How to make Beef Tartare Sushi, no raw fish

Grab your chopsticks! We’re making Beef Tartare Sushi…beefshi! A fun twist with all the sushi flavors and textures, rice and nori with deli roast beef, capers, mustard, and anchovy.

Beef Tartare (tar-TAR) is typically made with raw beef, served with capers, onions, and a raw egg. Great for those who don’t want raw fish!

Sushi is typically made with raw fish.

In this East meets West sushi, I’m leaving raw in the dust and rolling a fun appetizer or dinner.

I ❤️ sushi. I also like this novel sushi-style concept that features prepared beef.

I partnered with The North American Meat Institute (NAMI), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, to create this Beefshi recipe, Beef Tartare Sushi. All opinions are my own.

Beef Tartare Sushi is a fun twist. It’s all the flavors and texture of sushi – vinegared rice, nori (seaweed wrap) with beef tartare – capers, mustard, and anchovy.

4 beef tartare sushi rolls on a plate

Beef Tartare Sushi

The Ingredients

While you may not have all the ingredients on hand, I found them at my local grocery store.

First stop? The deli.

Sliced roast beef is convenient and ready at the deli. Place your order for #4 thickness and then swing back by after you’ve done your shopping. Already cooked for you, the thin, even slices are perfect for this sushi roll. Beef’s protein increases your feeling of fullness, so these sushi rolls are satisfying and filling.

Head to the Asian section

Sushi rice is a short-grain rice. The small, round grains are what you need. Long-grain rice or Jasmine rice is not a suitable replacement when you’re making sushi. Sushi rice cooks up sticky and that’s what’s make sushi stick. Look for sushi rice, Japanese rice, or CalRose in the Asian section at the store.

Rice vinegar is made from fermented vinegar. It’s milder and less acidic than most vinegars. I like it in vinaigrette, too.

Nori is paper-thin sheets of dried seaweed. It helps hold the roll together and makes it neat to eat. Sushi eaters like the briny flavor and texture.

Head to the pickle aisle

Capers are pickled flower buds. If you’ve eaten chicken piccatta, you know capers. Their flavor goes well with the roast beef and mustard in this recipe. Find capers near the olives and pickles.

Next stop is the canned fish section

Anchovies add a rich, savory flavor to foods. Worcestershire sauce is made with anchovies, so is traditional Caesar salad dressing. You may not like the texture or the saltiness on a pizza or salad, but mixed in a sauce, they are flavor bombs. Because they are so flavorful, chop them finely. Once opened, they can be refrigerated for at least two months if covered with oil and sealed airtight. I freeze them for longer storage.

Cook’s note: Substitute 1 teaspoon prepared anchovy paste for 1 anchovy filet.

How to make sushi rice

The first step in the kitchen is the rice

Cook rice according to package directions.

Using a wooden spoon, spread rice on large baking sheet. Drizzle sushi dressing over warm rice (warm rice absorbs the dressing better), stirring gently with wooden spoon to distribute. Scoop rice into a large bowl. Cover rice with a damp cloth or paper towel until ready to assemble sushi.

Cook’s note: Heat vinegar, sugar, and salt until sugar dissolves. Stir into warm rice.

sushi rice on baking sheet

Gently stir vinegar into warm rice.

Make seasoned vinegar

The key step to sushi rice is the vinegar that you pour over the warm rice. While the rice is cooking make the vinegar dressing. Combine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a glass bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Microwave at 50% Power for 30 seconds, stir after 15 seconds. Set aside. You can heat it on the stove over medium-low heat. The goal is to melt the sugar. Set aside.

Finely chop anchovies and capers

Make tartare filling

These ingredients are bold flavors. Finely chop the capers and anchovies. Stir them together in small bowl with the mustard and soy sauce.

