Curious as to what wild game venison or elk heart tastes like, or perhaps you’re a seasoned vet on heart recipes? Either way, I’m sure this venison heart bruschetta recipe and venison heart ceviche recipe will be a new wild taste to tease your tastebuds. It involves “cooking” the venison heart in lime juice similar to what you would do with shrimp in ceviche. 

In season 9/episode 2 of MeatEater titled “South Texas Nilgai” Chef Jeff Griffiths takes the heart of the Nilgai and makes a ceviche out of it that looked simply divine. I’ll agree with Steve Rinella on this one, that I would have never in a million years thought to eat the heart raw, but I have eaten raw steaks plenty of times, like with this elk carpaccio recipe. 

Venison Heart Recipes as an Appetizer or Main Course

I usually slice and dice the heart into steaks to be served alongside a salad, but the thought of something completely new was right up my alley.

We recently got three does down in second season and had three hearts that I could use to test different recipes. My husband wanted a traditional ceviche recipe to be served with tortilla chips, but I was making a French onion soup for dinner the night we tested the recipes so I wanted an Italian flavor that was more like bruschetta. I made both recipes.

We were pleasantly surprised that BOTH raw heart venison recipes were delicious. They had the flavors you’d expect from bruschetta and ceviche, but with a hint of meatiness. And because the recipes included a healthy protein in them that could easily be eaten as an appetizer or a main course. 

We had plenty of leftovers that we stored in the refrigerator and munched on over the next couple of days, which made for great, easy-to-pack lunches, but the venison heart did start to take on more and more of the lime flavor.

Other Raw Wild Game Recipes

Perhaps, you’re not a fan of eating raw red meat. That’s okay, there are plenty of cooked red meat recipes available to play with. Start with cooked meats, and hopefully learn about raw meats later on.

My first time eating raw red meat was with beef carpaccio at a buddy’s restaurant. I was apprehensive at first because I had no idea what the safety concerns were behind eating red meat raw. However, I trusted my friend and was in tastebud heaven after just one bite. Of course, this first adventure in raw red meat tasting piqued my curiosity and sent me down the path to learn more about raw meat recipes.

If you’re interested in exploring other raw red meat recipes, check out tartar, carpaccio, carne apache, yukhoe, kitfo, or ossenworst. Have a favorite raw dish you love to enjoy? Tell me about it in the comments below.

For information on how to prep, cut, and cook elk heart, visit my original blog post on elk heart processing.

For information on eating raw wild game meat, see this elk carpaccio recipe. It’s best to freeze the heart for at least two days before consuming.

Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.

Venison Heart Bruschetta

Not your mama’s bruschetta. This meaty version of bruschetta brings raw venison heart to the table with the same flavors you’d expect from bruschetta. Serve as a main course or alongside a favorite pasta dish. See above for more information on safety concerns with eating raw meat and why freezing the heart first can help.

• 1 Venison Heart, Cut and Trimmed
• ½ cup Lime Juice (fresh limes are best)
• 1 French Bread Crostini
• Olive Oil Spray
• ¼ cup Red Onion, Diced
• ½ cup Tomatoes, Diced
• ¼ cup Basil
• Salt and Pepper
• ¼ cup Olive Oil
• Balsamic Reduction

1. Cut and trim the venison heart. Dice meat into small enough pieces it can easily be scooped onto a crostini. 
2. Mix venison heart with ½ cup lime juice, cover, and refrigerate 1 hour. 
3. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 350°F and slice your French Bread to make crostinis. Use a spray bottle to spray olive oil on either side of each crostini, place on a baking sheet, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Check for doneness, flip, and cook for another 5 minutes until done. Set a timer so you don’t burn the bread.
4. After the venison heart and lime have “cooked” in the refrigerator for an hour, pull it out, drain off the juice, and add the heart back to the container. The meat should have become a purplish-gray color.
5. Mix in the diced red onion, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper, and olive oil.
6. Let flavors meld for 10 minutes. Serve on top of crostinis drizzled with balsamic reduction.

Venison Heart Ceviche

Similar to the recipe above, but with the twist of a few ingredients, we have a Mexican flavor that is a perfect addition to any meal. This recipe quickly became a fan favorite of my husband’s. You can serve it with crostinis or tortilla chips, but we preserve tortilla chips. See above for more information on safety concerns with eating raw meat and why freezing the heart first can help.

• 1 Venison Heart, Cut and Trimmed
• ½ cup Lime Juice (fresh limes are best)
• 1 Bag Tortilla Chips
• ¼ cup Red Onion, Diced
• ½ cup Tomatoes, Diced
• ¼ cup Cilantro
• Salt and Pepper
• ½ Avocado (optional)
• ½ Serrano (optional)

1. Cut and trim the venison heart. Dice meat into small enough pieces it can easily be scooped onto tortilla chips (think pico de gallo). 
2. Mix venison heart with ½ cup lime juice, cover, and refrigerate 1 hour. 
3. After the venison heart and lime have “cooked” in the refrigerator for an hour, pull it out, drain off the juice, and add the heart back to the container. The meat should have become a purplish-gray color.
4. Mix in the diced red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, salt and pepper, and olive oil. If you like heat, add in the serranos – I tend to leave them on the side since I’m the only one in the house that likes that much heat. If you like avocado, add it in last and gently mix it in to ensure it doesn’t break up too much – the lime should help keep the avocado from browning too quickly.
5. Let flavors meld for 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.