Carp is not something that you expect to see on the menu at many restaurants. However, if prepared correctly carp can be surprisingly good.
The main thing to keep in mind when working with carp, especially mirror carp, is that it can contain a large amount of fat.
For this reason, it’s best used in dishes that lend themselves to fatty food, you wouldn’t expect to create similar dishes as with flakey fish like trout.
Pan-fried Carp with seasonal vegetables
This is a delicious and nutritious recipe that takes 10 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes of cooking time. This recipe serves 4 people.
- 2 fillets carp (pin boned with the skin on)
- 100 g parsnip (coarsely grated)
- 200 g carrot (coarsely grated)
- 100 ml tomato puree
- 5 ml water
- 1 large onion
- 2 sticks celery (finely chopped)
- 1 medium lemon (juiced)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp dill
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring 2 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat.
Add onion and cook until soft
Add celery, parsley, parsnip, and carrot with sweet paprika and cook for 15 min, stirring regularly.
Add paprika and 5ml of water with tomato puree, bay leaves, and allspice berries. Cook for about 20 min until thick with soft vegetables.
Season the carp fillets and lightly dust with flour and heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan. This should be done over medium heat.
Place carp fillets in the pan skin down and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked through, turn the fish over and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Squeeze half a lemon over the fish.
Stir most of the dill into the sauce keeping some for garnish, and add the remaining lemon juice and salt.
Serve with fresh vegetables and enjoy.