Thanks to our local Facebook group, last week I became aware of a great place to get fresh fish.  Fischzucht Zordel is a delightful trout farm in Neuenbürg/Eyachtal, a scenic little hamlet not too far from Pforzheim.  Someone posted about this place on Facebook and, being a lover of fresh fish, I knew I had to try it.  My husband, Bill, is going away on business next week and has to leave tomorrow morning, so I told him I wanted to go there today.

We hopped in the Mini and drove north on a beautiful stretch of highway on the edge of the Black Forest.  It took about an hour as we made our way through cute little towns, over hills, and along a swiftly rushing river.  I was reminded of the drive to Colmar, France we took last fall.  We actually missed the turnoff for Fischzucht Zordel because we were enjoying the scenery and my collection of cheesy 80s rock so much.  But we managed to turn around and correct ourselves.  We drove along a lane with the hills in the background and a picturesque river rushing on the left before we came to a generous parking lot.

A welcoming sign… open every day from 8:00am until 8:00pm.

Bill and I noticed a number of couples walking around as we easily found our way to the fish grill.  Here, you can order trout soup, potato salad, a grilled trout stuffed with onions, and bread.  Beer, wine, soft drinks, and water are also available.  The menu is very simple and inexpensive.

A side look at the case where the trout is available for sale to take home.  They have fresh trout and smoked, as well as roe, filets, and condiments.  

Bill anticipates a good lunch.

If I weren’t going to be alone all week, we would have bought some fish to go.

 

We decided to order one trout, a cup of the trout soup, a side of potato salad, and two beers.  I’m really glad we shared everything.  That was plenty of food and cost just over 18 euros.

I loved the piping hot soup.  It’s a bit salty and made with smoked trout, peppers, and a hearty broth.  

The rest…

We had a bit of a wind today, which made holding on to all the plasticware tricky.

That fish was very fresh and delicious.  The potato salad was also very good.  This was a simple but very satisfying lunch!

The view from where we were sitting…  Can’t you just hear the water rushing?  An indoor seating area is also available for when the weather is bad.

As we were enjoying lunch, an older gentleman came by with what looked like a big empty bucket on wheels.  A few minutes later, he passed us again, this time with a bucket full of fish destined to be processed.  I ended up making a very inappropriate joke that I probably shouldn’t repeat here…  I actually felt a little sorry for the fish, even though they are definitely delicious.

Obligatory shot of Bill looking disinterested.

Once we were finished eating, we walked around the grounds and I took lots of pictures. As you can see, the surrounding area is beautiful. 

Fish in the ponds waiting to be harvested.

This picture reminds me so much of Goshen, Virginia… It was like being home.

A friendly looking horse was enjoying a snack of carrots and bread.

This house is beautiful, right down to the trout carvings on the balconies.  I envy the people who live here and run this business, though I’m not sure I’d really want to deal with fish processing.

As the weather gets better, these tables will fill up…

 

For fifty cents, you can feed the fish.  A few kids were enjoying feeding the fish in the first pond, so I went to the one being ignored a ways down.  It was a lot of fun feeding the fish because they are eager to eat and will jump to get the food.  A word of warning, though.  The fish food smells a bit like a mixture of dead fish and ass.  You will definitely want to wash your hands after you feed the fish.  Fortunately, there is a generous three stall restroom available perfectly suitable for washing up.

I’m not sure what kind of fish these were… they were huge.

Poor fishies… so close to freedom.

A couple of resident mallards…

I was dying to pet this horse.  Another one was in a nearby paddock.

These fish were jumping for the ass smelling fish food.  I had fun delivering, until I noticed what my hands smelled like afterwards.  I would advise using one of the plastic cups offered to catch the food as it comes out of the machine.

We really had a great time at Fischzucht Zordel today.  I bet we’ll be back, especially as the weather improves.  It’s a lovely place to have a simple lunch and enjoy nature.  I highly recommend it!  Kids seem to love it, too.