When temperatures still hover around 30 degrees Celsius at sunset, lethargy sets in. The Japanese call this listless state “natsubate,” and for centuries, eating unagi (eel) has been considered the culinary cure.
The first mention of beating the heat by eating eel, was in the “Manyoshu,” an eighth-century collection of poems. At that time, unagi was seasoned with either salt or miso, but late in the Edo Period (1603-1868), what is now commonly referred to as koikuchi shōyu (dark-colored soy sauce) began to be produced in modern-day Chiba Prefecture on the outskirts of Edo (now Tokyo). This Edo-style shoyu was used to make glazes, and it was especially good for glazing fish, including eel. The current custom of eating soy-glazed eel, specifically on Doyo no Ushi no Hi (Midsummer Day of the Ox), can be traced back to the late Edo Period.
Then, as today, restaurants would ask famous customers to write a few words of praise that the shop could publicly display. Hiraga Gennai (1726-79), a playwright, natural scientist and Edison-like inventor (in Japan, he is credited with creating a hand-operated generator and a thermometer), wrote that eating a restaurant’s excellent eel that particular day (which just happened to be Doyo no Ushi No Hi) had restored his waning energy.
In the traditional Japanese calendar, “doyō” refers to an 18-day period prior to a change of seasons. There is a doyō period before the onset of winter, spring, summer and autumn, but most Japanese people are only familiar with this last pre-autumn doyō, which includes the day of the ushi (ox) — one of the 12 animals of the Japanese zodiac. Some years, like this year, there are two Doyo no Ushi no Hi: July 24 and Aug. 5.
Regardless of the context of this midsummer custom, eel is a highly nutritious food. Eel and other fatty fish, such as mackerel and sardines are rich in vitamins B1, 12 and A (known as the anti-fatigue vitamins) and high in the omega-3 acids known as eicosapentaenoic acid (which lowers blood cholesterol) and docosahexaenoic acid (sometimes called "brain food" and thought to enhance mental acumen).
However, in 2014, Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) was placed on the endangered list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. For environmentally conscientious consumers who want to avoid making the situation worse, there is farmed eel, or, better yet, nutritionally similar iwashi (sardines).
Fresh iwashi are delicious prepared in the kabayaki (butterflied, skewered, grilled and glazed) style. And this year’s double Doyo no Ushi no Hi provides twice as many reasons and opportunities to enjoy it — with none of the guilt over sustainability.
Kabayaki-style sardines
Skewered eel, slathered in sweetened soy sauce as it grills, resembles kaba (cattails), which is probably the origin of the name for this type of cooking. In this recipe, we’ll use iwashi, split along the belly and skillet-seared before being glazed in a rapidly reducing sauce made of soy, sugar and sake. Spiced just before serving with a pinch of tongue-tingling sanshō pepper (as is the original kabayaki unagi dish), you’ll trick yourself into thinking iwashi is unagi.
Makes 2 portions
Ingredients:
- 4 fresh sardines (about 45 grams each), split along the belly into butterflied filets
- 1 tablespoon potato starch or cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Glaze sauce:
- 1 5-centimeter piece of kombu
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons sake
- ½ teaspoon sanshō pepper
Begin by assembling the glaze. The quantities listed here will produce enough for four portions (good for eight small sardines). You can set aside the extra, refrigerated in a closed glass jar, for up to one month.
Place the strip of kombu in a small, deep pot, then add the water, soy sauce, sugar and sake. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
While waiting, rinse and pat dry the butterflied sardine filets. With a pastry brush, generously dust all surfaces of the filets, skin and meat with the starch, then set aside.
Place the pot with the glaze mixture on the stove over very low heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved (about 30 seconds). Increase the heat slightly and simmer, constantly stirring, to reduce the sauce by about half (about one minute). The resulting mixture will be slightly thicker than before. Set the sauce aside as you turn your attention to cooking the fish.
Heat a lightly oiled skillet until it is very hot (a bit of starch flicked into the skillet will sizzle immediately). Carefully place the dusted fish in the skillet, skin side down. Allow the sardines to cook undisturbed for one minute — do not jiggle the skillet or poke the fish. As it cooks, the bloodline (red streaks) in the fish will become obvious, a sign the filets are cooking as they should. The edges of the filets will also become opaque and pale.
When these edges become slightly crusted and brown (after about three minutes), flip the filets so that the skin, slightly blistered and lightly browned, now faces up. Sear with the skin side up, again undisturbed, for one minute.
Pour half the glaze into the skillet, swirling to be sure the sauce coats the fish evenly. Continue to cook for about 45 seconds, swirling the skillet as the sauce reduces. With a flat spatula, move the filets to individual serving plates. Spoon a bit of sauce remaining in the skillet over the fish. Finish the glazed sardines with a sprinkling of sanshō pepper.
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