For seasoning & marinating
Char garum
Unser Riederalm Hendl Garum ist ein toller natürlicher Ersatz zum oft verwendeten Suppenpulver.
Why char garum?
Our fish farmer Hermann Hasenauer in Leogang supplies us with the finest whole Schwarzleo char, including the offal, throughout the year. We prepare the fresh fish on the day they arrive, leaving a substantial quantity of frames, trimmings and offal. In keeping with our zero-waste approach, we turn these into something new.
How do we turn fish frames into garum?
Following a method used by the ancient Romans, we mince the trimmings, mix them with natural salt and ferment them in a special vat for eight months at 30°C. The garum is then filtered and bottled.
How do we use char garum in our kitchen?
In our kitchen, garum adds the finishing touch to fish dishes and makes a versatile alternative to anchovies. We use it to enrich sauces, stocks, vinaigrettes, dressings, beef tartare, marinades and much more. It also features in mayonnaise, cures such as our mojito trout with cucumber gazpacho, and salads with Asian-inspired marinades. And there are plenty more possibilities to explore.
Recipes to try at home
Cucumber gazpacho or cucumber broth
200 g freshly pressed cucumber juice (cucumbers from the Stechaubauer farm)
35 g elderflower vinegar (from the previous year)
10 g Leogang char garum
32 g tomato water
1 g natural salt
1 sheet white gelatine
Wash the fresh cucumbers and soak them in cold water for two hours. Juice them, then season the juice with the garum, vinegar and tomato water. Soak the gelatine in water, dissolve it in a little of the marinade, then stir it into the remaining mixture. Chill the cucumber gazpacho and serve with cured trout, grayling or char.
It also works beautifully with mozzarella and burrata.
Enjoy it at home, too
How can you use char garum at home? Try it in bouillabaisse, sauces, stir-fries and much more: there is plenty of room to experiment. Use it to season or marinate fish, whether served raw, cured in the style of matjes herring, or pan-fried.
Information
The finished garum was sent to the Hygienicum laboratory in Graz for analysis. You can find the report here.