Shibanuma, Gluten Free Unagi Sauce, 1.8L
The glossy eel glaze, made without wheat.
Unagi sauce, or kabayaki tare, is the thick, sweet-savoury glaze lacquered over grilled eel and the rice beneath it. Shibanuma's is built on a tamari-style soy, so it is made without wheat while keeping the deep, syrupy richness the dish needs. One 1.8L bottle, glossy enough to cling to anything you brush it on. Not just for eel.
More from Shibanuma: barrel-aged soy sauce (300g), dark soy sauce (18L), 2-year dashi soy sauce, yuzu ponzu, yakitori sauce, yakiniku sauce and sesame dressing.
Why Operators Choose This
- No wheat: built on a tamari-style soy, made without wheat.
- Thick and glossy: clings beautifully to grilled eel, fish and glazed dishes.
- Balanced: rich and sweet but with a real savoury soy depth, not cloying.
- Eighteen generations: from a family making soy in Ibaraki since 1688.
How to Use
- Unagi and kabayaki: brush over grilled eel and the rice in unadon.
- Grilled fish: glaze salmon, mackerel or other oily fish.
- Tofu and aubergine: a glossy glaze for grilled vegetables and tofu.
- Donburi: drizzle over rice bowls and skewers for a sweet-savoury finish.
Unagi (鰻) is freshwater eel, and the classic way to cook it is kabayaki, grilled and repeatedly brushed with a thick, sweet soy glaze, the tare (たれ). That glaze is soy sauce reduced with mirin, sake and sugar to a glossy syrup. This version is built on a tamari-style soy, made with little or no wheat, so it is gluten-free while keeping the depth a good eel sauce needs. Shibanuma Shoyu (柴沼醤油醸造) has brewed soy in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, since 1688, eighteen generations of the same family, still fermenting in wooden barrels built in the Edo era.
Learn more: Inside the 200-Year-Old Shibanuma Factory
What does unagi sauce taste like?
Rich, sweet and deeply savoury, thicker and more syrupy than a yakitori glaze. The soy gives a salty, umami backbone, balanced by a pronounced sweetness from mirin and sugar, and the whole thing is glossy enough to coat food in a shining layer. The tamari base keeps it rounded rather than sharp. It tastes of caramelised, grilled richness, which is why it works far beyond eel, on any oily fish or grilled vegetable that suits a sweet-savoury lacquer.
| Type | Unagi no tare 鰻のたれ (sweet eel glaze) |
| Brand | Shibanuma (brewing since 1688) |
| Origin | Japan (Tsuchiura, Ibaraki) |
| Net Volume | 1.8L |
| Best Used As | A glaze for grilled eel, fish and donburi |
What is the difference between unagi sauce and yakitori sauce?
Both are sweet soy glazes (tare), but unagi sauce is generally thicker, sweeter and more syrupy, made to coat grilled eel in a glossy lacquer and to soak into the rice beneath it. Yakitori sauce is a little lighter, balanced for brushing onto chicken skewers over a grill. In practice they overlap and you can use one for the other, but reach for unagi sauce when you want a richer, glossier, sweeter glaze.
Do I have to use it with eel?
Not at all. Unagi sauce is named for its classic use but works as a sweet-savoury glaze across the board. It is excellent on grilled salmon and other oily fish, on tofu and aubergine, over rice bowls, and as a finishing drizzle on skewers. Anywhere a dish suits a thick, glossy, sweet soy lacquer, this sauce does the job, eel or not.
How should I store it after opening?
Keep the bottle refrigerated once opened and use within the period stated on the pack. Wipe the neck and reseal tightly between uses. Decant a working portion for brushing rather than dipping used brushes back into the main bottle, which keeps the sauce clean across a busy service.
SKU : S0600