Although this roll is fun and delicious, check out our other challenging sushi roll recipes here or visit our entire library of sushi rolls sorted alphabetically!
What you need to know before ordering a Dragon Roll…
Dragon rolls are made of lightly fried tempura shrimp, imitation crab, and unagi (grilled eel, optional) as the meats, cucumber and avocado as the veggies, and topped with a delicious mix of spicy mayo sauce and unagi eel sauce. A dragon roll is extremely popular as it is bursting with flavor and fully cooked for those that may be anxious about raw fish. Below you will find FAQ, ingredients lists, and an easy at home recipe!
Main Ingredients
- Tempura Shrimp
- Imitation Crab
- Unagi (Grilled Eel, optional)
SAUCES & Toppings
- Spicy Mayo Sauce
- Unagi Sauce
VEGGIES & FILLING
- Creamy Avocado
- Crunchy Cucumber
Dipping Sauces
WANT THE RECIPE?
CANT DECIDE WHAT TO ORDER?
The dragon roll is delicious and popular at restaurants with it’s one-two punch combo of crab meat, tempura shrimp and its vast mix of sauces. Don’t be intimidated by this time consuming roll! Instructions below include links to how to make perfect sushi rice tempura shrimp, spicy mayo sauce, and Unagi eel sauce!
Best of all, there is no raw fish. Perfect for a first date!
Enjoy!
Click here to visit our sushi roll library!
What is a Dragon Roll?
A Dragon Roll is an inside-out sushi roll (meaning the rice is on the outside) that typically is made with imitation crab and tempura shrimp, as well as unagi (grilled eel, which is totally optional) as the meats. Other dragon roll ingredients include cucumber, avocado, and mayonnaise, as well as sriracha hot sauce and spicy mayo sauce. The Dragon Roll is one of the most popular rolls ordered as sushi restaurants in the United States as it contains several different meats and veggies and has a fun presentation.
What is the best way to serve and eat sushi?
When Serving Sushi:
Sushi is one of those fun meals that you will frequently see pop up on friends snapchat or instagram stories or whatever social media companies sharing application. Whether it is at a restaurant or in your own kitchen, sushi is extremely instagrammable. Sushi is very trendy and typically served at higher end restaurants, therefore there is a high likelihood that the group is either on a date night or out on the town and dressed accordingly! Lots of pictures are flying around on these kind of nights therefore the presentation of the sushi tends to get some notice!
Typically sushi is plated in a very eye catching and palatable pattern on plates that have good visual appeal, frequently made of melamine in traditional japanese fashion. Restaurants tend to make a big deal of the presentation. Some ways sushi is presented can be on a small wooden boat brought out to the table or even lit on fire!
When Eating Sushi:
Experienced sushi eaters know that sauces can make or break your eating experience. There are two ways that sauces can be eaten with sushi:
Sauces on or in the sushi roll
This tends to be sauces that are either mixed in with other ingredients or added as a topping. Examples of this are spicy mayo sauce which is frequently mixed in with shredded imitation crab or drizzled on top of the sushi roll in patterns that are visually appealing. Some other sauces that are put on top or in the sushi roll are unagi eel sauce and teriyaki sauce.
Sauces that the sushi roll can be dipped in
The first sauce and most popular that probably comes to mind is soy sauce. (I have linked my favorite soy sauce to the right or below on mobile). Soy sauce is cheap and can be found at any grocery store or restaurant. Soy sauce is also an ingredient in numerous other recipes, not just sushi or even japanese based recipes.
Soy sauce can be given a little extra heat by mixing wasabi into the soy sauce.
Dragon Roll FAQ and Tips
Is a dragon roll raw?
The dragon roll contains grilled eel, tempura shrimp, and imitation crab making the dragon roll a completely cooked sushi roll which is one reason it is so popular!
What fish is in a dragon roll?
A dragon roll’s main fish and ingredients are tempura shrimp, imitation crab, and unagi (grilled eel). The dragon roll contains no raw fish.
How many calories are in a dragon roll?
