Wholesale Roasted Eel Unagi Just in One Place!
An eel is a long fish that ranges from about 5 centimeters to up to 4 meters in length. Adult eels can be as heavy as 25 kilograms in weight. They are known for being able to swim in both forward and backward directions. Mostly found in shallow water, most of the species of eels are nocturnal (leave their habitat at night) and are rarely seen.
Although avoided by followers of some religions, Eel is very popular in Chinese and Japanese cuisine. In fact, Japan makes up more than 70 percent of the total consumption of the global eel catch. The blood of eel is said to be poisonous for humans and other mammals but it is observed that the cooking process and digestion that occurs within the consumer’s body can destroy the toxic proteins.
Unagi is the Japanese word for eels that live in freshwater. Unagi is popular for the Japanese dish Unadon. It consists of a large bowl filled with steamed white rice and over the rice are fillets of eel that are grilled in a style known as Kabayaki.
Eel isn’t just popular in Chinese and Japanese cuisine, but it is also a part of the cuisines of other countries like Hong Kong, Korea, Italy, etc. It can be prepared in many different ways and needs to be processed in a certain way so that it can be preserved and ready to cook.
How is Roasted Eel processed?
As discussed earlier, Eel must go through a certain set of steps from catching it from the water to being ready to be served. These steps are important to preserve its nutrients and remove toxic impurities. The proper processing of Eel even ensures that the taste of the Roasted Eel would be good!
At Ifoodio, we follow these steps in order to process an Eel. The factory that processes the Roasted Eel has an experience of more than 13 years and is certified HACCP, ISO 22000, ISO 9001, and QFH. These steps are up to international standards:
1. Alive eel inspection, cultivation, and grade selection:
The selected alive Eels must measure up to all relevant regulations. For this, the Eels are tested for any drug remnants and heavy metals which may be harmful to the consumers. The selected Eels are then placed in 24-hour temporary breeding. This process is to rejuvenate the Eels. The Eels are then classified based on order and material supply status for equilibrium production.
2. Icing and dissection:
The Eels are iced to put them in dormancy condition which makes it easy for the Jockey to cut open the Eel. After being put in dormancy condition, the jockey then dissects the Eel which could be done in two ways. The Eel can either be cut open from the front or the back.
3. Cleanout and trimming
The impurities, bloodiness, and innards of Eel slices are cleaned out. The bloodletting degree (amount of blood withdrawn) is also adjusted in this step. This step also includes cutting the head and innards of the Eel according to the production requirements.
4. Skin roasting and wiping off impurities:
The skin of the Eel is roasted with infrared gas and the impurities that stayed over on the Eel’s body are wiped off.
5. Meat roasting and cooking:
The meat of the Eel is roasted with the help of infrared gas. The Eel slice is then cooked by braising and cooking machine, This step achieves the sterilization effect furthermore.
6. Kabayaki:
The Eel is re-roasted after seasoning and the chroma is controlled according to the demand of the order.
7. Precooling:
The temperature of the semi-finished product is reduced to improve the freezing effect. The central temperature of the product is kept below -18 degree centigrade by IQF deep freeze.
8. Grade classification:
Quality goods are classified according to customers’ quality requirements.
9. Packing:
The finished products are to be packed using paper master cartons that are sealed with adhesive tape. Two boxes are stored per carton. The refrigerated products are placed in vacuum-packed bags.
10. Metal detection and refrigeration:
Every box of the product is examined by a metal detector to ensure that there is no metal fragment present. The finished products are preserved in a freezer with temperatures below -18 degree centigrade.
The finished product should follow the principle of early in and early out during shipment.
Why is Eel so expensive?
Eel is a popular dish that is included in the cuisine of some Asian countries like Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong, etc. Eel dishes like unadon and unajuu are popular among these cuisines but are expensive.
The reason for such a high price for Eels is that in the past Eels have been overfished due to their popularity. As a result, over a period of time, the quantity of Eels became to feel drastically low. As a matter of fact, Eels have now been listed as a critically endangered specie. In 2014, freshwater Eel also known as unagi was added to the international endangered species list due to overfishing, habitat loss, and many other factors. According to the international union for conservation of nature, in the last 30 years, the total Eel population has declined by as much as 90 percent.
With the rapid decline in the Eel population along with the increasing popularity of Eel, there is a gap between the supply and demand of Eels with the demand being way more than the supply. This has caused an increase in the price of Eels.
