**Dec. 28th Update: Thank you for voting this into the Foodbuzz daily top 9! http://www.foodbuzz.com/top9?date=2011-12-28 **
O Christmas Carp! O Christmas Carp!
Radek the Red-Nosed Carp (Do fish have noses? )
Had very shiny scales,
And if you ever saw him,
You would even say he glows.
All of the other Carp
Used to laugh and call him names;
They never let poor Radek
Join in any Carp-y games.
Okay so perhaps those Christmas songs don’t work so well with a carp. You also didn’t come here for imitation Christmas songs, you came for the verdict.
If you remember from the previous post I told you that Czech celebrate Christmas Eve. We celebrate on the 25th, and that is when we made our reservations for. Perhaps some of you thought we would be cooking the carp ourselves? No, I just wouldn’t be able to deliver the necessary blow to the head or watch my hubby do it. Besides have you seen how much those suckers bleed? It’s not a pretty sight at all. My hat goes off to Czechs who stick with tradition and do it all themselves. We left our Christmas carp dinner to the professionals.
Czech tradition is that dinner should not be served until after sunset or after the first star is visible. So we made our reservations for 7 p.m., to follow protocol. We arrived to a full restaurant, which was a pleasant surprise and meant we wouldn’t be the only ones there. First business at had, order some pivo or beer. I had put myself in a state of mind that I would need at least a couple of pivos to get through it. As we waited for our beers to arrive we skimmed over the special Christmas menu. There was the traditional fish soup, The Carp, and for those not daring enough there was a pork cutlet instead. I was determined to eat the carp but I teased my hubby about changing his mind. No, we were both going to get the carp.
As we gave our order to the waitress she gave us a surprised looked followed by a big smile. Perhaps she was surprised that these two foreigners were going with the Czech tradition rather than off the regular menu. For a starter we ordered the Bramboračka, or potato soup with mushrooms and other vegetables. The soup was served inside a freshly baked Czech brown bread, and it was one of the best Bramboračka I’ve ever had!
Next up was the carp. As I watched the waiter come towards us with two plates of fried fish my excitement grew. First impression was that the plate looked delicious.
My husband said here we go and took the first bite. His reaction was great, “Hmm…not bad…mmm…actually this is quite good…one more bite…I quite like this…come on try yours.” Hubby was the one not looking forward to the carp and he really liked it. I took my first bite and said, “Oh yeah this is really good…mmm…I really like it.” The breading was amazing, the carp cooked to a perfect texture, the taste was really good. We were both surprised at how good it really was. Christmas carp is served with potato salad. Sounds strange but honestly it just worked well. We also liked the potato salad but the carp took center stage.
As we sat there really enjoying our Christmas carp we discussed about the unfair reputation carp has. My husband said that carp was just as good as other fishes he’s eaten. He also said that it is a matter of getting over the cultural biased of eating carp. I wondered how many people have just been put off by things others have told them about carp. For a long time I didn’t even want to consider eating carp because of all the awful things people told me about them. How sad I shouldn’t have listed to them and should have tried carp sooner.
The good thing about now discovering a liking for carp is that it is sold year round. I for one will definitely be eating carp again. While it might not replace other menu favorites, like salmon and trout, it will definitely be one on the consideration list. The next step will be to actually prepare carp myself. Will keep you posted.
How about you, have you eaten carp? What was your opinion? Share in the comments below.
P.S. Please excuse the horrible photos. My little point and shoot camera is on it’s last breath :(
P.P.S.
The YBR deadline is today, December 26th!!
Actually CARP is a quite a delicacy in the eastern parts of India, and I am sure Bangladesh as well. West Bengal, Assam, Manipur. Not like the Hilsa, but Rohu is a everyday fish, and so are the common Carp.
The bad reputation that CARP carries, is mostly because all Carps are grouped as one. Some Carps like Silver Carp, Gras carp and a couple others don’t taste good at all.
But Rohu and Golden carps… I can cook em in a hundred different ways.. :-)
We consumes 2-3 Kilos of Rohu or Golden Carp ( I like the Big Head Carp too) every week.
