Image by Eqqman

It is officially deer season in Pennsylvania, and in my family that means emptying the freezers of last year’s catch in preparation for the new. Our consumption of the venison is not only nourishment, but family bonding, just like the treks to the woods are for the hunters among us. My Pappy lures me to his basement with promises of tender backstrap, and there’s a running seasonal commentary on the best way to cook it (ice cold into a ripping hot pan), how to keep it from being dry (butter), what best to serve it with (salt and pepper, or mushrooms if you’d like), how to serve the chip steak (on a Malone’s roll), and so on.

I am a traditionalist. I like my venison straight up, medium rare, lightly salted. I’ll admit, I’ve switched from Malone’s to Amoroso rolls (I’m a rebel, I know), but the most interesting thing I’ve done with venison is sushi.

This recipe arose, as so many good ones have, from a late-night menu-planning brainstorm. We were catering a charity event, and in an effort to cut costs, we decided to throw some venison into the mix. (My freezer is always full of venison – it’s a wonderful thing.) Mer came up with the plan, and we ran a test-run. The end result was so good that we donated the venison to the cause and added this to our sushi platter.

Teriyaki Venison Maki Sushi

Ingredients:

• 1 venison backstrap (tenderloin), thawed if frozen
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into matchsticks
• 4 scallions, whites only, cleaned and cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, well-drained
• 1 /2 package nori
• 2 cups sushi rice, prepared and seasoned
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cup mirin
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a gallon-sized ziptop bag, combine soy sauce, mirin, Worcestershire, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and pepper. Add venison and marinate overnight.

Drain the venison and pat dry; place in freezer for 15 minutes prior to cooking. Heat a heavy skillet or cast-iron pan on high and add a bit of oil to coat. Move meat straight from freezer to pan*. Sear venison on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per side. Set aside to rest. When cool enough to handle, cut meat into thin strips, approximately the same size as the julienned pepper.

Assemble sushi: spread rice on nori and top with a row of venison, peppers, scallions, and crushed pineapple. Roll tightly and chill before cutting. (There is an excellent guide to assembling sushi rolls here.)

*Cooking venison when it’s ice-cold is the best way I’ve found to keep the gamey taste away.