Carp

[will101]

How many of you have had carp before?

Not many I'll bet! Carp is actually delicious if you do them right.

First off, don't eat carp from places like Zandvlei or coastal park - you could get a very loose tummy... Also fish from very muddy waters might have an overpowering muddy taste that cannot be removed from the meat completely.

My last Carp braai was a huge success - this fish was caught at Voëlvlei a few years ago. As you know this is where a large part of Cape Town's drinking water comes from so I reckon it would be safe to eat one of these fish.

Carp need to be kept in a water and vinegar mix for 3 - 5 hours to remove any mud taste. After this it can be braaied on the coals just like snoek. Best way is to remove the scales, head and tail, then "vlek" it like a snoek. (before soaking)

After soaking in the vinegar, do the following:

* Cover the whole fish in coarse salt for 20 minutes and then wash off all the salt with fresh water.

* Allow the fish to dry completely (use paper towels if you must)

* Marinade the fish in a large dish with good olive oil, lemon juice (chuck the squeezed-out peels in there as well) and freshly ground black pepper. Leave it in the marinade for up to 1 hour making sure all parts gets some exposure to the sauce.

* Lay the fish out on the grid and close up.

* grill over moderate coals (flesh side down at first to seal) and turn regularly, basting continuously because the thick flesh could dry out easily.

* Like all fish, don't overdo it. A vlekked carp that fills the grid could be up to 50mm thick and might take some skill to get cooked through.

Carp has deliciously thick pure white meat and is really very tasty provided you pamper it a bit.

It is also IDEAL for curried fish because of this nice meat quality.

bon appetit!

[swsmith]

think i might give that one a miss.but sounds like you got a winner there.just cant get the visual image of them swimming around in that filthy zandvlei/coastal water.

[Brin Kushner]

Have also eaten carp before and it was delicious. In countries such as Poland, Carp is the staple fish that is eaten. Personally, I am not a big fan of catch and cook.

[BuzzLiteBeer]

Extract from Polish cookbook. (Roughly translated)
To make common carp more edible: Have a container of clean water large enough to hold your fish and plenty of salt, throw the salt into the water and soak the (live) carp in the salt water. This will make the carp purge itself of the mud. (You can also add flavouring to the water.)This may take awhile (you may even need to wait until it "drowns"), but the wait will be worthwhile. Clean the carp thoroughly and stuff with rice mixed with onions, garlic, ginger and mixed herbs (or your own combination), heavily flour the outside of the carp and bake or fry till outside is crisp and inside tender, then peel the skin off and enjoy your meal. If you are still not happy with the taste pick the meat off the bones and pickle in vinegar, salt and peppercorns (black or white), or experiment with other ingredients such as chili.

Apparently smoked carp tastes good. Have'nt tried it myself, could'nt get it lit.