Love unagi? Then you must try this catfish kabayaki recipe, sweet and delicate tare sauce on top of tender juicy catfish and garnished with sesame seeds.

Growing up in Japan I used to eat fish more often than I do now living in the U.S. With the wide variety of fish available in Japan, my mom prepared and cooked different kinds of fish throughout the week. She always said we need to eat meat and fish alternatively so that we can enjoy food from both the sea and land.
Today I want to introduce Catfish Kabayaki that is easy to get ingredients for anywhere you live, economical, simple and fast to cook, and last but not least, delicious for the whole family to enjoy.

What is Kabayaki?
Kabayaki (蒲焼き) is a style of Japanese cooking – just like how Teriyaki (照り焼き) is actually a style of cooking, not the name of the sauce.
This style of cooking is specifically for dishes prepared with fish. Typically a long fish is filleted, deboned, skewered, grilled without the sauce first, and then brushed with sweet soy sauce called tare (pronounced [ta LEH] たれ).
This tare is similar to yakitori tare and unagi tare. The sauces are all made with soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar, just with different ratio of the ingredients.
The popular Japanese eel or unagi (鰻) is actually called Unagi no Kabayaki (鰻の蒲焼き) because the way it’s cooked is kabayaki-style.

Catfish Kabayaki as an Alternative to Unagi (Eel)
Speaking of eel or unagi, this Catfish Kabayaki is a wonderful alternative to Unadon (鰻丼, Unagi Donburi) or Unajyu (鰻重).
For several years, good quality domestic unagi has been really expensive in Japan. We occasionally find them in the US at Japanese grocery stores, but the cost is close to $30 for one fillet. The non-Japanese frozen unagi in vacuum pack is cheaper, but has a rubbery texture and it doesn’t taste very good.
So what’s a good alternative? Try this Catfish Kabayaki! It is not unagi, but I think it’ll satisfy your cravings!

Key Ingredients to Make Perfect Catfish Kabayaki
Catfish: My local fish monger recommended me to use basa fish, a type of catfish for this recipe and I liked how it turned out! Of course you can use other types of fish as well, but choose fillets that are relatively thin so it’ll cook faster.
Flour: I use all-purpose flour for my Teriyaki Salmon recipe as well, and some of you asked why. Applying flour before cooking the fillet helps to retain the shape (flesh) of the fish, resulting in crispier texture, and thickens the sauce when you pour the liquid seasonings later.
Sake & Mirin: If you’re new to Japanese cooking, you probably want to ask if you can replace or substitute sake and mirin for something else. I always say to get these two ingredients because that’s they are essential Japanese ingredients that we use for a majority of Japanese (savory) recipes. Please check each pantry page for substitute information: sake here, and mirin here.

As usual, my family are the guinea pigs of my creation and they absolutely loved this dish. The sweet tare sauce worked really well with tender catfish and you have to enjoy it on top of rice. We liked this dish so much we ate it twice in 1 week. Enjoy!
Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for the FREE Just One Cookbook newsletter delivered to your inbox! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates.