Although there are many different ways to make and variations of a dragon roll, it is safe to say there are more than 550 calories in each roll. The dragon roll is typically on the heavier side of sushi rolls, pair it with a california roll to fill you up and leave you feeling less guilty!
Is a dragon roll spicy?
Typically, yes. The dragon roll contains a spicy mayo sauce as one of its main toppings which is a combination of mayonnaise and sriracha sauce.
What other sushi rolls are like a dragon roll?
There are several sushi rolls that combine numerous meats and sauces to give the type of flavor that you can find in a dragon roll. Usually this combination of ingredients does come at a price premium as their is more ingredients and more labor that goes into making one of these rolls. Other sushi rolls with numerous meats and sauces include the rainbow roll which is completely raw and the shaggy dog roll which is completely cooked just like the dragon roll.
What is a dragon roll made of?
Sushi Rice: Using sushi rice is key to making sushi rolls. The difference between sushi rice and normal white rice is that sushi rice is short grain and has more starch and protiens than traditional long grain rices. The increased levels of starch and protein give sushi rice its stickiness factor which allows you to shape it into a roll. Check out our post about why you should use sushi rice instead of white rice!
Tempura Shrimp: There are two ways to make shrimp tempura. The easy way (but less fun) is to buy pre-battered tempura shrimp in the frozen section of your grocery store, then all you have to do is be smart enough to follow the directions on the box to cook it in the oven. The other option is to buy your own shrimp and follow our tempura batter instructions and cook them yourself.
Imitation Crab: Did you know that the vast majority of crab used in sushi is actually imitation crab? Imitation crab is made of starch and finely diced white fish and shaped to imitate the look of real crab meat from a crab leg. Real crab meat can be used as well, however it is not as easily found and is expensive and messy to remove from the crab. Imitation crab can be found at any grocery store. Check out these other sushi rolls that contain crab!
Unagi (Grilled eel): Unagi is a freshwater eel and a frequent staple in Japanese cooking and can be found in everything from sushi to barbeque. This ingredient is totally optional for several reasons. 1) it may be a little challenging to get. 2) some people may get grossed out by the thought of eating grilled eel!
Nori Sheets (Seaweed): Sheets of dried seaweed, otherwise called nori, are what are used to align the guts of the sushi roll. Nori is very healthy for you, and has relatively little flavor. Sheets of nori can be found at most grocery stores like Walmart, Kroger, or HEB or can even be ordered off of Amazon.
Spicy Mayo Sauce: This delicious topping can add a kick to liven up numerous dishes, not just sushi! Spicy mayo sauce is just a combination of sriracha and mayonnaise. You can make the sauce spicier by adding more sriracha and mellower by adding more mayo. Check out our recipe here.
Unagi eel sauce: Now if you aren’t going to add the actual grilled eel, the sauce is a must! It is a reduced version of a combination of soy sauce, mirin, and white sugar and can be described as sweet and tangy at the same time! This is definitely a staple in a dragon roll.
Avocado: Avocado is found in most sushi rolls, not just the dragon roll. This is aside from the fact that avocado is just down right delicious and could be a topping on just about anything! To pick an avocado, look for dark skin colors and place them in the palm of your hand. If it is to firm, it is not ripe yet. If it is to squishy, it is overripe. You should be looking for a dark skinned avocado that you can give a slight squeeze!
Cucumber: Cucumber is found in the majority of sushi rolls, not only in the dragon roll. The best cucumbers to use for sushi are what are called “japanese cucumbers” which are known to be straight, thin, and contain less water than a traditional cucumber. Cucumbers are known for numerous health properties.
Dragon Roll Ingredients
If this looks like an extensive list, you would be correct. Here is the good news, most of these ingredients are readily available at most grocery stores. The following ingredients list is for 4 rolls.
- 2 Cups Cooked Sushi Rice (Click link for easy sushi rice instructions)
- 1/4 Cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar
- 4 Half Sheets Nori (Click link for folding instructions hamburger style!)
- 4 Sticks Imitation Crab Sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips to make 8 total sticks
- 16 Pieces Tempura Shrimp Frozen (if you are really adventurous, follow this link to make your own tempura batter for shrimp!)
- 1 Small Cucumber Sliced into matchsticks
- 1 Avocado Sliced thin
- 12 oz Unagi (grilled eel) (optional)
- 1 tsp Sesame Seeds (optional)
- 2 tbs Mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil (Yes you read that right, just a few drops!)
- 1/2 Cup White Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Mirin (Japanese sweet wine)
Cooking Equipment
- Bamboo rolling mat inside a gallon bag
- cutting board and a sharp knife
- Small mixing bowl
- Small pot and stovetop
Cooking Instructions
Preparation
- Add the seasoned rice vinegar to the cooked sushi rice (the link is a quick sushi rice recipe) and mix together.
- Place your bamboo rolling mat inside a plastic gallon bag (trust us, this makes clean up much easier, all you have to do is throw out the bag!)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and cook frozen tempura shrimp until golden and crisp (about 6 minutes per side). Do this step only if you are making your own tempura shrimp. If using tempura shrimp from the store, follow the instructions provided.
- While the shrimp are cooking, make the spicy mayo sauce and Unagi (eel) sauce. Click the links to go to the simple recipe on our website. Just combine the mayonnaise, sriracha, and sesame oil in a small mixing bowl and smooth it out with a fork to make the spicy mayo sauce. To make the Unagi eel sauce, combine the soy sauce, white sugar, and mirin into a small pot. Cook and stir until the liquid is reduced down to 3/4 to 1 cup. Unagi sauce is fairly cheap and can be found at most grocery stores if the ingredients are not available.
- Once shrimp are cooked, remove the tails from 8 of the shrimp and leave the tails on the other 8.
- Place one half sheet of nori on the rolling mat (remember we tore the full sheet in half hamburger style) with the rough side facing up.
Making the Roll
- ONLY ONCE THE RICE HAS COOLED, grab a handful of rice and cover the rough side of the nori. Leave a 1 inch gap at the top without any rice. If using sesame seeds, sprinkle them over the rice. Grab the nori by the top and flip it over so the rice is against the bamboo rolling mat. The 1 inch gap should now be on the bottom.
- Starting 1/3 of the way up from the bottom begin to align the “guts” of the sushi roll in a horizontal line beginning with the imitation crab. The horizontal row of imitation crab should be about half an inch to an inch thick all the way across the nori.
- Above the imitation crab, add two tempura shrimp with the tails off in the middle, and add two more tempura shrimp with the tails on to the outside of the rolls. The tails should hang off of the side of the sheet.
- Add cucumber above the imitation crab and tempura shrimp
- Grab both the sushi mat and the nori and roll the mat over from the bottom until the empty space we left at the bottom is touching the other side, squeezing down on the roll to make it nice and tight and allowing to hold its shape.
- If using the unagi meat, place the thin slices on top of the roll.
- Add the thin avocado slices to the top of the roll.
Sauces & Presentation
- Once the roll is formed and the avocado has been added, it is time to add the spicy mayo sauce and Unagi eel sauce! There are two ways to do this: 1) The easy way is to just spread it across the top of the roll with a fork 2) The “Instagram-worthy-way” is to put the spicy mayo sauce in a small bag, cut off the corner and then push the sauce out of the bag while doing zig-zags up and down the roll.
- Place the roll on a cutting board and get a knife and damp paper towel. Cut the toll into 8 equal sizes (easiest if you start by cutting the roll in half). Before you make each cut DAMPEN THE KNIFE WITH THE PAPER TOWEL or else the roll will fall apart when you slice through it.
- Serve with soy sauce, take some pictures for your friends, and enjoy!
If you enjoyed this recipe or have feedback, please scroll down and leave a rating, comment, or critique!
See our printer friendly recipe version below!
Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind while making sushi
- Check out our easy rice recipe here!
- Always wet your hands before handling rice. Rice is extremely sticky!
- While on the topic of rice.. please wait for it to cool. Getting excited and touching hot rice is no fun.
- Use a wet paper towel and wipe down your knife between cuts while slicing your rolls! If you do not, the roll will fall apart!
Dragon Roll- Easy Recipe & Delicious Ingredients!
Equipment
- Bamboo rolling mat inside a gallon bag
- cutting board and a sharp knife
- Small mixing bowl
- Small pot and stovetop
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Cooked Sushi Rice (See below link in notes for easy sushi rice instructions)
- 1/4 Cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar
- 4 Half Sheets Nori (See below link in notes for folding instructions)
- 4 Sticks Imitation Crab Sliced into 1/2 inch pieces to make 8 total sticks
- 16 Pieces Tempura Shrimp Frozen
- 1 Small Cucumber Sliced into matchsticks
- 1 Avocado Sliced thin
- 12 oz Unagi (grilled eel) (optional)
- 1 tsp Sesame Seeds (optional)
- 2 tbs Mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil (Yes you read that right, just a few drops!)
- 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Cup White Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Mirin (Japanese sweet wine)
Instructions
- Add the seasoned rice vinegar to the cooked sushi rice and mix together.
- Place your bamboo rolling mat inside a plastic gallon bag (trust us, this makes clean up much easier, all you have to do is throw out the bag!)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and cook frozen tempura shrimp until golden and crisp (about 6 minutes per side)
- While the shrimp are cooking, make the spicy mayo sauce and Unagi (eel) sauce. Click the links to go to the simple recipe on our website. Just combine the mayonnaise, sriracha, and sesame oil in a small mixing bowl and smooth it out with a fork to make the spicy mayo sauce. To make the Unagi eel sauce, combine the soy sauce, white sugar, and mirin into a small pot and cook and stir until the liquid is reduced down to 3/4 to 1 cup. Unagi sauce can also be found at most grocery stores for cheap if you cannot find mirin.
- Once shrimp are cooked, remove tails from 8 of the shrimp, leave the tails on the other 8.
- Place one half sheet of nori on the rolling mat (remember we tore the full sheet in half hamburger style) with the rough side facing up.
- ONLY ONCE THE RICE HAS COOLED, grab a handful of rice and cover the rough side of the nori leaving a 1 inch gap at the top without any rice. If using sesame seeds, sprinkle them over the rice. Grab the nori by the top, and flip it over so the rice is against the bamboo rolling mat and the 1 inch gap is now on the bottom.
- Starting 1/3 of the way up from the bottom begin to align the "guts" of the sushi roll in a horizontal line beginning with the imitation crab. The horizontal row of imitation crab should be about half an inch to an inch thick all the way across the nori.
- Above the imitation crab, add two tempura shrimp with the tails off in the middle, and add two more tempura shrimp with the tails on to the outside of the rolls with the tails hanging off of the side of the sheet.
- Add cucumber above the imitation crab and tempura shrimp
- Grab both the sushi mat and the nori and roll the mat over from the bottom until the empty space we left at the bottom is touching the other side, squeezing down on the roll to make it nice and tight and allowing to hold its shape.
- If using the unagi meat, place the thin slices on top of the roll.
- Add the thin avocado slices to the top of the roll.
- Once the roll is formed and the avocado has been added, it is time to add the spicy mayo sauce and Unagi eel sauce! There are two ways to do this:1) The easy way is to just spread it across the top of the roll with a fork2) The "Instagram-worthy-way" is to put the spicy mayo sauce in a small bag, cut off the corner and then push the sauce out of the bag while doing zig-zags up and down the roll.
- Place the roll on a cutting board and get a knife and damp paper towel. Cut the toll into 8 equal sizes (easiest if you start by cutting the roll in half). Before you make each cut DAMPEN THE KNIFE WITH THE PAPER TOWEL or else the roll will fall apart when you slice through it.
- Serve with soy sauce, take some pictures for your friends, and enjoy!
Challenging! I was surprised how easy the ingredients were to find but definitely not for a beginner.