unagi,smoked or not?

Uco,first thanks for reply on mirin boshi.Under what circumstances is unagi smoked as part of the processing?Seems in Scandavain countries it usually is smoked,but apparently not Japan.Is this likely so?

I think the "fattiness" of eels may differ between those eaten in Japan and those in northern Europe... the ones in Japan are normally either steamed or grilled, without smoking.

Don,

Eel is not normally smoked in Japan. The only way to get smoked eel is to go a specialist smokery that sells unusual smoked food or to order from outside Japan.

Don,

You're welcome about the mirin-boshi. As for unagi, only professional chefs have the skills to cook them. In other words, if a common consumer buys unagi in Japan, the unagi is usually cooked, and all you have to do is to warm it a little bit using either microwave or griller. If a pack of sauce comes with it, you should put it on as you grill the unagi as well as after you put the unagi on the rice. If you prefer plain steamed unagi over grilled, you don't use the unagi sauce. Just pour some soy sauce and put wasabi on as you eat it.