Eel-Topped Uramaki
Glazed eel blanketing a cucumber roll. Layers of texture make it a favorite for sushi parties.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 1 hr 5 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Advanced
Photo: Valeria Boltneva / Pexels
This roll layers texture and sauce the way a busy sushi bar would. Pre-grilled eel from the freezer section is what most home cooks use; a few minutes under the broiler brings back its glossy edges. Japanese cucumbers have tiny seeds and thin skin, so there is no need to peel or scoop them. A small dish of pickled ginger between bites keeps the palate fresh.
Method
Wash 3 cups of sushi rice gently with your fingertips, changing the water until it is only faintly cloudy, then leave it to drain for 15 minutes so the grains hydrate evenly.
Combine the drained rice with 3 1/4 cups of water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 13 to 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it steam undisturbed for 10 minutes.
Stir together the rice vinegar, sugar and salt until clear. Turn the hot rice into a shallow bowl, pour the seasoning evenly over it and cut through the rice with a paddle, fanning as you go so it cools quickly and turns shiny.
Get everything ready before rolling: warm the eel under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, brush with eel sauce, then cut into pieces. Cut the cucumber into long thin batons.
Cover the bamboo mat with plastic wrap. Lay a half sheet of nori on it, spread rice evenly all the way to the edges, sprinkle with sesame seeds, then flip it over so the nori faces up.
Arrange eel and cucumber in a line along the nori. Roll tightly with the mat, pressing into a neat square-edged log.
Drape thin overlapping slices of eel over the top of the roll, cover with plastic wrap and press gently with the mat so they cling.
Cut into 8 even pieces using a long wet knife and a single back-and-forth stroke for each.
Finish with eel sauce and serve right away.
Chef's note
Wrap your bamboo mat in plastic wrap so rice never sticks to it.
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