Biofisch Bistro & Heuriger

Review

The fish inventor

Austrians love fish. When it's packed in tins, when it's cuboid and breaded. What Austrians don't like are fish heads, fins, scales and, above all, bones, because you choke on them, except on vacation by the sea, where it's somehow harmless. Let's put it this way: the relationship is complicated. Marc Mößmer, who is equally fascinated by fish farming and organic farming, took it on anyway. And because there were no guidelines for organic fish farming in the 1990s, the Bavarian-born graduate of Vienna's Boku University developed them himself. In general, the idea is that organic fish farming only works if water is recognized as a habitat for diverse flora and fauna and its cycles are accepted. This means that in the huge 47-hectare pond in Haslau in the Waldviertel, Mößmer only has to "feed" a little; carp, tench and white fish feed on what creeps and flies in the water, while catfish, zander and pike feed on carp, tench and white fish. And what about trout, char and salmon trout? In reality, they can hardly be farmed sustainably, as one kilo of predatory fish means around three kilos of food. In organic farming, however, at least the sea is not fished dry for salmonids, but food is produced from so-called "cut-offs", i.e. from the fins, bones, tails and heads that accumulate in the fish industry and would otherwise become cat food. Marc Mößmer mainly sells his organic fish at markets, but also directly from the production site, which has been located in Hetzendorf for two years. Here you'll find fresh and frozen products (including more specialized products such as pike, tench and rudd), organic food without end, great wines from Neumeister and Hirsch and a bistro. Okay, it looks a little spartan. But after a fish soup with around 300 grams of fish inlay, you are not only full, but full for two (€ 4.90). The fish falafel could be a little juicier, but Caribbean cod balls probably weren't great from the start either (€ 1 each). Smoked carp roulade melts in the mouth, carp at its best, delicious (€ 2.20), "candy sticks" is the name of a skewer of marinated fish pieces, the perfect ingredient for a fish salad or simply as tapas with aioli (€ 4.90). You learn a lot here: For example, that carp can taste great, that local organic farmed fish doesn't have to be expensive. Or that factory farming and overfishing of the oceans could really stop for once. To sum up: a fish store where you can not only buy organic fish at a reasonable price, but also enjoy it at a reasonable price.

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