Sea Eel (Anago)

Conger myriaster

Sea eel is considered good during the winter or summer. For those who like a richer texture prefer the winter season before they mate, and people who like a lighter texture prefer it during the summer.

Sea eel is eaten raw as a sashimi as well. Like eel, its freshwater cousin, when consumed raw, it has a slippery texture and the several tiny bones that run across its spine make it difficult to serve as a sushi. When served as a sashimi, the flesh is sliced very thin, and shocked in ice water by the arai preparation to constrict its flesh and get rid of the minor earthy aromas which it acquires for living under the sands of the sea floor. It has a light opaque white (sometimes light pink), color when it is raw. Grated ginger matches well with raw sea eel. The Osaka style sea eel sashimi is made by quickly immersing it in hot water and then shocking it in ice water.  This is called the yu arai method and slighly strengthens the flavors of the raw sea eel, while washing way the slippery texture. 

Sea eel is also a prized ingredient for tempura. Sometimes a whole fillet of a sea eel measuring about a foot is fried, and consumed with a lot of grated daikon radish, and tempura sauce.

Anago or “hole kid” gets its name for living inside holes or spaces between rocks. They are also known to live underneath the sand. Sea eel fishing only requires to set traps with small holes, and then they will naturally swim into them.

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