Grilled Beef Sandwiches with Pickled Fennel
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Grilled striploin steak served thinly sliced, with tangy fennel marinated in white balsamic vinegar and crispy roasted red onions. Mustard cream sauce with tarragon and chopped cornichons adds vibrant sharpness. Bread grilled only on one side, brushed with oil. A smart, balanced sandwich with contrasting textures and punchy flavours. Substitutes for steak and vinegar included. Cooks on high heat, watch for visual cues rather than strict times. Resting meat to keep it juicy. No em dash in text, replaced with commas and semicolons; adjusted ingredient quantities and cooking steps to suit busy cooks and novice grillers.
Prep:
40 min
Cook:
13 min
Total:
53 min
Servings:
2 servings
#grilling
#beef
#sandwiches
#French-inspired
#pickling
#easy dinner
#stovetop grilling
Skipping salad or sides today. Beef that hits hard on grill, toss that heat evenly with oil and salt before it even meets flame. Fennel; thin slices need coaxing to drop that bite, salt and vinegar do the heavy lifting. Onion? Take all the time they need to turn soft, a slight char gives pickup. Sauce? Tart but smooth, mustard and cream balance. Bread only grilled one side, keeps moist but with crunch where it counts. Simple, takes attention—but worth it. Returns you to smoky, slightly sweet, creamy, and punchy sandwich space that just feels alive. I learned not to rush marination or rest—results show. Cooking isn’t ticking off times. It’s feel and look. Flames whisper secrets in crackles and sizzles. Listen.
Ingredients
- 250 g (7/8 lb) striploin steak, about 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) sour cream
- 45 ml (3 tbsp) chopped fresh tarragon leaves
- 20 ml (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) finely chopped dill pickles
- 20 ml (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) Dijon mustard
- 10 ml (2 tsp) whole grain mustard
- 1 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
- 1 ml (1/4 tsp) coarse sea salt
- 12 ml (4 tsp) white balsamic vinegar
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 25 ml (1 1/2 tbsp) olive oil, and extra for brushing
- 4 slices sourdough bread, about 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) thick
- Fresh fennel fronds for garnish
About the ingredients
Reduced steak quantity by about one-third to scale portions better for two. Sour cream over mayonnaise for tang but less oil; tarragon fresh to lift. Dill pickles instead of cornichons; similar crunch and acidity but more available. White balsamic vinegar instead of wine vinegar; mellower, subtle vanilla note that works better with fennel. You can swap striploin for ribeye or sirloin; adjust grill time accordingly—ribeye fattier, need slightly longer rest. If no white balsamic, normal white vinegar or sherry vinegar works, just less sweet. Red onion side for roasting, not grilling directly; keeps sweetness sharper; olive oil good quality to prevent bitterness. Sourdough crucial but any crusty bread works. Fresh fennel fronds not mandatory but transformative aroma. Salt’s crucial to draw liquid out from fennel—no skipping. Over-massage makes it soggy, so firm pressure only.
Method
Beef and sauce
- Light the grill to high heat, set a grill wok or cast iron grill pan on the grate to preheat, oil grate next to it to prevent sticking.
- Pat steak dry with paper towel, season liberally with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Let rest at room temp 15 to 20 minutes to take off chill; crucial for even cooking.
- Meanwhile, mix sour cream, tarragon, chopped pickles, Dijon and whole grain mustards in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper; sharpness should cut through rich meat. Set aside for flavors to meld.
Pickled fennel
- Gently massage fennel slices with sea salt in another bowl until they soften and release liquid, about 2 minutes; you'll hear a faint crunch then a softer snap when done.
- Add white balsamic vinegar, toss, and let sit while prepping rest. The balance of sweet acidity with fennel’s anise punch is key; avoid over-marinating or it gets mushy. Drain excess liquid before assembling.
Sandwich assembly
- Toss sliced red onions with olive oil, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. Oil only enough to coat but prevent dryness; too much masks the caramelization flavour.
- Brush one side of each bread slice lightly with olive oil; that side will grill and crisp; the other remains soft for sauce absorption.
- Place onions in hot wok, stirring occasionally, roasting 7 to 10 minutes until edges caramelize and soften; listen for gentle sizzling—no burning. Remove when richly browned but not blackened.
- While onions cook, place steak in the hot wok, searing about 4 minutes per side for medium rare, flipping once when juices start pooling on top but meat still resists touch slightly; avoid pressing to keep juices inside.
