02-05-2019, 01:20 PM
[#0000ff]The main reason we have carp in Utah is because a lot of the early pioneers came from European countries where carp were a prized food fish. When the cutthroat indigenous to Utah Lake were pretty much eradicated by over-fishing and otherwise poor treatment, carp were suggested as a suitable replacement as a food fish. And they were so utilized during years when protein was still in short supply. See the attached PDF files.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As most folks know, carp are a major food source in much of Asia...as well as some European countries. People from these areas have a difficult time understanding why they are held in such low regard in the USA. And, in truth, there are fish markets in many cities around our country where carp are sold and highly prized by folks from other parts of the world where they get more respect.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yes, I have eaten carp...and liked it. Like most fish, carp delectability is influenced by their environment. What do they eat and what is the quality of the water in which they live? Carp from clean waters are surprisingly mild and tasty. By the same token, trout, bass or other US species we all like to eat can taste like #$%@ if taken from warm, muddy, weedy and/or stagnant waters...or if they have been eating something that influences the quality or taste of their flesh.
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[#0000ff]Perhaps one of the biggest turn-offs for those trying carp for the first time is the abundance of small bones. Carp are members of the large minnow family and most of the family is bony. So you have to know how to prepare them in order to either remove the bones (tedious) or to cook them in a way to render the bones edible.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When I lived in Sacramento, CA, I usually had a good supply of smoked salmon or steelhead in my refrigerator. And whenever my buddies came over to watch football on TV they raided my stash. One time I had caught a couple of big carp...from a clean clear lake nearby...and I carefully cut bone-free strips from the large fillets and smoked them. They came out great.
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[#0000ff]The rest of the story? I put a batch of the smoked carp fillets in the smoked fish container in my refrigerator. You guessed it. The next time my buddies came over and snarfed my smoked fish they loved it...proclaiming it to be the best smoked "salmon" I had ever done. After I quit trying to suppress my laughter I let them know what that "salmon" really was. Nobody barfed, but only one of them went back for more.
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[#0000ff]You are right. Breaded and fried carp are great. You just have to carefully cut strips to remove the lines of flesh bones. Some folks cross-cut scores across the lines of bones to allow them to cook crispy so they can be eaten.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Pressure cooking will also soften bones...as will pickling. But a lot of carp flesh fanciers simply slow bake the fish until the bones soften.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If only they weren't so darned ugly.
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[signature]
[#0000ff] [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As most folks know, carp are a major food source in much of Asia...as well as some European countries. People from these areas have a difficult time understanding why they are held in such low regard in the USA. And, in truth, there are fish markets in many cities around our country where carp are sold and highly prized by folks from other parts of the world where they get more respect.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff] [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Yes, I have eaten carp...and liked it. Like most fish, carp delectability is influenced by their environment. What do they eat and what is the quality of the water in which they live? Carp from clean waters are surprisingly mild and tasty. By the same token, trout, bass or other US species we all like to eat can taste like #$%@ if taken from warm, muddy, weedy and/or stagnant waters...or if they have been eating something that influences the quality or taste of their flesh.
[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Perhaps one of the biggest turn-offs for those trying carp for the first time is the abundance of small bones. Carp are members of the large minnow family and most of the family is bony. So you have to know how to prepare them in order to either remove the bones (tedious) or to cook them in a way to render the bones edible.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff] [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]When I lived in Sacramento, CA, I usually had a good supply of smoked salmon or steelhead in my refrigerator. And whenever my buddies came over to watch football on TV they raided my stash. One time I had caught a couple of big carp...from a clean clear lake nearby...and I carefully cut bone-free strips from the large fillets and smoked them. They came out great.
[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The rest of the story? I put a batch of the smoked carp fillets in the smoked fish container in my refrigerator. You guessed it. The next time my buddies came over and snarfed my smoked fish they loved it...proclaiming it to be the best smoked "salmon" I had ever done. After I quit trying to suppress my laughter I let them know what that "salmon" really was. Nobody barfed, but only one of them went back for more.
[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You are right. Breaded and fried carp are great. You just have to carefully cut strips to remove the lines of flesh bones. Some folks cross-cut scores across the lines of bones to allow them to cook crispy so they can be eaten.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff] [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Pressure cooking will also soften bones...as will pickling. But a lot of carp flesh fanciers simply slow bake the fish until the bones soften.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff] [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If only they weren't so darned ugly.
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