Now this season is the most suitable day to eat eels, because it is necessary to use such food to replenish energy at the junction of summer and autumn.
What you need to know before eating eel rice:
Before eating eel rice, you need to understand a question: What is the difference between river eel and moray eel? Eels are descending migratory fish that are native to the sea, grow up in fresh water, and then return to the sea to spawn. Every spring, large flocks of young eels enter the estuary from the sea. Male eels usually grow at the mouth of rivers, while females swim backwards into the trunks and tributaries of rivers and lakes that connect with them, and sometimes trek thousands of kilometres to various bodies of water upstream of rivers.
That is to say, summer should be the time when eels grow in fresh water, when they are preparing energy for the next generation, so as river eels, this is their best state, and the meat is the most fat.
River eels
In Japan, most of the eels used for eel rice are freshwater eels, and farmers have to follow the natural habits of eels, because eels cannot spawn in fresh water, so eel fry are caught from the sea and then stocked in fresh water. It is precisely because of this that the number of wild eels has decreased dramatically, and it may one day become a knifefish-like fate.
Let's talk about the moray eel often said in dido Japanese restaurants, in fact, the river eel used in this eel and eel rice is a different species of fish, and there are countless different species of light sea eel, and their commonality is that they have always lived in the sea. Japanese people also eat moray eels, but in different ways.
There are two main types of moray eels common in Japan:
It is called "Anago" in Japanese, and Chinese should be "star eel". Smaller than river eels, the way to eat is the same as river eels, but generally do not bake only cooked, do more sushi, that is, the famous star eel sushi.
Star eel sushi
The origin of this dish is also very interesting, it is said that because Hamo is particularly strong in vitality, in ancient times, seafood from the sea to Beijing takes a long time, especially in the hot summer, the general fish will die halfway, only Hamo will survive, so Japan has the legend of eating eels to strengthen the body.
hamo
There is also a kind of moray eel, called Utsubo in Japanese, which is a very fierce deep-sea fish, which is difficult to see in the general market and is very cherished.
The most heart-wrenching food drama "Lonely Foodie" commented on the eel rice bowl, "The eel is fried and grilled with oil, bright and moving, and the destructive power can be imagined." ”
The crimson sauce and lacquer box complement each other, as if opening a jewelry box
Each portion of the boxed eel has half an eel, and only the freshest eels of the highest grade are selected to be slaughtered alive, and the width and thickness of the fish body must be maintained to the same size. We first steam the eel for an hour, and then after three slow roasts, bake until the skin is slightly charred and oozes grease, while retaining the gelatinous elastic taste of the fish skin, which depends on the chef's grasp of the heat.
Grilling eel depends on the chef's grasp of the heat
The sauce is the finishing touch of whether the eel rice is delicious or not, it needs to hang out the fresh sweetness of fish and rice, and it cannot be overpowered, although the main ingredients are soy sauce, sugar and rice drizzle, etc., but each restaurant has its own secret recipe. A simple way to judge the quality of the sauce: the homemade sauce is very clear and the taste is not too heavy; the mass-produced sauce bought from the market is dark and close to black, and the taste is too sweet and salty, which will cover the taste of fish and rice.
The sauce is the finishing touch to whether the eel rice is delicious or not
The rice of eel rice seems to be the foil for a gorgeous performance, but it is a crucial set. A piece of fish meat is served with rice, and the rice grains need to be soft and not sticky and elastic. It is best to choose five permanent long-grained fragrant rice, spread under the eel, sparkling and shiny, wrapped in sauce and chewed soft and grainy, the rustic aroma and the domineering aroma of grilled eel perfectly blended. So one of the rice friends only had a single bowl of rice and ate it at the bottom of the bowl.
Grilled eel liver
The best moray eels are roasted directly after they are killed alive, and in addition to the traditional collocation, the yuzu sauce made is selected to instantly brighten the whole bowl of eel rice. Personally, I still prefer the last way to eat tea and rice, and the grilled eel is gradually awakened in the tea soup of Japanese Sencha. If you're a fan of white ware, opt for the boiled style, where the soft glutinous eels are awakened by a slight salty taste.
The best moray eels are slaughtered alive and then roasted
Instantly feel the crispy meat of the eel in its vegetarian skin
Luhai Feng eel is a fresh river eel from the Bohai Sea, which is cooked in the traditional cuisine of the Kanto region of Japan, and after slaughter, it is steamed and then grilled, brushed with juice, plucked and then grilled. The summer river eel is like an athlete preparing to participate in the Olympic Games, a fully muscular man, definitely not a small fresh meat, its flesh is tight and full, full of strength, and excellent state.
The firm, plump flesh is full of power
The secret sauce is sweet and fresh, brushed on the eel and then grilled can not only ensure the taste, but also add a caramel flavor, with the grainy full of five permanent rice, white and full of rice grains suck enough rich eel juice, the smoothness of the grease, the aroma of eels, the glutinous rice... Dig a spoonful into the mouth, chew slowly, that sense of satisfaction, happiness, will definitely heal all the sadness!
The grains of rice sucked in the rich eel juice
Luhai Fengpu roasted eel is roasted alive
Don't think that the killing is a legend, in Japan's top eel specialty store, it is such a step, the moment you open the paint box, you are fascinated, and the whole eel is satisfied in the look and feel... The meat is finer than before, the sauce is completely absorbed around the eel, the entrance is soft from the steaming process, and the faint caramel is baked, and the two are fused together and open in the mouth.
The sauce is completely adsorbed around the eel
Tasting eel rice during the fattest season is truly a rare culinary experience.