Philly Roll Cheesesteak
I apologize to the entire state of Pennsylvania and parts of Southern New Jersey but when I had the idea for a cheesesteak inspired by a Philly sushi roll I couldn’t stop thinking about it until I made it. And now that I made it, you have to see it too.
The “philly philly” is a cheesesteak that has elements of the philadelphia sushi roll mixed into the sandwich. Cream cheese and smoked salmon inside, and some nori, scallions, and sesame seeds on top. It may seem crazy but it works!
The inspiration for this recipe
I had the idea for a philly roll cheesesteak a while ago but as you could imagine, I kept it on the list for a long time without making it. It just feels weird! That being said, I knew it would be good – just weird good. That is because of the cream cheese. If you put enough cream cheese on anything it becomes great! After that, the idea of steak mixed with smoked salmon isn’t so crazy.
The perfect steak for a cheesesteak
If you are making a cheesesteak at home, let me fill you in on a secret. If you have an Asian grocery store near you, go there to buy the meat. You can get perfectly sliced ribeye steak that is thicker than the shaved steak at the typical American store and makes the best steak sandwiches!
Get it into the pan and cook on high heat to brown around the edges and cook through. I also added a little bit of shallot at this step. typically when I make a cheesesteak I use a ton of caramelized onions but for this version I just used a small amount of sauteed shallots for a more subtle flavor to let the philly roll flavors come through.
Turning the cheesesteak into a philly roll
Add in the cream cheese and smoked salmon next. The cream cheese gets all mixed in with the meat and takes the place of cheese wiz in the cheesesteak. After you stir it all together, push it to one side and add some cheese on top. Put the roll on the other side of the pan to soften up.
Then mix the cheese into the meat and put the roll on top. After a few minutes flip the sandwich out like you see here!
Serving the philly roll cheesesteak
After the cheesesteak comes out of the pan garnish it with more philly roll flavors. I topped it with nori shreds, scallions, gochugaru chili flakes, and sesame seeds. You could also do sriracha or soy sauce if you wanted. Some wasabi would also be great!
This sandwich really surprised me. The flavors were definitely philly roll and cheesesteak mixed together. Sometimes I can be a little weird about combining fish and cheese but after my first bite I got over that quick! I didn’t take me long to devour the rest of the sandwich!
Twists on the philly roll cheesesteak
I mentioned you could garnish the Philly Roll Cheesesteak with wasabi. Cucumber would also be good! You could also add some cheese wiz and/or American cheese to the mix.
For more info on philadelphia rolls, check out this great video!
For more great twists on cheesesteaks, check out my surf and turf cheesesteak, mortadella cheesesteak, or cheesesteak cream puffs!
Philly Roll Cheesesteak
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound thin sliced ribeye
- 1 small shallot minced
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 4 ounces smoked salmon chopped
- 4 thick slices provolone cheese
- 2 rolls
- nori shreds
- chopped scallions
- sesame seeds
- gochugaru chili flakes
Instructions
- Bring a cast iron pan to high eat and add the steak. Cook and shred with two spatchulas until starting to brown around the edges.
- Add the shallot and cook another 2 minutes until the steak is fully cooked.
- Add in the sour cream and stir to combine it with the beef. Add in the salmon and stir to combine.
- Turn the heat down and slide the meat to one side. Top the beef with the cheese slices, and add the bread to the other side of the pan to warm and soften.
- After about 2 minutes, mix the beef up with the cheese and split it into two portions. Open the bread and top the meat with the bread.
- Use a spatula to scoop the sandwiches out and flip them over.
- Top with nori, scallions, sesame seeds, and gochugaru.