This Caterpillar Roll recipe is made with delicious unagi and crunchy cucumber rolled in seaweed sheet and sushi rice, with an avocado topping. You can customize the roll with other delicious fillings. It’s so easy to make and I’ll share with you the secrets of how to make an avocado wrapper!
The caterpillar roll is a popular item in many sushi restaurants. My family love Japanese sushi rolls such as Sweet Potato Sushi Roll, California Roll, and this delicious caterpillar roll. They’re great for lunch or evening snacks!
What is a caterpillar roll?
Similar to dragon rolls, the caterpillar roll is an inside-out sushi roll, where nori seaweed sheet wraps around the filling inside, and the sushi rice is on the outside. The thinly sliced avocado is then placed on top of the roll, making it look like a caterpillar.
What ingredients go into a caterpillar sushi roll?
- Avocado: You need to use a perfectly ripe avocado for this recipe. Avoid overripe avocado as it can get too mushy when squeezed. Look for avocados that have dark skin and yield to firm gentle pressure.
- Unagi (eel): Traditional caterpillar roll recipe contains unagi, a cooked fish flavored with teriyaki sauce or unagi sauce. It’s available in the frozen section at the Japanese supermarket, or you can order canned unagi online from Amazon. Substitutions include shrimp, salmon, tuna or other veggies.
- Cucumber: You can use pickled cucumbers or fresh ones. If you use American cucumber, make sure to remove the seeds as they contain too much water.
- Nori (Seaweed Sheets)
- Sushi Rice: I recommend using short-grain sushi rice for the best fluffy texture. To add some flavors to your rice, you can mix it with a small amount of rice vinegar and sugar.
You’ll also need a sushi rolling mat to assemble the sushi. It’s fairly inexpensive, and you can buy it at Asian supermarkets or online.
How to make caterpillar roll
The caterpillar roll looks fancy, but it’s easier than you think with a few simple tips!
Step 1: Cooking the perfect sushi rice
Wash the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Then add the rice and water to the rice maker. The 1:1 ratio is great for making sushi rolls as more water can result in mushy rice when squeezed.
Step 2: Making the roll
First, fold the nori sheet in half to split it and place half of the nori on top of the bamboo mat. Spread rice evenly over nori and flip everything so that rice is facing down. Place the fillings on top of the nori.
Start rolling using your bamboo mat and firmly keep the roll in place. Apply some pressure to tighten it up.
Pro tips
- To prevent rice from sticking to your hands: Use Tezu to wet your hands when handling rice. It’s a hand-dipping liquid made with 1/4 cup of water and 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar.
- To prevent sushi rolls from falling apart: You’ll need to squeeze the roll gently while rolling. Once you finish, you can place the bamboo mat over the sushi roll and gently squeeze the roll again.
How to make an avocado topping?
- First slice a ripe avocado in half and remove the pit and skin. Then cut each piece into 1/8-inch half-moon slices.
- Spread the layer on the counter. Then use a large knife to lift it and place on top of your sushi roll.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap on top, and cover with the sushi mat. Squeeze gently to shape the avocado around the roll.
- Remove the mat and keep the plastic wrap, then slice the roll into bite-size pieces. Remove the plastic wrap and enjoy!
What Do I Serve Caterpillar Roll with?
You can drizzle soy sauce on the top as well or on the side if you prefer along with pickled sushi ginger and wasabi.
FAQ
Does Caterpillar Roll Have Fish?
Yes, the caterpillar roll features unagi eel, which is a grilled freshwater eel coated with a flavorful sauce.
What’s the Difference Between a Dragon Roll and A Caterpillar Roll?
The dragon roll and caterpillar roll are quite similar in that they both have an avocado topping on the top. However, the dragon roll may also include shrimp tempura in the middle and sometimes with tobiko or flying fish roe on top.
Is Eel Cooked in Caterpillar Roll?
Yes, the eel on the caterpillar roll is called unagi, which is eel that has been grilled and flavored with teriyaki sauce or unagi sauce. It is not raw in any way.
More Sushi Rolls You May Also Like
Caterpillar Roll {with an Avocado Topping}
Ingredients
For Sushi Rice
- 1 cup sushi rice short grain sushi rice
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon optional sushi vinegar or mixing 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1/2 tablespoon sugar
For Caterpillar Rolls
- 4 oz unagi or you can substitute canned eel, shrimp or tuna
- 1/2 cucumber cut into 1/2-inch strips
- 2 sheets nori (seaweed sheet)
- 2 avocado ripe but still firm
Instructions
- Cook sushi rice: Wash the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Then add the rice and water to the rice maker. Once cooked, transfer the hot rice to a large bowl and let it cool down slightly. When it’s still very warm, stir in optional sushi vinegar (or the mixture of rice vinegar and sugar).
- Prepare unagi: take the unagi from the package and bake at 360F for 10-12 minutes or according to the package instruction. Then cut it into 1/2 inch strips.
- Make caterpillar rolls: Lay out the bamboo mat with an optional piece of plastic wrap on top (this will make clean up easier).
- Fold the nori sheets in half and split them by hands or using a pair of scissors.
- Place half of the nori sheet on top of the bamboo.
- Take 3/4 cup of cooked rice and evenly spread over nori. (You can dip your hands in vinegar water to prevent sticking.)
- Flip everything so that rice is facing down.
- Place unagi strips and cucumber on top of the nori.
- Place the thumbs underneath the bamboo mat and lift the edge up and over the filling.
- Roll the bamboo mat away from you and apply some pressure to tighten it up. Keep rolling until the ends meet.
- Make avocado topping: Slice a ripe avocado in half and remove the pit and skin. Then cut each piece into thin half-moon slices.
- Spread the layer on the counter.
- Use a large knife to lift them up and place it on top of your sushi roll.
- Place plastic wrap on top, and cover with the sushi mat. Squeeze gently to shape the avocado around the roll.
- Remove the mat while keep the plastic wrap, and slice the roll into bite-size pieces. Remove the plastic wrap and enjoy!
Notes
- It’s best to eat the caterpilla roll the same day. You can squeeze a small amount of lemon juice over your avocado to prevent it from browning for a few hours.
Nutrition
Jenni says
This is my favorite sushi roll! I am so excited that I can now make this at home instead of going out to get it! This recipe is SO good, and all the pictures helped make it great! Thank you!
Liz says
I love making sushi at home and this was definitely a new version to try!! The avocado sold me and this was delicious!!!
izzycooking says
Thanks Liz!
Dan G. says
You will find that this roll is much easier to make and shape if you cut really thin pieces of avocado using just the tip of your yanagiba or whatever knife you are using for sushi. You will find it surprisingly easy to to do if you stand at an angle to your avocado, angle just the tip of your knife down to touch the cutting board and then pull the knife tip through the avocado by moving your forearm straight back (need to stand at an angle to do this so your arm doesn’t hit your stomache). I’ve made this roll for years now and I never get avocado stuck on the blade with this method, plus I can make very thin slices that I couldn’t make by drawing the belly of the knife blade through the avocado.
After you make this roll, use some eel sauce to go back and forth across it leaving those brown lines a bit out to the sides. If you don’t have eel to use for this, tempura shrimp is also a good filling to use or even some surimi (imitation crab legs).