Game and fish — the season's raw materials in the gourmet counter
Butchering, marking and safe handling of the more specialized raw materials
A gourmet counter lives by variation and game and fish are among the raw materials that give the counter seasonality and character. The apprenticeship includes both game butchering and fish cutting as competency areas because they require different knowledge and techniques than ordinary butcher meat.
§Seasonal thinking
Game follows the hunting season and fish follows catch and spawning time. Working with the season's raw materials is both a quality and a sales strength: the raw material is best and often cheapest in the season and customers associate autumn with game and associate certain fish with certain seasons. A skilled butcher plans the counter according to what is in season.
§Butchering and marking of game
Game such as deer, fallow deer and wild boar must be rough and detail cut and then marked, packaged and labeled correctly according to current rules. The labeling is particularly important: the consumer must be able to see what it is, where it comes from and how it should be stored. Wild boar must also be tested for trichinella before the meat can be sold — it is a fixed food safety requirement.
§Fish requires extra care
Fish is a highly perishable raw material and must be handled cold and quickly. Some fish especially wild can contain parasites and therefore there is a requirement for freezing fish that is to be eaten raw or lightly prepared to kill the parasites. Always separate fish from other meat to avoid cross-contamination and keep work tools and cutting surfaces clean between tasks.
| Raw material | Special point of attention |
|---|---|
| Wild boar | Must be checked for trichinosis |
| Deer wildlife | Correct flaying and marking |
| Wild fish | Freezing against parasites for raw serving |
| All | Traceability and cold chain |
§Craftsmanship and storytelling
- 01Know the season so the counter always has the best raw material base.
- 02Butcher wild game with sharp tools and correct marking.
- 03Keep fish sharply separated from other meat and on ice.
- 04Tell the customer about origin and preparation — it is part of gourmet selling.
Game and fish are also a story customers pay for. When you can explain where the raw material comes from, when it is in season and how it is best prepared, you elevate both sales and experience — and it is precisely there that the gourmet butcher differs from the supermarket cold counter.
“The season's raw material tells its own story — the butcher's task is to pass it on.”
— Gourmet principle