Why Is It Called Eel Sauce? It is called eel sauce because it is primarily used for unagi dishes or dishes that consist of eel, rice, and other sides. There might be eel in it because of the name, but there isn't. The name is related to what kind of food it best seasons, which is grilled fish.

What is sushi eel sauce made of?

It's a simple sauce made with soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake (no eel is used in the sauce except for the more traditional nitsume sauce, which contains eel broth), that's thick enough to be used as a glaze.

What is eel sauce like?

Eel sauce has a multitude of flavors, primarily sweet, salty, umami and smoky. The savory and slightly salty tastes come primarily from soy sauce. Because of this specific combination of flavors, there is something distinctly like barbecue about eel sauce.