Salmon, sea bass, cod and tuna: four fish, those that dominate global fishing and our consumption. We are used to always eating the same varieties of fish, and if we talk about raw the situation is even more dramatic. It is fashionable, it can be found everywhere and it is struggling with conservation and freshness, but deliberately uncomfortable topics such as the ethical and ecological choices that a carpaccio carries with it are omitted. Only in the Mediterranean would the species be more than 600, but we end up consuming only four, and two of importing from distant seas [*]. Most restaurants do it, in Italy and abroad, but not all.
Eataly took a counter-current position on raw fish consumption and did so with a concrete and courageous project. Is called Raw fish according to Eataly, a manifesto for the respect of the sea and for the spread of a culture that is aware of a fashion that is really too little known. Enrico Panero, Corporate Executive Chef of Eataly explains, who conceived and coordinated the project: “We decided to take a clear position on the raw by defining precise rules, some of which have always been cornerstones of the Eataly Fishmongers and in agreement with Slow Food, and some innovative "- that it is not wrong to define revolutionaries.

Never tasted the leccia?

At Eataly they said enough to fish like salmon, the most common in restaurants but not part of our tradition, and also to red tuna, yellow fin tuna and swordfish. They are the most loved and large-sized fish, so they are easy to work and sell, but they are also animals at the top of the food chain, which take years to become adults and are more at risk of accumulating pollutants. "Instead we have chosen to offer only small seasonal species of fish, molluscs, shells and crustaceans of the Mediterranean Sea, fished sustainably by small fishermen and in the right phase of their life cycle. We only sell fish with a short life cycle that concentrate few polluting meats and do not risk extinction ". Excellent fish, part of our tradition for centuries and unfortunately until now forgotten in the name of fashions and the market.
Never tasted bonito or leccia? At Eataly you can also find these fish and no standardized proposal, the same every day of the year and in every store, but a menu of seasonal raw, local and that is really based on the catch of the day. The project started from the restaurants of Eataly Rome, Milan Smeraldo, Turin Lingotto and Genoa and today it is a concept that is also exported abroad to all Eataly stores where there is a fishmonger.

Seasonal, short and choice marinades

"In concrete terms, our offer focuses on simplicity, to enhance the taste of fish and not mask it. Our seasonal marinades, based on products from the Eataly market, are made at the time of order to not cook the fish, leaving the fiber and flavor of the meat intact ". You can choose at the time and decide whether to try them on fish, crustaceans, molluscs or shells. "Each marinade plays on the contrast between fat and acid, then extra virgin olive oil, vinegar or citrus fruit", continues Enrico Panero. And creativity is not lacking: oil and lemon, the classic marinade, is available in all seasons, but you can try, and even copy at home, recipes such as Octopus Crudo, oil, lemon, fresh tomato and chili pepper; Leccia stella with oil, fresh orange juice and fennel; Raw squid or cuttlefish tagliatelle, oil, fresh tomato, red vinegar and capers; Bonito, oil, lemon and fresh celery tartare.

At home, only fished fish

Eataly's raw fish is processed in full compliance with the raw material and hygienic protection. Except for the crustaceans, as required by law, all the fish for raw consumption is chilled at low temperatures in a professional manner, very fast and without ruining the muscle fiber of the meat. There is no “thawed fish” effect that is obtained after freezing in the domestic freezer, and therefore to get a carpaccio at home, it is good to go to the fish counter: there are fish already slaughtered, to buy and consume immediately, but just ask and the raw fish can also be ordered in advance, and pick up the chosen day, choosing from all the varieties on the fish counter.

[*] Why say enough to the four fish

They call themselves "Four Fish" because there are four fish that dominate the international fish market. To find out more, we recommend reading the book by journalist Paul Greenberg, Four Fish – The Future of the Last Wild Food, Slow Food publisher, which became a The New York Times bestseller and winner of the James Beard Award for Writing. An engaging book that investigates the history of great fishing, intensive farming, consumer tastes and the economy behind frozen sticks or sushi. And that makes us understand the importance of our daily choices, the only ones that can really change the world.