Catfish Kabayaki
Ingredients
- 2 basa fillets (catfish fillets)
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1½ Tbsp neutral oil
- 2 green onions/scallions
- 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (typically 1⅔ cups (250 g) per donburi serving)
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
- Japanese sansho pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings (3⅓ cups, 500 g). See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot on the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
- Cut 2 basa fillets (catfish fillets) in half. Season both sides of the catfish fillets with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- Coat the fillets with 1½ Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour). Gently shake off the excess flour.
- Heat 1½ Tbsp neutral oil (if you like a crispier texture, use 2 to 2½ Tbsp oil) in the frying pan over medium heat. Cook both sides of the fillet until golden brown, about 3–4 minutes each side.
- Whisk 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp mirin, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp sugar together in a small bowl. Pour the sauce over the fish in the pan. Using a spoon, scoop some sauce and pour it over the fish several times. Cook a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Thinly slice 2 green onions/scallions and sprinkle over the fish. Turn off the heat. Divide 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice into individual large donburi bowls or plates. Serve the fish over the rice. Drizzle the sauce over the fish. Sprinkle with 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds and Japanese sansho pepper, if you‘d like.
I genuinely eat this dish once a week if not more. It is so good and very simple to make. I am excited to make it for guests tomorrow. Thanks so much for sharing this valueable knowledge!
Hi Sebrina, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoy this dish once a week.🤗 We hope your guests enjoy it as well.
Happy Cooking!
Ive been wondering if this style of cooking might work well for Tilapia. I used to cook this style for dinner when we lived in Japan with Aji and other similar fish available at the store. Being in landlocked Minnesota Tilapia is probably the most reasonabley priced fish here so I want to try it! lol
Hi Jessica! Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
Yes. Tilapia would also work well for this recipe.
We hope you enjoy it!
Wow, this was amazing! This was my first time preparing this. My kids do love Japanese food but can be very picky. Not this time! My 11 year old son, in his usual manner, practically unhinged his jaw like a snake devouring its prey. My daughter, whose first response to most new foods is, “Eww, what is that?” dug right in and never once complained. My wife and I loved the flavor the sauce brought to it and this will now become a part of our permenent stable of recipes.
Hi Jason! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the Kabayaki!!🥰
Great recipe. Works really well with red snapper instead of catfish (we live in the Pacific Northwest). We also garnish with julienned ginger.
Hi Brad! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!😊
This looks like a delicious recipe – I’d love to try making it!
Just a couple of questions though – do you think this would work with frozen fish fillets, and could I fry this in a non-stick pan?
Thanks for this recipe, and the many amazing others on the website 🙂
Hi Jude! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
Yes. You can use frozen fish fillets. However, we recommend defrosting the fish first.
As for frying in a non-stick pan, some pan’s materials are not suitable for high temperatures. Please check with the manufacturer for more detail.
We hope this helps!
Thanks so much!
Great!
Omer! We are glad to know you enjoyed Nami’s recipe! Thank you for your feedback!😊
Thank you! I live in Alabama and catfish is everywhere. Do you have any recommendations for side dishes?
Hi Neah, Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
This dish goes well with many of the greed side dish, miso soup, etc.
We had posted “MAKE IT INTO A MEAL” side dish recommendation below the recipe card for some idea, please chekc it out!
Here are also a few green side dish ideas. We hope this helps!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/spinach-ohitashi-japanese-spinach-salad-with-bonito-flakes/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/spinach-with-sesame-miso-sauce/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/okra-ohitashi/
Enjoy!
Hi Nami,
Thanks for this delicious recipe. I tried it today. It’s quick and delicious. My family loved it 🙂
Hi Thanh, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear your family loved this dish. Thank you for your kind feedback!
I am Cindy warn I love your catfish recipe
Hi Cindy! Thank you very much for trying this recipe! We are so happy to hear you love this recipe!
Lovely meal, thank you.
Hi Jana, We are glad to hear you enjoyed this dish. Thank you very much for your kind feedback.
Woooaaa I’m definitely going to try this!! Thank you for the recipe. Love them all!! One question, what is Sansho pepper?
Hi Diana, Sansho pepper is made from the ground berries of the prickly ash tree. Here is the post link where Nami explained more. https://www.justonecookbook.com/sansho-pepper/ We hope this helps! Thank you for trying this recipe.
Hi ,
I enjoyed the recipe and made it with fresh snapper., served with Japanese rice and fresh beans. Served up with a Gruner Veltliner. Yum yum.
I am sure I wuill do this again.
Many thanks,
Mark
Hi Mark,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe with fresh snapper!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed it.🙂
Made this for dinner this evening with Kabocha miso soup and cucumber salad… we were in love! Perfect recipe! Thank you so much! This help with our craving!
Hi Gary! What a fantastic dinner! Thanks so much for trying my recipes! So happy you enjoyed them. 🙂