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Learn how to make the perfect restaurant-style dragon roll at home. With sushi rice, crabmeat, and sweet unagi wrapped in nori, it’s my favorite sushi roll!
Craving more Japanese appetizers? Try my tuna tartare, beef negimaki, dragon rolls, and spicy ramen next.
Ask anyone in my family what my favorite sushi roll is, and they’ll tell you it’s a dragon roll.
Made with tender unagi, crispy fillings, and topped with an addictive sweet eel sauce, this is the kind of recipe that’ll make you swear off takeout for good.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Quick and easy. For such a fancy-looking roll, the recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make.
- No raw sashimi. With no fishy flavor, it’s perfect for your friends who claim to hate raw fish.
- Easy to customize. Dragon sushi rolls come in several versions or “colors.” I’ll break it down later on.
- Way cheaper than the restaurant. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I’ve often paid upwards of $20 per roll at my local Japanese restaurant, but now, we can make it for a fraction of that!
What is a dragon roll made of?
- Sushi rice. Make things easier and make a batch of my Instant Pot sushi rice. If you want something quicker, simply steam some sushi rice and stir in some rice vinegar.
- Nori seaweed sheets. To wrap the rolls.
- Fillings. I used Persian cucumbers cut into thin strips, avocado slices, and crab meat, also called “surimi.”
- Unagi. The star ingredient. We use freshly cooked unagi and let it cool to room temperature before adding it. Use leftover unagi to make unagi don.
- Spicy mayo. For a spicy kick, mix mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce. If you’d prefer it not to be spicy, use plain Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise.
- Eel sauce. Also known as unagi sauce, it’s a must for any good eel roll!
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How to make dragon rolls
Step 1- Fluff the rice. Use a fork to fluff the rice. If it seems dry, add a tablespoon of water.
Step 2- Assemble. Place one nori sheet on the bamboo mat with the shiny side down. Spread half the rice on one side of the nori into an even layer, leaving half an inch at the top. Add the crab, cucumber, avocado, and two tablespoons of spicy mayo along the bottom edge of the nori sheet.
Step 3- Roll. Grab both sides of the rolling mat and roll up the sushi. Once fully rolled, place the unagi on top.
Step 4- Slice and serve. Using a sharp knife, slice into 8 pieces. Repeat to make one more roll. Drizzle with eel sauce before serving.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Let the rice cool to room temperature. If you’re making it from scratch, I suggest doing this a few hours beforehand so you don’t have to wait.
- Have your ingredients ready to go. It’ll make the process go by way more smoothly.
- Wrap the bamboo sushi mat in plastic wrap. Trust me, cleaning those things is a pain, and wrapping them in plastic is much easier.
- Lightly wet your hands. I like to have a small bowl of water to dip my hands in as I’m adding the rice.
- Make an inside-out roll. After you spread the rice into an even layer, flip over the nori so you’re adding the filling straight onto the nori. That way, when you roll up the sushi, the rice is on the outside.
- Garnish. Top the roll with black sesame seeds and scallions for a pop of color.
- Serve the rolls with wasabi, pickled ginger, and soy sauce for the ultimate sushi night.
Flavor variations
The beauty of this particular sushi is that it comes with 4 fabulous versions. Here they are if you’d like to try:
- Red dragon. Top the roll with red fish roe, like tobiko or masago.
- White dragon. Swap the crab for shrimp tempura.
- Golden dragon. Swap the unagi on top with fresh mango.
- Veggie dragon. Swap the crab with tofu and pan-fry strips of eggplant to make vegan unagi.
How to store leftovers
It’s best to enjoy dragon sushi rolls immediately because their taste and quality will deteriorate with time. If you have leftovers, store them in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 days, never more.
Frequently asked questions
Unlike an Alaska roll, the dragon version has no raw ingredients in it.
More Japanese favorites
- Sushi bake
- Kani salad
- Chicken katsu
- Yakitori
- Or any of these Japanese recipes
Dragon Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cups sushi rice cooked
- 2 sheets nori
- 4 sticks imitation crab meat
- 1/2 large avocado sliced
- 1/4 large cucumber sliced into match sticks
- 1/4 cup spicy mayo
- 1 portion unagi sliced
- 1 tablespoon eel sauce to serve
Instructions
- Use a fork to mix the sushi rice to ensure it is still moist. If it seems a little dry, add a tablespoon of water.
- Place one nori sheet on the rolling mat with the rough side facing up. Place half the sushi rice on one side of the nori sheet, allowing half an inch at the top to remain empty. Add the crab, avocado, cucumber, and drizzle two tablespoons of spicy mayo.
- Grab both sides of the rolling mat and roll up the sushi tightly. If using a full fillet of unagi, place that on top.
- Using a sharp knife, slice into eight equal pieces. Repeat the process to make one more roll. Drizzle with eel sauce.
I absolutely love making sushi. It is so easy and I always have the ingredients on hand. So when I came across this recipe I had to try it. Turned out great! The eel sauce is a great dipping sauce.
This is a delicious and easily prepared and presented treat, We love it