Carp thrives in warm water, and loves living in the Southern Hemisphere's rivers. The three original types of carp, caprinus carpio, are indigenous to the Black and Caspian Seas, from the area around the Armour River to Northern and Southern China, as well as Vietnam.
From the East, the carp made its way into the lower Danube and Volga tributaries. The monks began the art of fish-farming, and caused its widespread dispersal throughout Europe.
The carp is not demanding—it thrives in warm, muddy waters or along sandy river banks with good vegetation. The Aisch River Valley in Germany's Middle Franconia region once produced the most carp. More than 3,000 carp ponds, operating as one interconnected system, still dominate production. The success lies in the relatively high water temperature and the fact that the ponds are well fed by wells, making this region a carp production center.
The Chinese were the first to keep carp; the Greeks also appreciated it. The Romans elevated carp to the status of a god's object of admiration. The Latin language gave the fish the name caprinus carpio and dedicated it to the goddess Venus who chose the Island of Cyprus as her home. Dedicated to her, the carp is seen as a fertility symbol, a label that might be correct because of the carp's ability to lay a hundred thousand eggs.
Carp farming in Central Europe saw its heyday in the 15th and 16th centuries. The church's mighty power and influence fettered the faithful during the season of Lent and thus to meatless Fridays. This fact caused carp to be particularly alluring. At that time, Bohemia and adjacent regions featured 444,780 acres of carp ponds, until a decree prohibited their further development, because they impacted the availability of valuable, arable land.
With its distinct flavor and high fat content, carp is suitable for robust preparations. That is my reason for introducing you to two old recipes from Austrian and one from India that harmonize perfectly with carp.
Deep-fried Carp with Potato and Corn Salad
Ingredients for Fish
- 2 lbs. carp fillets
- 2 eggs, well-beaten
- flour, for breading
- bread crumbs, for breading
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- parsley, roughly-chopped, for garnish
- oil, for frying
Ingredients for the Potato and Green Salad:
- 1-1/2 lbs. small, firm potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
-
1/2 lb. corn salad [small bunches of greens that resemble forget-me-not leaves; have a nutty flavor]
-
salt, pepper and sugar, to taste
-
oil and vinegar
Method:
Slit the carp skin at intervals, cut into bite-size portions.
Salt the pieces generously, including the slits.
Dip into flour, then in the eggs and lastly into the breadcrumbs, patting the pieces slightly to make sure the bread adheres well.
Have the oil ready at a fairly high heat and a sufficient quantity in the pan to deep-fry the fish pieces to a golden hue on both sides.
Drain well on absorbent paper and serve garnished with lemon wedges and parsley.
For the potato-green salad, peel the boiled potatoes and slice while still warm.
Make a marinade from the oil and vinegar and the seasonings. Mix with the potato slices and finally fold in the salad greens.
For a final presentation, top with freshly ground, and coarse black pepper.
Serbian Carp
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 lbs. carp fillet
- approx. 1/4 lb. good butter or half butter and half lard
- salt, paprika, white pepper and minced fresh garlic
- flour, for breading
- oil for frying
Garlic Butter
- 3 pressed garlic cloves [can mince finely by hand]
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp. room temperature butter
Method:
Slit the skin of the carp in intervals, salt and pepper generously and rub the minced garlic and paprika into the fish. Dip the fish in flour, shaking off excess.
Heat the butter/lard until fairly hot and slowly fry the carp pieces with the skin side UP until brown—this takes about 6 minutes.
Flip fish and finish frying with the skin side down.
Meanwhile, prepare the garlic butter by mixing it until creamy and season with salt, pepper and garlic. Place this into a piping bag [a plastic sandwich bag with a corner cut off works well too] and pipe decorative dollops onto a piece of foil. Chill these. When presenting the fried fish, top each piece with a chilled butter dollop and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with parsley potatoes and a cucumber salad.
Bombay Fish Curry
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 lbs. carp fillets
- 1/4 lb. good quality butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 dried red chilies, crumbled
- 1 tbsp. mustard seeds, ground
- 1 tbsp. turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp. ground coriander seeds
- 1 piece fresh ginger the size of a quarter coin
- 1 lemon
- 1 can coconut milk [approximately 13 ounces]
- 2tbsp. salt
Method:
Heat the fat in a large frying pan, add the onion and garlic and slowly sauté it.
Crumble in the chilies and the other dry seasonings EXCEPT the salt.
Peel the ginger and mince it and add it to the contents in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and then the salt. Bring the contents to a boil.
Meanwhile, cut the fish into 3-inch square chunks, add to the pan and let everything slowly simmer, for about 15 minutes, until the sauce has slightly thickened.
When the fish is done, blend in the lemon juice.
Serve with Basmati rice.
Feeds