How to roll sushi

Now we’re ready to roll. This was the trickiest part of the recipe for me, but all my rolls were presentable. While you can roll with saran wrap, a bamboo rolling mat helped. It’s similar to making cinnamon rolls, you spread ingredients on a flat surface, roll it up and cut into slices. Only the ‘dough’ is a piece of seaweed and the filling is rice, roast beef, and an anchovy-caper mixture.

nori, rice, roast beef slices and mustard anchovy mixture ready to roll for sushi

Layer rice on nori. Trim roast beef to fit. Spoon on mustard-caper mixture.

  • Lay a 10-inch piece of plastic wrap on cutting board or on bamboo sushi mat.
  • Place 1 nori sheet on plastic wrap.
  • Moisten your hands with cool water and scoop up a baseball-sized ball of cooked sushi rice. Pat rice onto nori, leaving about an inch free from rice on the end of sushi farthest from you.
  • Lay roast beef onto rice, trimming to fit. From left to right, spoon 2 teaspoons tartare filling along the center of the rice. Starting at the end closest to you, roll sushi into a cigar-like tube, tucking in rice and beef as you roll.

Sushi roll

Use a clean, sharp knife to cut the roll. If rice sticks, wet knife with cool water. Cut roll in eights. To get even slices, cut the roll in half, then each half, repeat for 8 slices. Place on platter. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle sesame seeds over slices.

Cut in slices with clean, sharp knife.

If you have leftover sushi rice, check out my Spicy Beef Sushi Bowl. Or find more Beefshi recipes here.

Here’s why I like Beef Tartare Sushi

  • It’s unusual and pop-in-your-mouth fun
  • Flavor that is rich and savory
  • Easy with sliced roast beef from the deli
  • No raw fish, no raw beef, no raw egg
  • Keeps in the fridge until ready to serve
  • Beef is the unexpected protein in these sushi rolls

Pin it for later!

Sliced roast beef sushi roll

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Beef Tartare Sushi

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East meets west in this beef tartare sushi roll.

  • Author: Judy Barbe
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 rolls 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Fusion

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups cooked short grain rice
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons capers, drained
  • 3 whole canned anchovies or 3 teaspoons anchovy paste
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 pound roast beef slices, #4 slices
  • 4 sheets nori
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

 

Instructions

Sushi rice: Cook rice according to package directions. Using a wooden spoon, spread cooked rice on large baking sheet. Drizzle sushi dressing over warm rice (warm rice absorbs the dressing better), stirring gently with wooden spoon to distribute. Scoop rice into a large bowl. Cover rice with a damp cloth or paper towels, until ready to assemble sushi. Rice can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 days. Place a damp towel over the bowl and then cover with a lid to keep it from drying out.

Sushi dressing: While rice is cooking, combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a glass bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Microwave at 50% Power for 30 seconds, stirring after 15 seconds. Set aside.

Tartare filling: Stir together in small bowl, mustard, capers, anchovies, and soy sauce.

Beef Tartare Sushi Roll: Lay a 10-inch piece of plastic wrap on cutting board or on bamboo sushi mat. Place 1 sheet nori on plastic. Moisten your hands with cool water (the rice is sticky and water helps it stick less) and scoop up a baseball-sized ball of cooked sushi rice. Pat rice on nori, leaving about an inch free from rice on the end of sushi farthest from you. Lay roast beef onto rice, trimming to fit. From left to right, spoon 2 teaspoons tartare filling along the center of the beef. Starting at the end closest to you, roll sushi into a cigar-like tube, tucking in rice and beef as you roll.

Use a clean, sharp knife to cut roll. If rice sticks, wet knife with cool water. Cut roll in half, then each half in half again, until you have 8 slices. Place on platter. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle sesame seeds over slices.

Notes

Substitute 1 teaspoon of prepared anchovy paste for 1 canned anchovy fillet. Anchovy fillets can be frozen for later use. Just place the can with oil in an airtight container and freeze. When ready to use, allow to thaw easily at room temperature while other ingredients are being assembled.

Comments

  1. I adore roast beef. Totally under appreciated. And I love how you used it in this recipe. So many great flavors coming together in one yummy Beefshi roll.

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