · Checked: 2026-09-12
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