Eel Sauce

You won’t believe how easy it is to make the sweet brown sauce for sushi called eel sauce, also called nitsume sauce or unagi sauce.

Despite its name, it doesn’t actually contain eels. It’s called eel sauce because it’s a sauce that is commonly used with eel sushi, but eel sauce also used for many other types of sushi as well. You can make this sweet savory sauce in a matter of minutes with only three key ingredients, and making your own sauce is definitely well worth it.

Ingredients for Eel Sauce

The only ingredients you’ll need to make eel sauce, or unagi sauce, are: soy sauce, white sugar and Mirin. You can find Mirin in the section of the grocery store with the vinegar. It’s worth having in your pantry because it can take many dishes up a notch with its sweet tang and it typically only cost a couple dollars.

If you’re going to make this amazing brown sauce for sushi, of course you’re gonna need sushi! Try one of our homemade sushi recipes like:

• Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sushi
• Philadelphia Roll
• Avocado and Cream Cheese Sushi

How to Make Eel Sauce

To make this eel sauce recipe, simply use equal proportions of soy sauce, sugar, and Mirin and reduce it by heating it. This recipe makes about 1/3-2/3 cup of eel sauce using a third cup of each ingredients. If you want to make more, try a half a cup of each.

Put the soy sauce, sugar, and Mirin in a sauce pan, whisk to combine, and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce has significantly reduced and has thickened a bit.

Once you take it off the heat and it cools it will thicken much more. You’re ultimately aiming for a honey-like consistency that’s sweet and sticky, but you’ll achieve that with the cooling. Just make sure the sauce is thicker than water when you reduce it.

If you find you want your eel sauce, even thicker, you can add a bit of cornstarch as a thickening agent. 

Once the eel sauce for sushi has cooled, just drizzle it over the sushi or use it as a dipping sauce!

How to Use Unagi Sushi Sauce

You can use unagi sushi sauce for way more than just sushi. You can use it as a condiment or marinade for chicken or beef, for examples.

It’s well worth making your own sushi sauce because it’s so much cheaper than buying it in the store and it is so easy and fast to make.

You can add other ingredients to your eel sauce like red Pelly pepper chili flakes or garlic. But the sauce on its own using this recipe is truly delicious on its own!