Cookbook:Carp

Carp
Carp
Category	Seafood

Carp are a group of freshwater fish native to Europe and Asia and introduced to the Americas.

Characteristics

Several varieties of carp are consumed as food, including bighead, common/Eurasian, mud/dace, grass, silver, and black carps. Bighead and silver carp may also be called copi.^[1] They are often farmed or caught in Asia, but tend primarily to be wild-caught in the Americas where they are invasive in local waterways.

The exact characteristics of the fish will depend largely on the quality of the water, their specific diet, and how they are prepared after catching. In general, carp skin is thick and scaly, and the dense flaky flesh is white with lots of bones,^[2]^[3] somewhat comparable to that of tilapia.^[1] Common carp flesh is darker and more strongly flavored.^[1]^[2]

Selection and storage

Carp should be cooked and eaten as soon as possible.

Preparation

If you catch the fish yourself, you'll want to immediately bleed the fish and get it on ice as soon as possible. After skinning and filleting, you'll want to remove the "mud vein", which is a darker and sometimes stronger-tasting strip of flesh running down the center of the fillet.^[2]^[3]^[4] Individually deboning is tedious, and the best way to deal with them is to either grind the flesh or to score it about 0.5–1 cm deep before cooking^[1]—the latter method allows hot oil or cooking liquid to penetrate further and soften the bones.^[5]

Use

Carp, especially bighead and silver varieties, are popular and widely cultivated in Asia.^[1]^[3] It also forms the basis of some traditional European dishes like gefilte fish and carp soups. Carp has historically not been popular in the Americas, though efforts to popularize them are ongoing. It is especially well suited to frying, as it holds up well and the hot oil softens the bones.