Casting a Line: What Does Carp Taste Like?

Fish is the most widely consumed seafood, mainly because it’s most abundant.

There are also many edible fish species making them more accessible than other seafood.

Hence, you’ll notice that most communities worldwide have at least one fish dish in their cuisine.

Though there are many fish varieties, most people may not have tasted most of them.

What about carp? Have you eaten it, and do you know you know what carp taste like?

Are you curious like us too? If yes, then you don’t have to look anywhere else.

It seems you have come to the right place because that’s what we will find out below.

What is Carp?

Carp are not one fish but various fishes in the family Cyprinidae.

They’re oily freshwater fish caught and used as food in multiple regions.

Carp are indigenous to Europe and Asia but also live in other places.

While they’re food in different places, some areas consider them an invasive species and don’t prefer them as food.

Some popular carp species include silver carp, common carp (European), grass cap, catla carp (Indian), and mud carp.

The goldfish and koi are also carp, but they’re used as ornamental fish.

Carp is suitable for different cooking styles, and you can find various species in fresh, canned, frozen, dried, or fried forms.

Different kinds of carp are also compatible with making fish cakes, fish balls, soups, and stews, depending on the region.

You can also serve carp with different dishes for a complete meal.

If you don’t live in an area where you can find live fish, check carefully when buying it.

See that the eyes are clear and bulging and the gills moist and red, not dry and sticky.

What Does Carp Taste Like?

While countries like the US and Australia consider carp an invasive species, several parts of the world consider it a delicacy.

But why are or is carp famous? Is it because they’re abundant or because they’re delicious?

Carp are a versatile group of fish that can absorb any seasoning and still have a great flavor.

They have a mild taste with a flaky texture.

Carp are hardy greenish brown fish with white flesh and a dark fatty streak that runs through them.

The fatty meat isn’t harmful but if you want an evenly-colored dish, you can remove it before cooking, especially when using fillets.

But it may not be necessary to do that when cooking carp whole or breading the fillets for frying.

Fresh carp don’t have a fishy taste like some other fish species.

However, each species of carp may have a different flavor.

For example, the common carp is darker and richer, while the bighead carp is white and firm.

The mud carp, on the other hand, get bad feedback because people say they live in the mud, they taste like mud.

But that’s probably untrue and you can remove the “muddy” taste.

Carp are freshwater fish, so you can find them in rivers, lakes and ponds.

The flavor of the farmed fish may slightly differ from wild carp due to the difference in diet.

How to Cook Carp?

Though considered invasive fish, carp are still flavorful and versatile and there are many ways to prepare the fish.

Every region has a unique dish, and each one is delicious.

Hence, you’re likely to find a separate dish everywhere where people eat carp.

There are different ways to cook carp but you have to prep the fish to obtain the best flavor.

For example, if you bring home a fresh-live fish, you mustn’t cook it immediately.

Follow the few steps before killing and cooking it.

• Keep the live fish in a tub, basin, bucket, drum or any container that can hold a considerable amount of water for some days to clean out the “mud-vein” Add a teaspoon of salt every day but you shouldn’t feed the fish.
• When you want to cook it, kill it by using a hammer or a similar object on its head. Throw away the water, hold the fish to the side of the tub/container and hit it with the other hand.
• Remove the scales, gut and also mud vein.
• Make fillets or cook as a whole depending on the recipe.

You can also buy readymade fillets from the market if you don’t like the fuss and mess.

Use the fish in various recipes as you want.

You can.

• Bake
• Roast
• Deep fry
• Pan-sear

Carp is also suitable for soups and stews but removes the bones.

Though you can cook carp in multiple ways, frying seems the most popular method.

Conclusion

Carp isn’t fishy-flavored like some varieties, so they’re versatile and you can make a lot of dishes with them.

Though invasive in some places, carp is a delicacy in many other places and widely consumed.

You can find it fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or fried (in some places), so you have plenty of options.

If you haven’t tried carp yet, visit the nearest fish market and grab some to cook a lovely dish.

You can also use different species of carps interchangeably in separate recipes because they have a similar flavor though not exactly the same.