Our Favourite Anago Recipes
Anago is the saltwater counterpart to unagi or freshwater eel. A leaner fish than unagi, it’s light and delicate, the perfect protein for a lot of sophisticated dishes.
Anago is also never served raw. To bring out the best flavour from this stunning fish, try the recipes and steps for preparation below.
How to Fillet Anago
Filleting anago isn’t exactly easy. However, it is worthwhile, as it makes consuming and cooking with the fish so much easier afterwards.
Of course, an easier option would just be to buy pre-filleted fish. You can purchase anago fillets from Supafresh.
Steps:
- Put an anago on a cutting board and hammer a steel spike into its cheek. This will pin it in place.
- Insert your knife into the fish right behind its pectoral fin.
- Keeping the fish steady by holding its body with your left hand, start cutting along its length while moving towards the belly and sliding your left hand away as you work.
- Feel for the angle of the bone and adjust your knife’s tilt as needed so that you leave the anago’s skin intact on the belly side. Cut all the way to the tail.
- Cut around the bottom of the fish’s neck on the part of it still pinned to the board. You will find the innards, which you should remove..
- Find the backbone and use your knife to cut it out.
- Cut off the dorsal fin.
- Cut off the head.
- Fold the fish back over so both fillets are together again (this is why you needed to keep the skin attached on both fillets at the belly).
- Seize the anal fin and pull it while slicing it off.
Steps:
- Put an anago on a cutting board and hammer a steel spike into its cheek. This will pin it in place.
- Insert your knife into the fish right behind its pectoral fin.
- Keeping the fish steady by holding its body with your left hand, start cutting along its length while moving towards the belly and sliding your left hand away as you work.
- Feel for the angle of the bone and adjust your knife’s tilt as needed so that you leave the anago’s skin intact on the belly side. Cut all the way to the tail.
- Cut around the bottom of the fish’s neck on the part of it still pinned to the board. You will find the innards, which you should remove..
- Find the backbone and use your knife to cut it out.
- Cut off the dorsal fin.
- Cut off the head.
- Fold the fish back over so both fillets are together again (this is why you needed to keep the skin attached on both fillets at the belly).
- Seize the anal fin and pull it while slicing it off.
Pro Tip: You can remove the slimy feel of the fish by washing it repeatedly in salt water.
Deep-fried Anago (Anago Tempura)
Anago vs unagi is lower in fat and caloric content, so some people find anago an even better fish to deep-fry than its freshwater counterpart. This is also one of the most popular ways of eating it in Japan!
Level of difficulty:
Easy
Estimated prep time:
15 mins
Ingredients required:
- Anago fillets
- Flour
- Beaten egg
- Panko bread crumbs
- Frying oil
- Bonito soup stock, 100 ml
- Soy sauce, 1 tbsp
- Mirin, 1 tbsp
Ingredients required:
- Anago fillets
- Flour
- Beaten egg
- Panko bread crumbs
- Frying oil
- Bonito soup stock, 100 ml
- Soy sauce, 1 tbsp
- Mirin, 1 tbsp
Steps:
- Cut the anago into the size you prefer your fried pieces to be.
- Dip the fish in the flour, then the beaten egg, and then the bread crumbs.
- Bring the oil to moderate heat in a fryer, then deep-fry the fish in it.
- Mix the soup stock, soy sauce, and mirin in a bowl and serve with the deep-fried fish as a sauce.
Pro Tip: Tempura is actually best with some vegetables for contrast. Cut some red and green bell peppers into strips and prepare them in the exact same way as your anago, then deep-fry them too. Serve them with the fish!
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Anago Sushi
Anago may not be served raw, but it’s still pretty popular as sushi. Depending on how you prepare it, it can have a delicate or nicely roasted flavour.
Level of difficulty:
Moderate
Estimated prep time:
40 mins
Ingredients required:
- Anago, filleted
- Sake
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Mirin
- Cooked Japanese sushi rice, cooled
- Wasabi
Ingredients required:
- Anago, filleted
- Sake
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Mirin
- Cooked Japanese sushi rice, cooled
- Wasabi
Steps:
- Mix water, sake, soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Use enough of the ingredients so you can submerge and simmer the anago in it later. Follow these ratios for the ingredients as compared to the amount of water you’re using: 1:10 parts soy sauce, 1:5 parts sake, 10g sugar per 150ml of water, and 1:10 parts mirin.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the anago.
- Switch to medium heat and let the fish simmer for 20 minutes.
- Switch to low heat and let the fish simmer for another 10 minutes, removing the scum from the top as it does.
- Remove the fish and cut it into pieces.
- Using mirin and wasabi, use it to make sushi.
Steps:
- Mix water, sake, soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Use enough of the ingredients so you can submerge and simmer the anago in it later. Follow these ratios for the ingredients as compared to the amount of water you’re using: 1:10 parts soy sauce, 1:5 parts sake, 10g sugar per 150ml of water, and 1:10 parts mirin.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the anago.
- Switch to medium heat and let the fish simmer for 20 minutes.
- Switch to low heat and let the fish simmer for another 10 minutes, removing the scum from the top as it does.
- Remove the fish and cut it into pieces.
- Using mirin and wasabi, use it to make sushi.
Pro Tip: For an added punch of flavour, use a grill to roast the fish on the skin side right after it’s been simmered. This can add a nice touch of depth to the fish.
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Anago Don
This is a very popular dish that you often see in restaurants. With your own anago fillets, you can now make it at home!
Level of difficulty:
Moderate
Estimated prep time:
25 mins
Ingredients required:
- Use the same ingredients as anago sushi with the exception of the rice, which should be hot here
Steps:
- Follow Steps 1 to 5 of our recipe for making anago sushi.
- Once the cut and simmered anago is ready, serve it on top of the freshly cooked rice in a bowl.
Pro Tip: You can convert this into a full-on chirashi don by adding your favourite assortment of sashimi to the pile. Uni is popularly paired with anago, for instance.
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