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Eel Roll Recipe

Eel Rolls are filled with BBQ eel and crunchy cucumber, then wrapped in a nori seaweed sheet and sushi rice. I like to drizzle unagi sauce on top for extra flavor. This eel sushi is a popular Japanese dish and one of my favorite rolls. The key ingredient is unagi, or freshwater eel, which has a bold, rich, naturally sweet flavor and soft texture. It's used in many Japanese recipes.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 6
Calories 45 kcal

Equipment

  • Bamboo Sushi Mat
  • Plastic Wrap

Ingredients
  

For Sushi Rice:

  • 1 cup Short-grain sushi rice
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1 ½ tbsp Sushi vinegar or mix 1 tbsp Rice vinegar, ½ tbsp Sugar, ½ tsp Salt

For Unagi Sushi:

  • 4 Oz unagi or canned unagi
  • ½ Cucumber cut into ½-inch strips
  • 2 sheets Nori seaweed
  • 2 Green onions
  • Sesame seeds

Instructions
 

Make Sushi Rice:

  • Rinse the rice and add it to a rice cooker with water. Cook according to the rice cooker or package instructions.
  • Once cooked, transfer the rice to a large bowl and let it cool slightly. While still warm, mix in the sushi vinegar (or the vinegar, sugar, and salt mixture).

Cook Unagi:

  • Remove the unagi from the package and bake at 360°F for 10-12 minutes or follow the package instructions.
  • Cut the cooked unagi into ½-inch strips.

Make Unagi Sushi Rolls:

  • Lay out the bamboo mat with a piece of plastic wrap on top (this makes cleanup easier and prevents the rice from sticking).
  • Fold the nori sheets in half and cut them with scissors.
  • Place half a nori sheet on the bamboo mat, shiny side down.
  • Evenly spread about ¾ cup of rice over the nori. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (Dip your hands in Tezu water* to prevent sticking.)
  • Flip the nori sheet over and place unagi slices, cucumber, and green onions (or other fillings like avocado) in the center.
  • Place your thumbs under the bamboo mat and lift the edge over the filling. Roll the mat away from you, pressing the rice and filling together. Continue rolling until the ends meet.
  • Cut each roll into 8 pieces.
  • Drizzle unagi sauce on top for extra flavor. Serve and enjoy immediately.

Notes

  • To make Tezu water, mix together 1/4 cup water and 2 teaspoons rice vinegar. This helps prevent the rice from sticking to your hands while making the rolls.
  • Avoid putting hot sushi rice in the fridge to cool down, as this can affect the taste and texture. Let it cool at room temperature instead.
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