Recipes

Marinated Beef Sushi (Beef Tataki)

Beef tataki is very rare marinated beef served in the sashimi style. If you do not like very rare beef, cook the fillet in a preheated oven at 350° F for 10 minutes before returning it to the pan to coat with sauce.

Makes 18 pieces

2 tsp. peanut oil
10 oz. beef tenderloin, in one piece
2 tbsp. Japanese soy sauce
2 tbsp. mirin (sweetened Japanese rice wine)
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
Seasoned sushi rice (see Michael Schulson’s recipe)
Shredded pickled ginger, to serve

Pickled Red Cabbage
About 1/8 red cabbage
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup water

Procedure
To make the pickled red cabbage, finely slice the cabbage, removing any large core pieces, and chop into 1-inch lengths. Place in a medium saucepan, then add the brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and water. Bring to a boil,r educe the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat, let cool, and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for three months.

To prepare the beef, heat the oil in a skillet and sear the beef on all sides until browned. Mix the soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar in a bowl and pour over the beef, turning the beef to coat. Remove immediately from the heat and transfer the beef and its sauce to a dish. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning once.

Divide the rice into 18 balls, each the size of a walnut, and shape into firm ovals.

Cut the beef in half lengthwise (along the natural separation line), then slice as finely as possible. Wrap a piece of beef around the top of a rice ball and top with a little pickled cabbage or ginger.