Homemade Eel Sauce Recipe

When it comes to Asian sauces, there's no doubt that eel sauce is one of the most popular. Most people will recognize the name from sushi menus as chefs love to use this sweet sauce on sushi rolls. Recipe developer Ting Dalton came up with this fantastic eel sauce recipe that is the perfect addition to your sushi or a variety of Asian dishes. "Homemade eel sauce, or unagi sauce as it's known in Japan, is so worth making. Have you ever gone to a sushi restaurant and had it there? You can buy it, but there's something so flavorsome making it yourself," Dalton raves.

She also explains the flavor in-depth, and it's enough to make your mouth water. "It tastes sweet and savory, and it's totally moreish. It's impossible not to have more. And not only is it delicious with sushi, or used as a dipping sauce for vegetables and meat, but you can also marinate or brush meat or fish with it while it's cooking on a grill," Dalton raves. "Really versatile and really tasty. And best of all, easy to make at home."

The first step is to gather all the ingredients to make this homemade eel sauce. This recipe requires just four items — Mirin, sake, white sugar, and soy sauce. "Sake and Mirin are readily available from Asian grocery stores or online," Dalton notes.

Once you have those items, you can begin.

Grab a saucepan and place in on your stove. At this time, you can add the sugar, Mirin, and sake to the pan. "If you need a substitution, you could use dry white like Pinot Grigio instead of the sake," Dalton notes. 

Once all the ingredients are in, turn the heat to medium-high. Continue stirring the mixture until the sugar fully dissolves into the liquid. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

Once the sugar has dissolved, you can add your final ingredient — soy sauce. After adding the soy sauce, turn the heat from medium-high to high and wait for the liquid to come to a boil. Be sure you continue to stir as the mixture cooks.

When you see bubbles reach the surface of the liquid, that means it's come to a boil. Turn the heat back to medium and let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes. While the sauce simmers, it should begin to thicken, which is a good sign.

"The sauce isn't thick like ketchup, but it has a glossy sheen and is thick enough to coat a spoon," Dalton shares. "It will thicken more after the sauce cools down."

When the 20 minutes are up, you can remove the sauce from heat and serve as you wish. Please note that you can use this sauce straightaway. If you don't use it immediately, let it cool before transferring it to a jar. This sauce goes well on a variety of Asian dishes, most notably sushi.

"Once you have made it, you can keep it in a jar or suitable container and in the fridge for up to three months. If it lasts that long!" Dalton shares. We hope this sauce compliments your next meal well!