WESTON WEST VIRGINIA

CARP FISHING TOURNAMENT

June 27th - 28th 2008

How To Cook A Carp

By The Corpulent Carp Connosewer

Those who will come to Weston to participate in the Carp Fishing Tournament will be after the biggest fish they can find in thehope of winning the prize money - but bigger isn't better, when it comes to 'cookin' or 'eatin' carp.

One for the health reasons stated in the previous article "What Is A Carp", big old carp aren't very tasty and their meat is tough, and

Two the big'uns are heavy and hard to handle, keep sliding off the sideboard of the sink, and don't fit very well into my frying pans and baking dishes. Small pan sized carp in the two to three pound range are easier to handle and much tastier.

CLEANING

The first thing you do is remove the entrails. When eviscerating (gutting) the carp be VERY careful not to puncture the two "dirt lines" ( broad dark colored and vein-like structures) that run along either side the interior of the spine or vertebrae (it's actually the fish intestine), as this will make the meat taste really bad. Split the fish into two halves, by cutting on either side of the spine and intestine, insert your knife under both and very carefully separate them from the body of the fish, lift them out and throw the "dirt line" far away. Next slice off the head, and tail. I'm told that European cooks leave the skin on the carp and remove the scales, (which is a lot easier because their carp species don't have as many scales as their American cousins) but here in West Virginia, we insert a very sharp, very thin fillet knife just under the skin at the tail section, cut toward the head, and remove the skin, scales and fins in one swipe. Another good reason for removing the skin is that PCBs and pesticides tend to be stored in the fat of fish. A substantial amount of fat is located just under the skin of the fish, and because of this, a boneless, skinless fillet should be prepared for cooking. A boneless, skinless fillet--with the fat layer along the belly flap and the midpoint of the back removed--will limit the amount of any contaminates you consume.

If you're partial to the skin, or not worried about contaminants in the fatty tissue, you CAN remove the scales but it's a hard messy job. Leave the tail on, place the fish outside up, on a solid piece of heavy wood and drive a large nail through the tail. Take a long heavy bladed knife, potato peeler, or cheese grater and SCRAPE from the tail section towards the head. It's best to wear goggles and a bathing cap while doing this, as the scales will break off and fly into your face and hair and all over the room. You should do this in your bathtub with the shower curtain closed, or if your spouse objects, go outdoors and place a large plastic tarpaulin on the ground and sit in the center while scaling. This makes it easier to clean up, and eliminates the problem of attracting neighborhood cats whom otherwise will hang around your yard for days.

PORTIONING

The next problem is getting rid of all the bones. A Carp is a "very" bony fish making it difficult to clean, fillet, and ultimately to eat. If you fillet the fish carefully you can eliminate most of the larger structural support bones such as the spine and ribs. As you eat you use your fork or fingers to further flake off strips of meat, and chew slowly so you can find the smaller bones. With practice you will find filleting and eating carp as easy as eating chicken. 

As you fillet the skin and scales off the meat of each carp halve you will be left with a portion of fish six to eight inches long, by 3 to 4 inches wide per half. Section each fillet strip into four to six smaller steaks or pieces, each approximately a 3 x 5 inch rectangular size or the shape of a commercial fish sandwich fillet. Each portion will be from 3/4-inch to one-and-a-half-inches thick. 

Carp like other fish can be fried, baked, broiled or roasted, each country has it's own special way of cooking the carp. Next time some of my favorite West Virginia "Redneck Recipes" for Carp. Meanwhile send me some of your favorites, and I'll include them here