Another reason for this increase in the price is that, unlike other fishes, farming Eels is quite difficult. There are unagi farms present in different countries but the issue is that unagi is freshwater Eels that are born in the ocean and migrate to the river. They then return to the sea to begin the cycle again. These conditions are difficult and costly to replicate which causes the unagi farm eel to be costly.
The Eels raised on an unagi farm in Japan are more expensive than the farm eels imported from other countries as the Japanese prefer to eat Japanese eels instead of eels from other countries.
Why is eel so popular?
As discussed earlier, eel is a popular food option in most Asian cuisines and generally around the world. Eel is considered an energizing food that is full of nutrition by the people of Japan. Eel is so popular in Japan that they have a special day just for eating eel. “Doyo no Ushi no Hi”, also labeled as “the unagi day” is a special occasion in Japanese tradition that falls in mid-July which is the hottest part of the year in the country. On this occasion, The Japanese eat freshwater eels to keep themselves nourished and to maintain their stamina for the rest of the summer days.
Another reason for eels being so popular is that eel is delicate to cook and most sushi chefs don’t even attempt to cook the dish because if the eel is not cooked properly, the flavor of the eel would be unpleasant and the meat would go rough. Eel is only cooked by expert chefs who with their delicacy and professionalism bring so much taste to the cooked dish that it is loved by the consumers.
Is the blood of eel toxic to humans?
The blood of all eels is toxic to humans. The blood of an eel contains proteins that are toxic to the body. These toxic proteins are said to cause muscle cramps and may even affect the heart muscles.
A lot of people ask the question: “Can eels be eaten in raw form?” And the answer to this question is no. Eels must never be eaten in raw form. The proteins present in an eel’s blood are toxic if eaten in raw form. The cooking and digestive process break down the proteins which causes these proteins to lose their toxicity.
The presence of toxic blood in eels is why there is always an emphasis put on the proper cleaning and cooking of the eels. Eel must be cooked and cleaned properly as it is toxic in raw form which makes the cooking of the dish quite delicate. This is one of the reasons why there are only a few professional chefs who cook and serve eel.
Why is eel slimy?
Eels have slime on their skin which makes them slippery. The phrase “As slippery as an eel” used to describe a person who is difficult to catch was derived from the fact that eels are slippery due to the slime they secrete on their skin.
The slime on an eel is present so that it can easily slip among the coral reef and out of the hands of potential captors. The slime present on the surface also protects the eel from pathogens and parasites that may try to enter the body through the scales present on the surface. Another function of slime is that it controls the amount of water that the fish can bring in and out of the gills. This adjustment of water is important for the process of osmoregulation. It is believed that the eel is able to secrete more or less slime according to the water level required in the body and external conditions. This quality of the eel makes it able to move from freshwater to seawater and vice versa without any change to the internal conditions of the eel’s body.
The easiest way to remove slime from an eel is to roll it in the sand and clean the eel to remove the sand particle that is stuck to its body along with the slime. Another simple method of removing the slime from an eel is to apply salt to its surface, place the eel in a plastic bag and shake it. This not only removes most of the slime but also kills the eel as high salt level on the surface of the eel causes water to diffuse out of the fish body and the eel dies out of dehydration.
Is the skin of an eel edible?
A lot of people wonder if the skin of an eel is edible or not. The unpleasant and rough skin of an eel makes us wonder if it would even be edible. The eel skin can be eaten but the rough texture of the skin makes it difficult to bite. The skin of an eel is also quite leathery and elastic which makes it difficult to be chewed.
The skin of an eel is tough and slippery. It must be removed when the eel dies. If left for a long time after death, the skin dries out, and then it would be really difficult to remove the skin. Most roasted eel can be eaten with their skin attached without the skin becoming difficult to chew.
How to cook roasted eel?
There are a lot of different recipes to prepare eel. Different types of dishes can be made of eel. Some of the most common eel dishes are roasted eel and unadon.
Recipe for cooking whole roasted eel:
Roasted eel has a simple recipe and can be prepared in three simple steps:
- Clean the eel for any residual blood. Pat it dry and then rub salt all over the surface. Place the eel in a pan and drizzle the eel generously with oil.
