“Trout is a wonderful product of the Valle d’Aosta, but it is not valued enough. So we thought of doing it,” says Lorenzo Quaccia, founder (above left) along with his friend Edoardo Zanuttini (above right), of Altura, a small, modern laboratory for processing freshwater fish in Verrès, a town on the Baltea Dora River in Italy’s Valle d’Aosta, the northwest region that borders France and Switzerland.
“By choice, we only use fish raised in alpine spring water with low density, controlled feeding, and that are at least partly organic,” Quaccia explains. They get their supplies from a breeding farm in Morgex, a town within the region, as well as from two others in nearby Piedmont, but the objective for 2021 is to move the entire supply chain to Valle d’Aosta.
Photo: Simone Sozzi
And they are at a good point because at the moment. they’re working char, whitefish, and trout, using almost exclusively regional ingredients for flavoring, such as yarrow and genepì that are grown above 1500 meters (4921 feet) to flavor, as well as beech, alder, cherry wood for smoking, cold or hot. “Aquaculture fish Italian is of high quality,” explains Lorenzo. “For example, the salmon trout has soft and compact flesh, much less fat than salmon, doubly digestible and just as valuable. In addition, it’s homegrown.”
Photo: Simone Sozzi
Meanwhile, the business is growing. In addition to the local market, they sell in Piedmont, Lombardy, and Liguria, and are almost ready to open for tastings and organize courses to teach the smoking technique in a home version. Finally, there is the project to expand the products. “We have started experimenting with fermentation and trout aging, and we will present it soon,” concludes Quaccia. And he promises, “It’s delicious when thinly sliced and flavored with oil and lemon.”
Cover photo: Simone Sozzi