Recipe Highlights
Rising up in Japan, I ate fish way more usually than I do now within the U.S. My mother cooked completely different sorts of fish all through the week. She all the time alternated meat and fish so we may take pleasure in meals from each the ocean and land.
Grilled unagi is a dish I really like, however good eel is dear. So I created Catfish Kabayaki as a budget-friendly different, and it’s turn into one in all my favorites!
Right here’s why I maintain coming again to this recipe:
- Prepared in quarter-hour with easy-to-find elements
- Makes use of basa, an inexpensive catfish with unagi-like taste
- A satisfying rice bowl with fish glazed in sweet-savory tare
If you happen to love Japanese rice bowls, attempt my Unadon, Oyakodon, and Gyudon subsequent!
What’s Kabayaki?
Kabayaki (蒲焼き) isn’t a sauce. It’s a Japanese cooking fashion, very similar to teriyaki (照り焼き).
An extended fish (resembling eels and conger eels) is filleted, deboned, skewered, and grilled, then brushed with a candy soy glaze known as tare (たれ). It’s the identical methodology behind Japan’s beloved unagi no kabayaki (鰻の蒲焼き), or grilled eel.
Components for Catfish Kabayaki
- Catfish (basa) fillets
- Sauce – soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Salt and black pepper
- Impartial oil
For serving
- Cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- Inexperienced onions/scallions
- Toasted white sesame seeds
- Sansho pepper (optionally available)
Discover the printable recipe with measurements beneath.
Tips on how to Make Catfish Kabayaki
- Prep the fish. Minimize the basa fillets in half crosswise, then season either side with salt and pepper.
- Coat with flour. Mud the fillets flippantly with flour and shake off the surplus.
- Pan-fry. Warmth the oil over medium warmth and fry the fillets 3 to 4 minutes per aspect, till the crust is golden and the flesh turns milky white.
- Add the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk the sauce elements till the sugar dissolves. Pour it over the fish and cook dinner 1–2 minutes, spooning it over till it thickens and glazes the fillets. Sprinkle with sliced inexperienced onions.
- Serve. Spoon the fish and sauce over heat rice. Prime with sesame seeds.
Nami’s Recipe Ideas
Listed below are the guidelines I depend on to make this dish work each time.
- Select skinny fillets – My native fishmonger really useful basa, a kind of catfish, as a result of it is available in skinny fillets that cook dinner rapidly and keep tender.
- Mud with flour first – Coating the fish in flour earlier than frying holds the flesh collectively, provides a crisper floor, and thickens the tare because it reduces.
- Cook dinner on medium – Medium warmth browns the crust with out drying the within, so the fish stays juicy.
- Use extra oil for a crispier crust – I take advantage of 1½ tablespoons in a nonstick pan, however bump it as much as 2–2½ tablespoons in a chrome steel pan for further crunch.
- Use actual sake and mirin – These two staples taste most savory Japanese dishes, in order that they’re price stocking. My pantry pages listing substitutes in the event you want them.
Variations
Be at liberty to combine and match based mostly on what you’ve got available.
- Attempt one other fish. Any gentle white fish with slender, skinny fillets works properly with the identical tare glaze.
- Spoon it over noodles. Skip the rice and serve the fish and sauce over udon or soba.
- Tweak the sauce. Swap in my Selfmade Eel Sauce (unagi tare) for a deeper, extra conventional sweet-salty taste.
What to Serve with Catfish Kabayaki
Add these sides to make an entire meal.
Storage and Reheating Ideas
To retailer: Switch leftovers to an hermetic container and refrigerate for as much as 3 days or freeze for as much as a month.
To reheat: Heat gently in a lined pan over low warmth.
FAQ
What sort of fish ought to I take advantage of?
I take advantage of basa, a kind of catfish, however any skinny white fish works. Choose skinny fillets in order that they cook dinner via rapidly.
Does this style like actual unagi?
It isn’t an identical—catfish is milder than eel. However the candy tare glaze and heat rice make for a satisfying unadon expertise at a fraction of the price of actual unagi, which may run $30 or extra per fillet.
Can I cook dinner this with out sake or mirin?
I like to recommend maintaining each available, since they taste most savory Japanese dishes, however my pantry pages listing substitutes in the event you’re in a pinch.
What’s sansho pepper?
It’s a citrusy Japanese pepper usually paired with grilled eel, and a small pinch provides a light-weight, tingly end.
I’d love to listen to how yours turned out! 💛 Please depart a star score and remark beneath to share your expertise. Your suggestions not solely helps Simply One Cookbook but additionally helps different dwelling cooks uncover recipes they’ll belief.
Catfish Kabayaki
To Prep
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Collect all of the elements. It is best to start out when the rice is resting.
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Minimize 2 basa fillets (catfish fillets) crosswise in half. Season either side with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly floor black pepper.
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Calmly coat the fillets with 1½ Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) and shake off the surplus.
To Cook dinner
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Warmth 1½ Tbsp impartial oil in a frying pan over medium warmth. Add the fillets and fry for 3–4 minutes per aspect till the crust is golden brown and the flesh is opaque and milky white.Nami’s Tip: Use 2–2½ Tbsp oil for a chrome steel pan or for a crispier texture.
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In a small bowl, whisk 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp mirin, 2 Tbsp sake, and 1 Tbsp sugar till the sugar dissolves. Pour over the fish and cook dinner for 1–2 minutes, spooning it over the fish till the sauce thickens and coats the again of a spoon.Thinly slice 2 inexperienced onions/scallions and sprinkle over the fish. Flip off the warmth.
To Serve
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Divide 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice into the donburi bowls and prime with the fish. Drizzle with the pan sauce and sprinkle with 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds and Japanese sansho pepper, if you would like.
To Retailer
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Switch the leftovers to an hermetic container and retailer within the fridge for as much as 2–3 days or within the freezer for as much as a month. To reheat, heat it gently in a lined pan over low warmth so the flesh stays moist.
Variations
- Attempt one other fish. Any gentle white fish that is available in slender, skinny fillets takes properly to the identical tare glaze.
- Make it vegetarian. Coat agency tofu or eggplant in flour and pan-fry, then glaze with the tare for a meat-free bowl.
- Spoon it over noodles. Skip the rice and serve the fish and sauce over udon or soba.
- Use eel for the traditional model. Swap in grilled unagi and make conventional unagi no kabayaki.
Energy: 515kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 31g, Fats: 21g, Saturated Fats: 11g, Trans Fats: 1g, Ldl cholesterol: 94mg, Sodium: 1247mg, Potassium: 586mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 122IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 2mg
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Editor’s Word: This publish was initially printed on June 18,m 2018 and republished with extra useful suggestions and strategies on 6/7, 2026.
