A new take on sushi aims to attract consumers who are more inclined to beef than fish.
The Washington, D.C.-based North American Meat Institute, a Beef Checkoff contractor, announced its new “Beefshi” concept and corresponding website, beefshi.com, Feb. 12.
The institute worked with a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef to create several recipes, all of which can be found on the site. Among there are:
- Texas Asade Sushi — Roast beef rubbed with lime zest, ground cumin and garlic and rolls with cilantro, slivered jalapenos and onions, crumbled cotija cheese. Served with salsa.
- Inside Out Wisconsin Maki — Sushi rice on the outside wrapped around a stick of summer sausage, a sliver of Colby cheese and shaved dill pickles. Served with brown, spicy mustard.
- New York Deli Roll — Corned beef takes the place of nori on the outside of the roll. Slivers of fresh horseradish and Swiss cheese are rolled into the middle. Roll the exterior in a few caraway seeds.
- The Reuben Roll — Warm pastrami, sauerkraut and thinly sliced Swiss cheese rolled into sushi rice and served with Russian dressing.
- The Hiker’s Roll — A traditionally styled roll with nori wrapping around sushi rice, filled with slivers of beef jerky, slices of egg omelet and pea shoots or watercress with the leaves poking out the top of the roll. Dip into sriracha.
- Carolina Sushi — Shredded fried beef bologna and carrot slivers rolled in rice with a vinegared cabbage leaf in place of nori.
The website also features eight videos, shot in a traditional sushi restaurant, that show consumers how to prepare the recipes.
In a recent survey, more people (59 percent) found a photograph of a Beefshi platter appealing than those who found a sushi platter appealing (58 percent), according to the institute.
“Beef has always been popular among Americans and millennials and those aged 35-44, in particular. They seem to see the appeal of beef prepared in new and interesting ways,” says the institute’s senior vice president of public affairs, Janet Riley. “When a new and not-yet-tasted recipe scores this well against a familiar food like sushi, it’s clear that Beefshi is positioned to be a hot culinary trend in 2018 and beyond.”