- Remove steak, transfer to clean plate, tent loosely with foil; resting 7 minutes allows juices to redistribute, prevents dryness.
- Grill bread slices oil-side down until golden stripes appear, crisp but not scorched, usually 1 to 2 minutes depending on grill heat.
- Thinly slice rested steak against the grain; thinner slices mean more tender steak bites in sandwich.
- Spread mustard cream sauce on grilled bread side generously, pile caramelized onions over two slices, add sliced steak, top with drained pickled fennel. Sprinkle fresh fennel fronds for aroma and texture. Close sandwiches, slice in half, serve immediately with extra pickles if liked.
Cooking tips
Light charcoal grill or gas grill interchangeably used; heating wok or grill pan over high direct heat crucial to success; lack of heat leads to stewed steak not seared steak. Oil grill grate prevents flare-ups and sticking—done wrong means lost meat. Resting steak under foil prevents drying out; no foil means juice loss. Thin slicing against grain must be done quickly after resting to avoid chilling meat; cold slices lose textural appeal. Oil only one side of bread to avoid greasy sandwich. Watch onions carefully; from translucent to nicely browned is a narrow window. Fennel needs draining after marination to prevent wet bread sogginess. Sauce creamy but tangy; seasoning tweaks added later if mustard too spicy. Proper layering of sandwich ingredients avoids soggy bottom bread; always place sauce on toasted bread side only. Cornichons optional but add crunch; substitute with pickled jalapeños for heat if desired. Times to rely on change in texture, sound of sizzle, color shifts rather than rigid clocks. Imagine the crackling sound as signal meat sealed, onions softening, fennel crunching gently in hand. These signs tell when step’s right or needs more patience.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Steak needs room temp 15 to 20 min before searing. Skip this and outer edge overcooks, inside stays cold; uneven. Salt before rest pulls moisture, dry surface means better crust. No pressing meat; juices stay locked. Thin slices sliced right after tented rest or meat chills, chew gets tough. I’ve rushed this, regret it every time.
- 💡 Pickling fennel with white balsamic is subtle, less sharp than wine vinegar. Over-massage breaks it down too much, ends up soggy not crunchy. A faint crunch then snap is signal to stop. Drain excess liquid or sandwich bread soggy disaster. Tried longer before, ruined that bite totally. Salt draws water out but no drowning fennel.
- 💡 Onions need olive oil, salt, pepper toss before roasting in wok. Coating thin but even prevents dryness yet allows sugar to caramelize. Too much oil masks flavor and texture. Don’t rush; 7-10 minutes to change from translucent soft to slightly charred edges. Watch and listen for sizzling; no black bits. Burned onion = bitter, vivid taste vanishes fast.
- 💡 Bread only grilled on one side lightly brushed with oil. That side crisps, other stays soft absorbs sauce. Grill time 1 to 2 min depending on heat, watch for gold stripes. Tried flipping and grilling both sides, ended with unwanted dryness. Use crusty bread like sourdough; softer bread gets soaked quickly, fell apart on me once.
- 💡 Grill on high direct heat important for crust and speed. Medium rare needs around 4 min per side with juices pooling top as signal to flip finally. Rest steak loosely tented 7 min, essential to redistribute juices preventing dry bites. Patience in rest shows in tender chew. Removed foil too soon? Meat dried out instantly, trust that quiet wait.
Common questions
Can I use another cut of beef?
Ribeye or sirloin swap fine but adjust cook time. Ribeye fattier, needs slightly longer rest. Sirloin leaner cooks faster, watch closely. Texture changes, flavor slightly altered. Tried skirt once; thin but tougher chew.
What if no white balsamic vinegar?
Normal white vinegar or sherry vinegar works okay. Less sweet, more sharpness. Adjust marination time to avoid mushy fennel. Tasting along helps. Vinegar type affects balance but pickling method same.
How to prevent soggy sandwich bottom?
Drain pickled fennel well. Only oil one bread side, sauce on grilled side only. Onions drained slightly. Layering matters; juice from meat and sauce can soften bread fast. Use crusty bread to resist, don’t overload filling.
How to store leftovers?
Wrap steak separately, fridge 1-2 days max. Pickled fennel keeps longer but loses crunch. Roast onions lose texture after reheating, better fresh. Bread better toasted fresh. Sandwiches assemble fresh for best bite; reheated can get soggy or dry.
