Every Italian self-esteem restaurant has carpaccio on the menu. And many tend to highlight it as the foremost of the Italian starters. The Italian raw beef made from raw veal or beef fillet was invented by Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry’s Bar in Venice in the 1950s.
The original was served with a dressy made of mayonnaise, Worcester sauce, parmesan cheese and pressed lemon.
Today, the carpaccio is usually served without dressing and instead of olive oil, lemon, pepper and parmesan cheese mix directly on the plate. Usually, the carpaccio is then topped with arugula and pine nuts. But you can vary with other vegetables like spinach, artichokes or beans if you like.
However, the fact that the meat is raw is not really true. When the meat is seasoned with the oil, lemon, and spices it should rest for at least 15 minutes so that it takes flavor and that a very light digging process starts. Those who serve the carpacccio directly or let the guests themselves arrange the accessories at the table have some additional inspiration to get from the Italians.
Dare to take out the turns
In its classic form, the carpaccio is fantastic, but you can also exchange both ingredients and flavors and take out the turns if you wish. Besides calf and ox, lamb is excellent for carpaccio and also game in the form of reindeer, deer, and moose. Smoked meat in various forms is also delicious and one of my absolute favorites is carpaccio on souvas, salted and smoked reindeer thighs.
You can also experiment with the accessories. Why not let the lamb carpaccio be joined by a cream of spinach and chevre? The Souvas carpaccio is a great match with cheese and Lingonberry Chutney.
Fish Carpaccio
Carpaccio as a concept is also ideally suited for different kinds of fish and seafood. We are quite used to seeing salmon and tuna, but there are significantly more options. Scallops, swordfish, halibut, and char are some examples that work well. In order not to get the fish flavor into the cloud mouth, you have to be a little more careful with the accessories. A papaya salad on grated papaya, crème Fraiche, lemon and a little salt is excellent for a salmon carpaccio to take an example.
From the fish carpaccio, the step is also not far to sushi and sashimi, and being inspired by Asian flavors feels natural. Why not serve a carpaccio on scallops with ginger, chili and rice vinegar topped with a salad of fresh algae, marinated radish, and roasted sesame seeds? Easier, and more festive, than making their own sushi.
Classic carpaccio
Here’s what you need for four people:
- 400 g of ox fillet or veal fillet
- 4 tablespoons pine nuts (can be excluded)
- about 100 g of parmesan cheese
- about 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 lemon
- arugula Salad
- Salt and black pepper
How to prepare
- Slice the meat thinly with a fillet knife or on a cutting machine.
- Place the slices between two sheets of plastic film and print it further with the palm of your hand.
- If you buy meat over the counter, you can ask the staff to do it already in the store.
- Roast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until golden brown.
- Plan the Parmesan cheese in thin flakes.
- Divide the meat into four (preferably chilled) plates.
- Drizzle oil and a little squeezed lemon over the meat. Salt and pepper.
- Distribute the salad over the meat and sprinkle with the parmesan.
- Garnish with a lemon clove and serve with more olive oil, salt and pepper for those who want to season more.