CARP STEAK - What's Cooking - February 1, 2010

[HideHunter]

I'm glad to hear some positive feedback. I had one guy who was so adamant he hated carp, when I fed him some (and he liked it) he refused to admit it was carp. Still claims it wasn't to this day.

Gigmaster.. I think I copied and pasted your de-boning method. I really want to try it. Like everything on paper I imagine it reads a lot more complicated than it really is. I can de-bone a pike like unzipping a zipper so I can probably figure it out eventually.

Thanks everyone.

[Gigmaster]

We used to call that 'brine'. And it really does work. It will remove the 'fishy-taste' from any fish. It works by leaching out the oil in the flesh, which is where the 'fishy' taste come from. I do shark, bluefush and mackeral (most oily fish) that way. Shark meat has a lot of uremic acid in it, so if you don't soak it in brine overnight, it will taste really bad. After soaking, it tastes like swordfish.

And if you keep carp from questionable water in a washtub, or the bathtub for a few days in cold water, and feed them corn, or Goldfish Pond Pellets, and change the water twice a day, they will clean themselves out and be as good as any fish. But don't use chlorinated (tap) water. It will kill them. If you have to use tap water, then put about 10 drops of Methylene Blue ( C16H18N3SCl ) in it. Methylene Blue is availble at most places where aquarium supplies are sold. It works by having a similar reduction potential to oxygen, and is reduced by componenets of the electron transport chain, thereby counteracting the effects of chlorine. This will keep your carp healthy, clean, and tasty until you are ready to process them.

The 'old time' method for sweetening muddy fish (or ducks) before cooking is to cover them with cold water to which you add a handful of baking soda and a handful of regular table salt. Leave overnight, rinse and cook. The combination of soda and salt was called salsoda.

[Gigmaster]

It really is much simpler that it sounds. In a nutshell, carp have an extra line of bones sticking out sideways along the midline, so you just make an 'upper', and 'lower' fillet on each side, above and below the bone line. That's all there is to it. Oh, and dont forget to cut out the red 'mud line', which is actually the lateral line. It looks like flesh, but it is actually a super-sensitive sensory organ, composed of mechanico-receptive patches, or neuromasts, in a fluid-filled canal. It does many wonderful things, including sensing vibrations, sound, water composition and temperature, magnetic fields, helps the fish maintain it's spatial orientation so it can stay 'upright', and many other things. And carp have one of the most highly delevoped lateral lines of any fish. Unfortunately, it will make you sick if you eat it. Other species of fish depend more on other senses, such as direct sight, smell and sound to locate food, so their lateral line is not as large, or developed, and can be eaten with little or no consequence to the diner.

Carp are probably the best fish to smoke. It's almost like they were made for it. In my opinion, smoked carp is superior to any other smoked fish I have ever eaten, including salmon and trout. And carp makes some of the best croquets (fish patties) you will ever eat. They taste like a cross between really mild salmon croquets, and blue crab cakes.

Do you like Surimi (imitation crab meat)? Try this next time you get a large carp. Cut the fillets into 1-1/2" cubes and drop them in boiling water with shrimp powder and Old Bay Crab Boil. When they float, they are done. Instant surimi! Carp also makes excellent sushi.

Bon apetit.

I'm glad to hear some positive feedback. I had one guy who was so adamant he hated carp, when I fed him some (and he liked it) he refused to admit it was carp. Still claims it wasn't to this day.

Gigmaster.. I think I copied and pasted your de-boning method. I really want to try it. Like everything on paper I imagine it reads a lot more complicated than it really is. I can de-bone a pike like unzipping a zipper so I can probably figure it out eventually.

Thanks everyone.

[Clay]

Truth is that I fish more for carp than I do trout. I love the trout fishing, but that is about two hours away from my home. The carp fishing is about 4 minutes from the house. I chase them with a passion. I had a friend that I work with ask me what I was doing with them. I told him that I released them all. Truth is if I am going to catch an 8" brookie and release it or catch a 5 pound carp and release it, I am all for "the drug is the tug". My buddy says that he would like to go with and then we can have a big carp feed. He prepared them the same way that Hide Hunter did, by scalling and then scoring, dipping in a batter and deep frying. They were good.

I keep thinking of all of the hungry people out there in shelters etc. I would never consider providing them with a delicate resource like giving them trout to eat, but if I removed all of the carp that I catch in a single year from our local river, well over a 100 fish per year, it would make no difference in their population numbers. I often thought that some people would think that I was trying to give away to the homeless something that was sub par somehow. Yeah, feed the homeless guy carp while you eat walleye or whatever. I'm a little gun shy about even asking if they would accept the fish. Probably some state mucky muck would save that they are not state inspected so you can't feed them to the homeless. I could provide the local shelter with a grand amount of fresh protein and not damage the fish population like you could with even giving away bluegills. Too bad it will never become reality, but I think about it often. I know that some butchers take venison donations and then pass those along. I will have to make some phone calls.