As requested from a member asking me how I cook carp to eat.
I make it two different ways,
This, I make when at camp sometimes
1. Riba Corba (pronounce CHORE-BA) Fish Soup
and 2. pan fried.
OK to begin, cleaning the carp. ONLY USE SMALLISH CARP 30-50 CM
Full scale the fish and gut and clean all innards, including blood line in the spine of the gut cavity.
Important to clean the cavity thoroughly.
The skin has very strong flavor with some people like but most don't, this is where people say it taste like mud, but not mud is ever present, just strong flavor.
I don't normally use a scaler for carp.
When I scale my carp I run a very sharp knife under the scale and I try to remove the skin with the carp but not a must, most times it doesn't work well for me and most of the skin is left behind anyway.
I always remove the head from behind the first belly fins to behind the head and I remove the anal fin and dorsal fins.
My mum always wants the heads intact minus the gills,and all the fins.
The gill cannot be eaten and are toxic, how toxic, I don't know, that's what I was told and that's what I do.
Pan frying carp.
easy peasy.
when pan frying carp, we normally just use the rib cage and only part of the tail, I think just past the anal fin.
cut carp into steak cutlets. from top to bottom through the spine.
dust with flour and Vegeta and shallow fry in a pan.
when eating carp you'll notice a lot of bones, some big, some small, obviously be careful. you'll also notice some darker colored meat, this also has very strong flavor and I don't like that bit. just the whitish flesh only for me.
My mum everything.LOL
My favourite is Riba Corba.
a few ingredients but nice in the pot over a fire. this recipe is for quite a large portion. its a little hard for measurements cos I just do it by eye.
4Kg of River fish Carp, Cod etc Oil
2kg chopped, finely diced brown onion (sounds like a lot but when cooked down thickens the soup)
4 sliced carrots 1 parsnip (only if you want, I don't normally have it at camp)
4 sticks of celery (only if you want, I don't normally have it at camp) gives good flavour to soup
chopped garlic heaped table spoon
1.5 lts tomato puree
glass of sour wine not sweet like Riesling or sauv blanc (will help fish stay together)
salt and pepper to taste
Hungarian Paprika
2-3 dried bay leaves
1 tsp Cayenne pepper (only if you want it spicy)
2-3 tsp brown sugar
2-4lts stock or water or both enough to cover all the fish in the soup
slow fry onions and garlic in lots of oil until translucent, stirring constantly, not burnt or browning then add a little stock or water to onions to just cover and keep slowly cooking onions until they are mush.
add tomato puree, wine, stock, water and start to bring to a boil, adding all your dry ingredient (salt pepper sugar paprika cayenne) and vegetables and cook until vegetable are soft.
I dont know how long (1 hr maybe 1.5hrs).
add the fish only 10 mins before finishing( should only take 10mins)
finished ready to serve
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