Eel Sauce (without Mirin)

Eel sauce (also known as kabayaki or unagi sauce) is a sweet and savory glaze often used on sushi rolls. This eel sauce recipe uses no mirin or sake and still retains a concentrated umami flavor, even when using coconut liquid aminos. So, it works without the use of soy sauce.  This lasts long in the fridge and adds amazing flavor!

 

Homemade eel sauce is very versatile. I drizzle it on Sushi Rolls, as one of the umami sauces in Chicken Lo Mein, and it would be incredible over plain Sushi Rice. There is just so much flavor!

I used to buy Unagi Sushi Sauce at Asian markets, but it was sometimes hard to find back in the day when Amazon wasn’t a thing. It was the black sticky glaze drizzled over sushi rolls that was so good! So, when I located a Squeeze bottle at a store, I had to try it. 

The sauce is very good, but the ingredients are questionable and not something I would want to feed my family. When I got off soy sauce (the main ingredient in this sauce), I tried it with coconut aminos, and it works just as well. 

Making this sauce from scratch is very easy with this recipe. 

This eel sauce recipe is a pantry staple I make at home, especially when preparing sushi. Use it as a marinade in Asian recipes or in place of soy sauce. 

What is Eel Sauce?

Wondering what eel sauce is made of? It’s not an actual eel. The Food Network explains it well here, but in short, it’s a concentrated sweet and salty sauce made from fermented soy sauce and wines (like sake or Mirin) with the addition of sugar to balance out the savory flavors and carmelize the sauce.

 

What Does Eel Sauce Taste Like?

Eel sauce has a distinctive, dark, sweet, and savory flavor with a pronounced sweetness. It’s on the thicker side of sauces and is best described as a glaze with its smooth and shiny texture. The umami sweet and salty sauce goes well with grilled eel dishes, although it is not made from eel itself. 

Mirin Substitute:

If you don’t have sake or mirin, use equal parts of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar for the mirin or sake called for in most recipes. I use all apple cider vinegar in my formula of a 0.66:1 ratio of apple cider vinegar to soy sauce (or coconut liquid aminos). You could do a combination of vinegars or wines, but I like to stick to one kind. 

Ingredients:

The ingredients in eel sauce are so simple and basic, thanks to the mirin substitute! Everything is probably sitting right in your pantry, and it only takes minutes to make before serving homemade sushi rolls!

• Soy Sauce: I used to use soy sauce to make this eel sauce, but now I only use coconut liquid aminos, and it works great! The key to success with coconut aminos is to boil it briefly; otherwise, it will caramelize and become rock-hard. 
• Sugar: Granulated sugar is the choice of sweetener here to create a shiny glaze.
• Apple Cider Vinegar is the perfect substitute for sake or mirin. Use rice vinegar if you prefer. 

How To Make Eel Sauce:

This recipe for eel sauce takes minutes to make using a saucepan and a whisk! Eel sauce thickens as it sits, so make eel sauce for at least 20 minutes before serving if you want to drizzle it fresh over sushi rolls for a glaze. If using coconut liquid aminos, bring it to a boil for 1 minute and turn it off. 

1. Combine the soy sauce, sugar, and apple cider vinegar in a small saucepan.
2. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and boil over high heat for 7 minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t boil for too long; the sauce gets too thick at the 10-minute mark.
3. Turn off the heat and allow the sauce to thicken as it sits.
4. When cooled, pour the sauce into a Plastic Condiment Squeeze Bottle and keep refrigerated.

Pro Tip: It is key to cook the mixture while constantly stirring with a whisk or wooden spoon. You know it is thick enough if it coats the back of a spoon. 

 

How Long Does Eel Sauce Last?

This homemade eel sauce will last for months in the fridge due to the high sugar content (that works like a preservative). Because soy sauce and apple cider vinegar are fermented products, they are self-preserving in this sauce, especially considering that apple cider vinegar is more alkaline than pure vinegar. Once cooked together, it is important to keep the eel sauce refrigerated. This sauce will last easily for 2 months if stored in a squeeze bottle or an air-tight food container.

You can also freeze eel sauce in a freezer bag if you are not planning to use it within the first couple of months. To revive, simply thaw it overnight in the fridge and pour out the contents into a saucepan to reheat.

Creative Ways to Use Up Eel Sauce:

Need ways to use up eel sauce recipes? You can make so many Asian recipes with eel sauce, so don’t think it’s only for eel or as sushi sauce! It’s excellent for marinating poultry, meat, and fish! Use it to enhance soups, drizzle it over roasted vegetables, or dip and glaze sushi rolls with it! Here are some ideas;

• Use it as the base sauce for Lo Mein by replacing hoisin or oyster sauce.
• Replace any teriyaki sauce with it.
• Drizzle it over salads or sushi bowls.
• Serve it as a side to Spicy Mayo for dipping sushi rolls.
• Marinate and bake chicken wings in it.

 

Did you like this Japanese eel sauce? Tell me what you made this eel sauce for besides sushi in the comments below!  

How To Make Eel Sauce: