Categories: Snacks and Appetizers

Dragon Sushi Bake (Eel, Avocado, and Crab!)

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Introducing our newest dish, the Dragon Sushi Bake! This dish is perfect for any sushi lover out there, using a method that’s easy to follow and can be cooked in a short amount of time.

Dragon sushi bake is an easy and quick dish inspired by dragon sushi rolls, and is made with unagi (eel), crab, and avocado. The ingredients are layered and baked in the oven, then served with sheets of nori seaweed on the side for wrapping.

We’ll show you an easy recipe to make this delicious dish! Keep reading to learn more!

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Table of Contents

What is the viral sushi bake?

Before we get into the recipe, let’s review what a sushi bake is and get familiar with the dish concept.

The sushi bake is a layered sushi casserole that combines traditional Japanese flavors with western methods. The layers consist of sushi roll ingredients that are oven baked then served with nori.

The most popular version of sushi bake is based off the California roll. This dish is meant to be shared with friends at potlucks and parties or to be served for a family meal.

Although this method has been around for a very long time, it’s become very popular seafood recipe due to Tik Tok.

Growing up, we often ate California roll sushi bakes at potlucks and family gatherings. Now that it’s made a come back, we’re excited to make sushi bake in ways we never have before.

We’re sure you’ll love this dish as much as we do! It’s easy to make and fun to eat, making it the perfect family meal for any night of the week.

What is Dragon Sushi Bake made of?

A dragon sushi bake is a dish consisting of several layers of sushi ingredients that are baked. It is a special version of sushi bake, for those that love the combination of eel and avocado.

This version of sushi bake is inspired by the classic dragon roll, which is a popular sushi roll containing unagi, tempura shrimp, avocado, and sometimes other ingredients like crab meat and/or cucumber.

The avocado slices are beautifully presented on top to resemble dragon scales.

At restaurants you may even discover intricate plating designs to resemble an entire dragon’s head and body.

The main difference between a traditional dragon roll and a dragon sushi bake is that the ingredients are layered instead of simply being wrapped together.

Our dragon sushi bake is made of layers of sushi rice, unagi, and crab. After it is baked in the oven, it is topped with fresh avocado. It is then garnished with tobiko (fish roe) and a drizzle of unagi sauce and sriracha mayo for serving.

What does Dragon Sushi Bake taste like?

A dragon sushi bake has incredible flavor combinations:

The unagi tastes sweet, yet has heaviness due to the meat. The imitation crab is slightly salty, like the sea. And finally the avocado is nicely creamy. Together, the unagi, crab, and avocado form a delicious trio.

Also, the fresh sushi rice and nori provide balance and structure.

And with just the right amount of seasoning from the sauces and a dash of oceanic saltiness from the fish roe, the flavors really come alive in your mouth when you take a bite.

This dish is delicious and one of a kind!

What You’ll Need to Make Dragon Sushi Bake

This dish requires just a few basic cooking equipment. You’ll need a few mixing bowls, some utensils, a knife, a cutting board, and a casserole dish.

Our Place just launched their Ovenware Set, which we featured in this recipe! We use this dish for many of our oven baked recipes.

We used the main bake dish which has a 3.5 qt capacity and measures 13.65 in x 8.41 in.

This size was perfect for our sushi bake, as it had enough room for the layers of rice and other ingredients while being able to cook evenly in the oven.

It was super easy to clean and it stored easily because it nests within the ovenware set.

Since we are affiliated, we want to emphasize that our opinions are our own, and that we absolutely love their products and company mission. We use so many Our Place products in our kitchen DAILY and personally recommend them!

Check out the link below for a product review and discount code!

How to make Dragon Sushi Bake

If you’re new to making sushi at home, making a baked version is the perfect way to start out!

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

  • 5 cups cooked rice
  • 2½ tbsp lite seasoned rice vinegar

Sushi Bake Layers

  • furikake
  • 145 g imitation crab
  • ¼ cup kewpie mayo
  • 14 oz unagi eel thawed from frozen

Toppings

  • 2 avocados sliced
  • sesame seeds
  • unagi sauce
  • fish roe

Optional toppings

  • sriracha mayo for spice
  • tempura flakes for crunch

Recipe

  1. Combine cooked rice with lite seasoned rice vinegar. Mix thoroughly and refrain from smashing the rice. Set aside.
  2. Shred or chop imitation crab. Mix with kewpie.
  1. Slice the unagi into about 1 inch pieces.
  2. In a baking dish, fill the bottom with a layer of sushi rice. Then add one layer each of furikake, crab, and unagi.
  1. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
  2. Remove from oven and let cook 5 min.
  3. Top with sliced avocado, sesame seeds, unagi sauce drizzle, fish ro etc.
  1. Serve with small sheets of nori.

What to serve with Dragon Sushi Bake

Dragon sushi bake is perfect as either an appetizer, main dish, or potluck dish.

It goes well with food like miso soup, grilled shishito peppers, edamame, karaage, etc.

It also makes a great party appetizer when paired with light beers and sake. In Filipino terms, we roughly refer to “drinking food” as pulutan!

How to store Dragon Sushi Bake

Dragon sushi bake is best eaten fresh on the same day.

If you are bringing it to a party, we recommend you add your toppings at the very last minute. Once you’ve reached your destination, slice the avocado and add toppings, then serve it immediately. This ensures that the avocado remains fresh.

If you want to reheat your dragon sushi bake, we recommend heating it in the oven rather than the microwave. Preferably, reheat the dish prior to adding the toppings.

If you already have toppings on and want to reheat the dish, temporarily remove the toppings (particularly the avocado and tobiko) then place them back after reheating.

And if you decide to refrigerate it, note that the rice can get very dry the longer it is in the fridge.

Final Thoughts

An interesting take on the dragon sushi roll, this sushi bake version is easy and packed with delectable flavors and satisfying textures that will leave you wanting more!

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this recipe, please give a star rating and review on the recipe card below + share your creations on Instagram and tag us @itsforkandspoon!

Print

Dragon Sushi Bake

An interesting take on the dragon sushi roll, this sushi bake version is easy and packed with delectable flavors and satisfying textures that will leave you wanting more!
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American, Asian, Japanese
Keyword potluck, sushi bake, tik tok food, viral food
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 6

Equipment

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

  • 5 cups cooked rice
  • tbsp lite seasoned rice vinegar

Sushi Bake Layers

  • furikake
  • 145 g imitation crab
  • ¼ cup kewpie mayo
  • 14 oz unagi eel thawed from frozen

Toppings

  • 2 avocados sliced
  • sesame seeds
  • unagi sauce
  • fish roe

Optional toppings

  • sriracha mayo for spice
  • tempura flakes for crunch

Instructions

  • Combine cooked rice with lite seasoned rice vinegar. Mix thoroughly and refrain from smashing the rice. Set aside.
  • Shred or chop imitation crab. Mix with kewpie.
  • Slice the unagi into about 1 inch pieces.
  • In a baking dish, fill the bottom with a layer of sushi rice. Then add one layer each of furikake, crab, and unagi.
  • Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let cook 5 min.
  • Top with sliced avocado, sesame seeds, unagi sauce drizzle, fish roe, etc.
  • Serve with small sheets of nori.

Video

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References & Further Reading

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/sushi-bake

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi

https://www.mashed.com/410674/dragon-roll-what-you-should-know-before-ordering/

Noelle Noriesta and Elijah Ada

Noelle Noriesta, a Filipino-American home cook, is the principal creator of Fork and Spoon. Her recipes have a modern and playful approach inspired by her food experiences growing up in the Bay Area and now in Los Angeles. --Read more about me

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