A little off topic, dead carp...

[Whitefish]

Having spent my career in waterfowl/wetlands conservation, carp herpes is something we've been praying for.
Having recently become keen on fly-fishing for carp, I'm starting to feel conflicted! The habitat guy in me should be clubbing every hapless carp I manage to catch but, no, I lovingly revive it and send it on its aquatic way....TIM

[Gigmaster]

I can't share the popular opinion of carp. They are a premier gamefish, and absolutely delicious on the table. And I would love for them to put those jumpng carp in around here somewhere. Then we could just don a motorcycle helmet, and cruise in a power boat with sticks or nets to knock them into the boat with.........extreme full-contact fishing...what a rush that would be! I would pay good money to do that. Somone should start a guide service for Carp Thumping. If they ever do, or if anyone knows of one, please let me know. I have a vacation coming up.

Carp are one of our most under-used resources, but that is changing. More and more of us are discovering the thrill of stalking carp with the fly.

Here's the thing: A lot of people don't have the ability to go fishing for snook, bonefish, and tarpon. But carp are everywhere, require the same tactics and similar tackle, and fight very similar to these species, and taste waaaay better than a nasty Tarpon.

Perhaps the virus will run it's course soon. I have a hard time believing that the carp populations will not recover quickly. They are the toughest thing that swims in fresh water. If nothing else, they are definitly survivors. They can live in water that little else can survive in.

[Sonny Edmonds]

Well, could you share how to catch them and make them Dee-lisous?
The few times I have tried sure didn't work for me!
It was more like a skin with cooked defecation in it.
What's the secret?
You can PM me if it is a closely guarded secret...

[Gigmaster]

If your carp came from 'questionable' water, you can allow them to clean themselves out for a few days before filleting them. I throw them in the bathtub (we have 2 bathrooms), and feed them Goldfish Pond Pellets for about 48 hours. You can use a # 10 washtub outside, if you'd rather. Change the water every few hours. Chlorinated water doesn't seem to hurt them any. You only need to do this if they came from really dirty water , such as a semi-stagnant pool, or a nasty swamp. From regular water, especially if it is cold, they are good-to-go.

Start out filleting them just as you would any other fish. If the fillets are too huge, simply cut them in half to make them easier to handle. Make sure you take off the skin. Use the entrails and leavings for fertilizer, or a cheap pet treat. If there are any egg cases in them, save them. They are wonderful fried intact, or made into caviar.

Next, cut out the red strip of meat that runs along the lateral line, and discard it. It is the famous 'Mud Vien'.

Now, there are a line of Y-shaped bones that are at a 90 degree angle to the rest, running along the sides. You can feel the points of them sticking out. Once you have located them, there are 2 ways to deal with them. You can cut the entire section of meat loose lengthwise from above the Y-bones. This is a large boneless strip of meat, and is ready-to-go as-is.

Now for the bottom part, you can cut sections between every 3 or four bones. These can be fried and eaten much like hot wings, around the bones. Or, you can do what I do. Slice the meat loose from under the Y-bones a little at a time, until the fillet is free. Then discard the center section. Now, you have two large, long fillets from this side. repeat for the other side, and you're done.

To make the meat milder-tasting, you can soak it for a few hours in salt water, buttermilk, or milk, but it is not really necesary. Carp are slightly milder and less oily than mackerel. They can be prepared the same way you would fresh mackerel, or bluefish, and are inter-changable in recipes. They make delicious Gefilte fish as well. Or you can just fry, bake or broil them with a little lemon juice. I also make a wonderful fish chowder out of them that everyone goes nuts over, even people who don't like fish. Another neat trick is to broil, or bake it, then let it cool. When you can handle it, break it up into flakes and use your favorite tuna salad recipe to make Carp Salad.....fantastic on sandwiches. I could write an entire cook book just on carp recipes......

When properly prepared, carp are as good as any other fish...and better than some.

Bon apetit.

[Sonny Edmonds]

Thank You, Gigmaster.
I'll give it a go. Probably I have been doing it all wrong. And I'm not too old, or too set in my ways, to not try something new.
I copied and pasted your post so I can print it out to try.

When I was hunting, and living off the meat I took, I learned to soak my Antelope quarters in salt water for 3 changes (one every 8 hours), for 24 hours, in the bathtub.
Got all of the "gamy" taste out of the meat. So I am apt to try that for my next attempt to prepare carp for the table.

How big of carp do you usually catch? I see ones up to about 24".
But once saw one that made me back up the bank away from it as it cruised by like a torpedo. I swear that monster had to be 4-5 feet long.
Never have seen one like that again.
Like I said, I'm game to try anything. Well, almost anything....
I'll put your advise in our RV for the next outing where carp abound.
Thanks again.

[Panman]

We used to take the carp, fillet, then remove the red strip along the lateral line as suggested by Gigmaster, and can (bottle) them in a pressure cooker.

There is many recipes for this on the net and the finished product can be used kinda like a can of tuna fish. All bones are disolved in the canning process. A drop of two of liquid smoke in each jar adds flavor.

Tim

[Gigmaster]

Yeah. I've done them in the pressure cooker, too. Great eats. Here is another tip...carp are great smoked. That's my favorite way of fixing them. I have a Brinkman Smoker that does them perfect in about 10 hours, especially with pecan or applewood chips.

I never tell anyone what they are eating until they are through (and most people that know me have learned not to ask too many questions about what's in the cooking pot). I'd hate to spoil their enjoyment of the food.

Most of the carp I take on my fly rod at the lake are about 2'-3' long. Behind the tailraces, I regularly catch 4 footers, along with some buffalo around the same size. It doesn't take many of these to fill up a deep freeze.