鰻 (Unagi): Freshwater Eel and the Kabayaki Technique

Unagi (freshwater eel) preparation is one of the most technically demanding fish preparations in Japanese cooking — requiring live fish, specific filleting technique, and a two-stage cooking method (steaming then grilling) unique to the Kanto (Tokyo) tradition. The Kansai (Osaka) tradition skips the steaming, producing a different texture. The debate between these two approaches is one of the most enduring in Japanese culinary culture.

The complete unagi kabayaki preparation — documented from Japanese professional sources. **活け締め (Ikejime — Live Spiking):** Unagi must be killed and processed immediately before cooking — eel held in water deteriorates in flavour rapidly. The ikejime technique (piercing the brain to kill instantly and prevent the release of stress hormones that affect flavour) is applied the same way as for sashimi-grade fish. [VERIFY technique for eel specifically]

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