- In the next step, preheat the oven to 375F. Put the pan containing the eel in the preheated oven and roast it until the skin of the eel becomes crispy and brown and the meat is tender. The whole roasting process should take around 25 to 30 minutes.
- Take to pan out of the oven and serve the eel immediately when it is hot. You may season the roasted eel with lemon, salt, and pepper or add any sauce.
Recipe for cooking unagi don grilled eel
Unadon is a Japanese dish that consists of a bowl full of steamed white rice the bowl of rice is topped with fillets of eel that are grilled in a style known kabayaki. The dish is typically served or seasoned with a sweet soy-based sauce. The dish is popular all over Japan for its taste. The dish can be prepared by following these steps:
1. making the sauce:
Combine 4 tablespoons of mirin and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of cooking sake in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and add 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir it until completely dissolved. Add 4 tablespoons of soy to the mixture and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer it for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Turn the heat off and let the sauce cool.
2. Preparing the rice:
Start cooking the steamed white rice by any method you prefer as the sauce cools down.
3. Grill the unagi:
Preheat the grill to about 250-degree centigrade. Cut the eels in such a way that they fit on top of the rice bowl. Take an aluminum foil and line it with a baking sheet. Lay the eel fillets on the aluminum foil and brush its surface with vegetable oil. Now grill the eel for about 5 to 7 minutes until it is nicely browned.
4. Adding the sauce:
Take the fillets out of the oven and add some of the sauce prepared earlier on its surface and then place the fillets back in the oven. Grill the eel for some time until the sauce on the fillet starts to bubble on top.
5. Serve and enjoy:
Take the eel fillet out of the oven and add the fillet on top of the steamed white rice and season the rice with the sauce that was left. The unadon dish is now prepared to eat and enjoy.
What does eel taste like?
Are eels healthy?
Eel is a popular food option in many Asian cuisines. Known for its taste, eel is also believed to be nutritious and healthy. As a matter of fact, the Japanese prefer to eat eel in the summer season to maintain their nutrition level.
Eels are a good source of dietary protein, and vitamins A, D, and B12. Vitamin A is important for our eyesight while vitamin D is an essential vitamin for the normal functioning of our immune and skeletal systems. Vitamin B-12 is a mineral that helps keep our body’s blood and nerve cells healthy. The high level of vitamin B-12 is the reason why eel meat is said to cure anemia.
Eel meat is also rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and iron. Eel contains no sugar which makes it a good food option for diabetic patients. They are also abundant in Omega 3 fats which are responsible to protect our heart and maintain blood pressure. It also reduces the risk of diabetes and arthritis. An important example of omega-3 fatty acids is EPA which is responsible for healthy skin.
Another important benefit of eels is that they have a low level of mercury in their body. With the increase in pollution, the river and seawater have been contaminated with many types of heavy metals among which mercury is mostly found. Among all seafood, the eel has been found to have the lowest level of mercury.
Do eel have bones?
The flexible nature of eels makes us wonder whether they even have bones in them or not. The answer to this question is that yes, eels do have fish bones. The central spine of the eel is mostly removed before the cooking of the dish. Eel is a fish that contains mostly a central spine and there are very few spines present around it. The central spine is removed before cooking the fish but the other spiny projections remain in the eel.
While most of these tiny spiny projections are edible even then it is a good idea to keep aware of the spines that may be present in the eel. It is advised not to put rice in the mouth while eating eel otherwise it becomes difficult to feel and be aware of the tiny bones that are present in the fish.
Is eel high in cholesterol?
Eel is high in cholesterol levels and saturated fats. Eel is labeled as the seafood that contains the most cholesterol and fats. It is a better idea to avoid eating eel if someone has a high blood cholesterol level. The amount of cholesterol present in the eel also depends on the type of eel. Freshwater eel is said to contain more fats and cholesterol as compared to less oily seawater eel. Therefore seawater is a healthier choice in comparison to freshwater eel. Still, freshwater eel is preferred due to its richer taste.
Eel is a good food choice, popular in many Asian countries. It is well known for its nutrition and taste. The only issue is the sustainability of the eel population. If necessary measures are enforced, Eel can be proven to be a good food choice and can be vastly available to the public at a cheaper rate. Eel is a delicate fish that must be processed and cooked properly only then it can be enjoyed.
At Ifoodio we take all the necessary measures to make sure that the taste and nutrition of the eel are preserved. contact us today to get a price quote!