Mostly Deep Fried, with just a light marinade of Turmeric, Salt and Pepper.
Hi Anthony,
Really? I had no idea, I’m still learning about carp. Thanks for the tips on the ones to avoid. I’m not really sure which type the local ones are. Oh that sounds delicious. Have you ever made a curry with it?
The Carp curry is actually like a comfort food for Most of the people in Eastern India.
Well, curry is a broad term, so yes, there are quite a few dishes to be made with Caro and Lots of not so thick Gravy.
Usually you fry the Carp steak.
And then put it in a lots of different curry. To be eaten with hot rice :-)
The simplest is the Macher Jhol..
It is a watery dish but very nice.
It can also be prepared with a tomato base.
It is endless…
Thank you so much Anthony. I will look that up and hopefully try it out soon. Can’t wait to make it and post here :) You’ve made me so hungry!
The name “carp” just does not elicit an elegant image of a gourmet dinner…but your fried carp looks great! Glad you enjoyed!
Lol :) Hubby and I agree with you. Maybe it should be changed so more people can try it. It was really good! Thanks Liz & happy holidays to you.
I guess I never really heard bad things about it so that’s why I didn’t have trepidation about trying it. Also, you know I’m crazy, right? Where did you go? It really is tasty!
Good for you! I know your crazy Trix but that’s why I love ya :) You know I’m disappointed with myself because I’m usually “crazy” like you and so curious about foods, but put this off too long. We went to a new restaurant a friend recommended called Kulatak in P.6. When we arrived I told my hubby that you really liked it and that it made me want to try it even more :) Yes, carp or kapr is very tasty !
Glad you enjoyed the carp! I love the potato salad. It is really different to me then the American potato salad. The pork is something you should try to. It’s very good with the potato salad or with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Czech’s know how to balance their food very well.
Hi Jenne,
We have tried the Rizek too, and love it with potato salad. Never tried it with sauerkraut but that sounds really good. I agree, Czech food is jut tasty all around :)
Great photos…. I love keeping up on the travels. Very cool… I am Czech and never knew about this whole carp thing! The Chuck Norris photo cracks me up! – Megan
Thank you Megan! Really? Perhaps your Czech relatives assimilated the local traditions instead. Happy Holidays!
Looks like a fun and yummy dinner. I have never eaten carp… but it sure looked good on your plate. :) Remember “Carpe Diem” with your carp. :)
Thank you Ramona. Haha, you crack me up :)
I just love your cute poem. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen carp on the menus here. Now I will be on the lookout for it. So glad you and the hubby had a wonderful evening and threw yourself into the local traditions. Hope you have the Happiest New Year ever.
-Gina-
Thanks Gina :) As far as I know Carp is not liked in the states so you may have a hard time finding it. But Asians also eat it so you may have some luck at Asian restaurants. Also wishing you the very best and a super happy New Year ahead.
Merry Christmas. Glad you enjoyed that. Carp is actually quite the favorite fish for steaming in Asia. A simple blend of garlic, ginger, oyster sauce and sesame oil over the fish and steamed makes a super delicious dish. You really gotta try it!
Thank you! That sounds really good. Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to try it sometime :)
It sure looks like it came out perfectly!! Mmmm.
Also, yay Chuck!
Hehe everyone loves Chuck Norris :-)
Love your song re-do :) Glad you enjoyed the carp…was it similar in texture or flavor to another fish?
The closes fish I can think of is Nile Perch. But don’t know if you’ve had it? The carp’s texture is similar to trout and taste was mild. I think I need to eat it again to tell you for sure :)
While I now this is an old old post. I think the reason why carp is so problematic for many non Czechs and Asians, is that they’re used to wild carp rather than farmed carp.
Farmed carp tends to be in clean waters, fed bran and who knows what else and generally managed. As such it tends to be very different to wild caught carp.
Which tends to taste of mud.
Thank you Deunan for your input, that makes complete sense to me. I’m pretty sure that the ones in Prague I had were farmed and not wild, hence the delicious taste. :)