Visiting one of the few red deer farms in the Netherlands, ‘ het Zeeuwse Hert’, was a great experience! The red deers were walking outside and the sun was shining. The farm is located in ‘Zeeland’, an area in the South-West of the Netherlands. This province is quite known for its beaches and seafood, so I was very excited to see another part of ‘Zeeland’.
On the farm, sustainability is the standard. There are solar panels for the electricity. And there is a wood stove to keep all the building on the yard warm. As firewood they even use local prunings! Because of this the farm is completely energy-neutral. Very nice side note 😉
When I saw that they take such good care of the animals, company and environment, I couldn’t wait to taste the quality of the meat. After tasting the steak, I was in love… And how to enjoy the meat better than in a carpaccio?
This recipe is great as sharing platter, small starter for 4 persons or as main course for 2 persons. In case of the main course, don’t forget to serve some crispy fries and salad on the side!
Venison Carpaccio
Equipment
- Frying Pan
- Sharp Knife
- Aluminum Foil
Ingredients
- 300 gram Red Deer Steak
- Crushed Black Pepper
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 50 gram Mushrooms
- 30 gram Hazelnuts
- 2 springs Thyme
Sauce
- 3 tbsp Truffle Mayonaise
- ¼ Lemon
- 1 tsp Mustard spicy
Serve with..
- Some Arugula
- Some Truffle Cheese
Instructions
The steak
- First of all, make sure the steak is on room temperature. This helps to create a tender meat.
- Use a kitchen towel to pat the steaks dry. Add some salt and pepper on both sides. If you like a spicier carpaccio, feel free to add a lot of black pepper. Massage the steak slightly and let them rest for about 5 minutes.
- In the meanwhile you can already heat the pan on a medium-high heat.
- Divide some olive oil on the steak, and add them to the pan. Now it's time to make choices. Do you like medium or do you prefer rare? If you want the steak rare, you only need to sear the steaks for about 1 minutes on each side. However, if you prefer medium you need to grill the steaks for about 3 minutes per side. Personally I love medium rare (about 2 minutes per side), especially with high quality meat!
- Once the steaks are cooked, place them on a deep plate and cover with aluminum foil. Let the steaks rest for about 10 minutes, and then remove the foil. If the steak cooled down a bit, it becomes easier to cut the steak in very thin slices 😉
In the meanwhile..
- Cut the mushrooms in slices and the hazelnuts in half. Cook these, and the thyme, in the frying pan of the steak in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Don't forget to season with a little bit of salt.
- In another bowl, mix the truffle mayonaise, lemon juice and spicy mustard. This will be the sauce for the carpaccio.
Slicing the Steak
- Use a very sharp knife to cut the cooled down steaks in thin slices. Keep the juice, which was released during the 'resting' period of the steaks.
Plating
- Spread some sauce on the plates and add the slices of venison steak. Top with the mushrooms, toasted hazelnuts, arugula and truffle cheese.
- Just before serving you can pour the juice (of the steaks) on the thin slices of meat. This will make the steaks extra juicy!