Kabayaki is the grilling style Japan reserves for eel - split, skewered and brushed again and again with a sweet soy glaze until it shines. Salmon takes to exactly the same treatment, and it costs a fraction of what unagi does.
The trick is patience with the glaze. You brush, let it catch, then brush again, building three or four thin layers so the fish ends up lacquered rather than swimming in sauce. Sansho pepper over the top is not optional - that citrus tingle is what stops the whole bowl tasting simply sweet.
It is a twenty-minute dinner that eats like a restaurant meal. Put the rice on first, and everything else falls into place around it.
