CARP! IT's WHAT's FOR SUPPER!

I have always heard Freshwater Drum were no good to eat. Then I tried it, and it was absolutely some of the best fish I have ever eaten! My next venture is to catch some fresh Common Carp and prepare them for the table. I'm going to have a family fish fry in the next couple of weeks. I'll let everyone here know what I think of it after my "CARP COOK OFF." Wish me luck!

According to TPWD: Many American anglers think of the common carp as a rough fish, not fit for human consumption. In many parts of the world, however, the carp is held in high esteem as a food fish. If the catch is properly cared for, it can make a delicious addition to the menu.

FOR MORE INFO. ON HOW TO COOK CARP click here: http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/didyouknow/inland/carp_recipes.phtml

Came across this little YouTube jewel on cleaning and preparing Carp for the dinner table.

I remember eating it as a kid in a patty or cake of some kind but don't know how it was cleaned or cooked other than I'm pretty sure a pressure cooker was involved.

yep, my Grandma would pressure cook it, collect all the flakes of meat, egg and cornmeal, and make patties. i remember them being delicious with ketsup and hushpuppies.

I think the overall perception of this fish for consumption is very underrated due to thier natural food habitat. you know they eat dirts and veggies and all... but funny thing is tilapia is very popular even though people are aware what they eat and being fed in the farm.

i bet you once carp are nicely processed and cleaned with no bone and packaged nicely and have them available in the market, people's perception will change.

I personally never had carp in the past for two reason.
1. they were too expensive back in my mother country.
2. Now in USA, i am brainwashed they are trash fish..

Perhaps, i'll give a shot at it if i catch one from the lake, not pond.

i just had drum..gross. my opinion tho

It`s alllll in the preparation

i keep the common carp i use for gar bait in a condition that i would eat them if i was hungry enough were i to get stuck on the river or something. i have never tried it but the meat is pretty firm and white. they were taken all over the world as a food dish. they are pretty easy to farm as well people farm them in a number of countries

Have not had carp yet but want to. Drum is absolutely delicious and I'm even trading some of my sand bass for a coworkers drum. Last week cooked and ate a redhorse sucker that I caught while fishing the sand bass run, the tail had a butt ton of bones in it but the rest was amazing! "Rough fish" have cleaner/healthier meat than a lot of other fish, especially catfish, it's all either emotional bias or preconceived notions.

Eric

I think carp would be too oily. I don't even care for sandies, hybrids, or striper myself. Be careful with carp because I've read they tend to have high levels of toxins compared to other fish because of what they eat.

Carp is not really oily, it's bloody. Buffalo us oily, sometimes to a point it puts a sheen on the water

Carp is very good eating infact look up indian recipe for carp or bangladesh ,pakistan ,srilanka people eat these fish over anything else like crazy heck if you see any bangla stores around you check them out lol their frozen section is full of various types of carp . They consider catfish as trash .

I caught one to try out cooking.... I think the extra bones in the fillet and the amount of red meat that needs to be removed are major reasons.. Im gonna try pan seared with baking to finish on one fillet and then bake the other and make 'crab cakes' out of it.
There is a top LA chef thats trying to bring asian carp into the reasturants and he has some serious youtube vids on cooking them

https://youtu.be/faZqIdGi87k
This guy sold me on trying carp

It's been way too muddy at my usual fishin spots to go out and catch Carp. As soon as it dries out a little, I'll get down to the water and catch some for my Carp fish fry. Sport Carp fishing is getting more popular. Although I have only targeted them myself to be used as cutbait for Blue Catfish & Stripers.

I really think & believe the more ways Carp can be appreciated & utilized for sport, bait, and tablefare, the more people will grow to see value in them. I've grown to respect them because they're powerful resilient fighters & survivors. Carp aren't ever going away, so we might as well learn to find value in them. I'm with Fishbonz, As far as cleaning and cooking carp, I think "it's all in the preparation" or "the know how." Other video's below provide some good carp tips.

Good video on removing the oily red meat and bones from Carp:


Good video on the utilization of carp for cutbait:

That carp fillet looks pretty red I thought they were white meat ?

that's pretty cool. that color is almost like salmon. I couldn't find any carp with that type of meat color.

https://www.google.com/search?q=carp+mea...ZWxCMsQ_AUIBigB

Yea it is! I thought it looked like Salmon flesh as well. Sort of red orange? I know the meat in the Carp I've caught and cut up for Blue Cat bait is always a pale pinkish color with a red blood-vein, or what some people call a mud-line through the middle of the flesh.

The fella on the filleting video said the Carp he catches come from clear water and feed heavily on Crayfish & seeds. I did some searching on the inter-web and found some interesting information on the subject.

1.From the Nanfa Website:
"All species of fish can vary in color depending on local strain, morph, or varient. Water conditions such as temperature, turbidity, PH, acidity & hardness also play a role in the coloration & health of all fish. Time of year & type of food they're feeding on influences coloration as well. High levels of carotenoids found in shrimp, crayfish, & blue-green algaes enhance yellow, orange, & red colors in fish."

2.Article from the nytimes:What Determines the Color of Fish Flesh?
"Diet can contribute to a red flesh color in fish. Fish with orange flesh have generally been feeding heavily on ocean crustaceans like krill, which contain pigments called carotenoids, Dr. Tidball said. He listed other dietary sources for color, like freshwater crustaceans and possibly terrestrial insects."
For additional article information Click link below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/science/what-determines-the-color-of-fish-flesh.html

3.Article from ScienceLine:Ever Wondered: Why is wild salmon a deeper red than farmed salmon? "Unlike beef, which acquires its distinct red hue from contact with oxygen in the air, salmon meat gains its color through the fish’s diet. Out in the ocean, salmon eat lots of small free-floating crustaceans, such as tiny shrimp. These crustaceans are filled with molecules called carotenoids, which show up as pigments all over the tree of life. In fact, if you’ve ever known a kid who turned orange from eating too many carrots, you’ve seen carotenoids in action. It’s these carotenoids that account for the reddish color of the salmon, as well as the pink color of flamingoes and the red of a boiled lobster. Farmed salmon, however, aren’t fed crustaceans. Instead, they eat dry pellets that look like dog food."
For additional article information Click link below:
http://scienceline.org/2013/09/ever-wondered-why-is-wild-salmon-a-deeper-red-than-farmed-salmon/