American Unagi

American Unagi is a Waldoboro-based company American Unagi that specializes in the raising and processing of unagi (or ウナギ), which means eel in Japanese. What distinguishes American Unagi is not just their unique product, but also their sustainable, closed-loop system of producing eels and using up all the components.

Here's a fun little history lesson for you: believe it or not, Maine's waterways are a huge spawning ground for baby glass eels, or elvers. Traditionally, our industries didn't super know what to do with these eels, but there's always been a big market for them in East Asia, so what we'd do is round as many of them up and sell them over to Asia to be raised and consumed! Obviously, this isn't the most profitable or environmentally beneficial process, so American Unagi founder, Sara Rademaker set out to change that with her company. At American Unagi, they take Maine's elvers and raise them in their indoor facility, thus creating jobs for Mainers and allowing us to keep the profits closer to home!

One of the most delicious traditional ways to eat eel is through the Japanese kabayaki method. To prepare kabayaki, you butterfly the eel, dip it in a sweet soy-sauce marinade, and grill it! Once it's cooked, it's served over rice. You can find these eel fillets at American Unagi, already cooked and ready to eat! Make sure to secure your own unique, savory Maine bites of eel at https://americanunagi.com/!