Carp Recipes
edited by Sharon Watson
We mentioned that carp were a delicacy in Europe and have received some emails asking for recipes, so here they are! Whether you catch them with a dough-ball, surface plug, or shoot with bow & arrow, fresh carp is delicious. Also try squawfish in these recipes.
Buttermilk Fried Carp Fillets
2 pounds carp fillets
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup biscuit mix or pancake mix
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon dried lemon flakes
Remove the skin of the carp. Take out all the brownish-redish-colored part of the meat, the "mud vein"; discard. Chunk up the rest of the carp fillets.
Place fillet pieces in a shallow dish. Pour the buttermilk over them and let it stand for half an hour, turning the fillets over once during that time.
Stir the salt into the biscuit mix.
Take fillets out of the buttermilk and pat them into the biscuit mix, covering both sides.
Fry fillets in deep fryer or in hot oil in fry-pan for 5 - 10 minutes until cooked through and browned on both sides. Use tongs or slotted spoon to turn them. (If oil is too hot, they will brown too quickly and not cook within.)
Drain on paper towels.
Serve with lemon wedges if available.
Serves 4-6
Carp Sandwich
Skin the carp. Remove the reddish-brown colored part of the meat: the "mud vein." Fillet the carp. Score the fillets by cutting about two-thirds into the meat every 1/4 inch. Cut into sandwich size pieces.
Beat one or more egg. Dip fish pieces into egg, then into salted breadcrumbs, or saltine cracker crumbs.
Deep fry or pan fry in lots of oil, after oil is plenty hot (about medium to medium high).
Use your favorite bread or hamburger buns, spread bread with tartar sauce or sandwich spread.
Place browned and tender fish fillets between the slices. Add whatever garnishes you’d like -- lettuce, tomato...
And, enjoy!
Carp with Red Sauce
1 pound carp fillets, skinned and cut 3/8-inch thick (cutting shortens "floating bones" so cooking can break them down)
Unsaturated vegetable oil, heated in a deep fryer
Batter:
1 cup cold water
1 egg
1/4 c oil
1/4 cup flour
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 teaspoon MSG, if you’re not allergic to it
Mix water, egg and oil before adding other ingredients. Dip strips in batter, drop them into a deep fryer. Cook until done, drain on paper toweling. Much like hors d’oeuvres. (Dip into the following sauce.)
Serves 2 -4
Red Sauce:
1 cup catsup
1 cup chili sauce
dash of Tabasco
dash of Worcestershire
squeeze of lemon
3 Tablespoons pure ground horseradish
salt and pepper to taste
-- Stacy Gebhards, Region 3 Supervisor, Boise (Idaho Dept. of Fish & Game)
Carp with Sour-Cream Sauce
1/4 cup butter
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup of sour cream
1 lemon, made into juice, or about 1 - 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 whole carp, 3-4 pound, cleaned
Grease a shallow baking dish with butter. Season carp inside and out with salt and pepper. Place bay leaves on butter pats and lay them on top of the carp. Cover with sour cream and lemon juice. Bake in oven 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or when brown. Baste frequently.
Serve with noodles or potatoes. Makes 4 servings.
Carp roasted with onion
1 pound of carp
1 cup grated onion
1/4 cup dried parsley
Oil
Lemon juice
salt
Caraway seeds
Cumin, optional
Cut up cleaned carp into large sections. Cut out small pockets in the carp meat. Sprinkle with salt.
Mix grated onion with parsley and a little oil. Rub this mixture over the carp. Fill the holes also with a little of this mixture. Spread caraway seeds over the meat, pour some lemon juice on top.
Roast in the oven at 350 degrees F. for about 30 minutes or until done.
Serve with potatoes, roasted, mashed, or fried.
Medieval Sweet and Sour Fish
2 pounds carp or other fish fillet
1/4 cup flour
1 med. onion, minced
3/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup cider vinegar
4 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup currants
Pinch of mace
1/4 cup raisins
salt to taste
Cut fillets into large chunks and dredge them in flour. Heat oil in a large heavy frypan and saute onion until transparent. Add fish chunks and brown. In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients for a sauce. Pour over browned fish and onions.
Carp Tacos
1 pound ground carp
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 package taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
Sliced tomato (or salsa)
12 flour tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Grated cheddar cheese
Taco sauce
Sour cream
Before shredding the fish, remove mud vein, or redish-brown section of meat. Cook the shredded fish in the oil until its color changes. Add the taco seasoning and water. Cook until nearly dry, stirring occasionally. Heat flour tortillas in a dry fry-pan, turning to lightly brown on both sides. They should still be soft and pliable when warm. Fill each tortilla with fish mixture. Add grated cheese, taco sauce, lettuce, tomato chunks (or salsa) and top with sour cream.
Homemade Tartar Sauce for Carp
(Homemade is much better than store-bought!)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sweet relish
1 teaspoon celery seed
Dash of paprika
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Dash of Accent
Mix and chill for 1/2 hour.
.
Carp Sausage
Skin and fillet the fish, removing mud vein. Partly freeze the fillets and then grind them into a fine mash in a meat grinder.
For every one pound of ground carp, add 1/4 to 1/3 pound of beef hamburger, and 1 Tablespoon commercial poultry and sausage seasoning. Mix well.
Form into patties and store in the refrigerator for 24 hours. The patties can then be frozen or cooked immediately.
Place patties in a frying pan over medium heat and fry 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
Do not overcook. These cooked patties, (cold or still hot) make excellent sandwiches with lettuce, mayonnaise or tartar sauce.
Carp Casserole
3 cups cooked carp
2 cups cooked rice
2 Tablespoons grated onion
2 Tablespoons melted margarine
1 Tablespoon minced parsley
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup milk
2 well-beaten eggs
1 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine ingredients. Place in greased loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve with fresh salad, small boiled and buttered potatoes sprinkled with parsley, and creamed peas.
References:
Carp Anglers Group
International Carping Ring:
"Carp in North America,"
by E. L. Cooper, editor
All about North America's most underutilized fishery resource: biology, commercial and sport fisheries, angling tips, catch records, tournaments, preparation for the table, and recipes.
84 pp; paper; 1987
Price: $13.00
ISBN 0-913235-44-X
(Stock# 550.12P)
Published by American Fisheries Society (AFS)
