# Save a Game Fish, Eat a Carp. My taste-test results (Long read)



## Pecorino (Jun 22, 2013)

When I was a kid I remember going fishing at Deer Creek. While we approached the edge of the lake, I saw a massive carp just rotting there. It had probably been caught the day before. At that age, I just thought that all fish were food, and it seemed like a waste. I asked a parent of a friend why it was just left there and I was told something like "They're garbage. We don't eat them."

How did we get to this point? Here's a somewhat quick history lesson:

In the 1870's, our rapidly growing country was faced with a heavily diminishing fish supply caused by overfishing, and environmental damage. To resolve this, the government embarked on quite possibly the most elaborate and widespread fish stocking effort in world history. RATHER than address the root causes of declining fish stocks, the choice was made to import a fish that could adapt and thrive to the conditions that we had created through logging and waste being dumped into water bodies. The fish of choice was the common European carp.

Today, they have overrun many lakes and rivers all over the country. Initially they were touted to convert "useless vegetation and small animals into meat", but their perception as a food item has been stigmatized. North America and Australia are the only places that have an aversion to eating carp.

Based on my research, carp became disliked due to a number of factors: 

They were associated with the decline of native game fish since they overly thrived where others couldn't, and sometimes ruined water quality. Utah Lake is a prime example.
They quickly became so abundant that the wealthy basically stopped eating them because the poor could afford them. 
They can live in a huge variety of conditions, even mud pits where their taste is effected. People wondered why the carp from their dirty backyard pond tasted, well, dirty. 

After reading into it, I was convinced that their reputation as inedible swimming garbage was unfounded and was no more than a stigma that's been passed down through generations. If they did taste awful, it's because they were not prepared correctly or were found in bad water that ANY fish would taste bad from.

I wanted to challenge that idea so I decided to conduct an un-scientific taste test with some friends. So I caught this carp at Benson Marina, near Logan (notice the headshot!):










I bled it out immediately and put it on ice and cleaned it as described in this video. Next time I won't bother scoring the cuts unless I'll be deep frying it. I was surprised at how white the meat was.

I soaked one cut in a brine, another in a brine + lemon juice, and another was just refrigerated. All sat overnight.

The next day the cuts were pan fried and salted to taste. I broke up the fish and put them onto three plates. Nothing else was added. The taste testing then begun with the five friends!










They were just told they were eating three different plates of fish, all prepared slightly different. After the sampling, they were asked which plate they preferred and to give their general impressions. In the end, the favorite preparation was the brined section. All the feedback was positive:

"It tasted like it was barely caught. It was very good."
"Very good. I would definitely eat it again!"
"I thought it was really good. I would eat this for a meal."

Everyone liked it. Some people guessed it was cod or halibut even! After I told everyone what they had just eaten, the reaction was mostly surprise. One girl said "Isn't that a trash fish?" :grin: When all the tasters were asked if they stood by their statements after they found out it was carp, all agreed.

Obviously this wasn't a scientific study, and I should have included a plate of trout or cod as a control I suppose, but I mostly just wanted to see people's reactions to carp when they didn't know it was carp. To me, the flavor was very mild and tasty. There was no hint of any weird flavors whatsoever.

For those who have had carp, and thought their taste was bad, I'd encourage you to try it again. Carp are quite susceptible to tasting bad if taken from water that is heavy on a compound known as geosmin (found in water with a lot of algae) which can create an off, "muddy" taste. I have many sources on this, and there's a few tricks that have been said to get rid of it:


Bleed the carp immediately. This should always be done regardless and has been suggested since they were first planted here.
Remove the red meat and any fatty bits.
Soak the meat in a brine. Again, this has been suggested since people first started noticing bad flavors in carp back in the late 1800's. 

If the gills of the fish smell "off", it's an indicator that the meat may need more a bit more attention. Try the above. As for the bones, you can "score" and fry them which will dissolve them, pressure can them which will gelatinize them, or just be aware of their bone structure as you eat them.

This invasive and often damaging fish that our forefathers introduced as a food can actually be tasty. They are highly underutilized, abundant and available locally in many areas. They are very easy to get. With a bow and arrow and a couple of hours, you could have enough fish to feed you and your family for a week. Overall, a greater demand on them would decrease their numbers and consequently their damaging effects. As they say, don't knock it till you try it.


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## ram2h2o (Sep 11, 2007)

Job well done. If you want to try Carp another way that is great tasting try brining it and then smoking it in a Smoker with Alder, Applewood, or Hickory wood. Prepare it just like you did for frying removing the bloodline and you will find it is really good.


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## outdoorser (Jan 14, 2013)

Great job Pecorino! I've thoroughly enjoyed hearing about your experiment; everything from asking where to catch a carp to how you prepared it. AWESOME!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I thought I remember reading that there was an issue of carp having more toxin's in their body as opposed to other kinds of fish due to the way they root around in the mud foraging and their longer life spans. Anyone remember hearing anything about that?


-DallanC


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## Pecorino (Jun 22, 2013)

DallanC said:


> I thought I remember reading that there was an issue of carp having more toxin's in their body as opposed to other kinds of fish due to the way they root around in the mud foraging and their longer life spans. Anyone remember hearing anything about that?


Right now there is a consumption advisory for carp and catfish in Utah Lake due to PCB levels: http://www.fishadvisories.utah.gov/

If you do catch them from Utah Lake, I think as long as you're catching younger fish, and cutting away the fat you should be fine. Other than that, they're a very clean fish with low mercury levels.



ram2h2o said:


> Job well done. If you want to try Carp another way that is great tasting try brining it and then smoking it in a Smoker with Alder, Applewood, or Hickory wood. Prepare it just like you did for frying removing the bloodline and you will find it is really good.


I would love to smoke them! I've heard nothing but excellent things about it. My folks have an electric smoker - I should just bring a bunch carp over and go crazy.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Pecorino
I liked your experiment. Sounds like you had fun with it.


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## Mavis13 (Oct 29, 2007)

I guess you could smoke them; but I just can't figure out how you get them rolled up in the paper....

Sorry I couldn't help myself


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

Interesting... there are a few of us among the UBA have tried them MANY different ways and near all summarised the experience as, well, near nauseating. :-( :neutral: ??Might have something to do with the mental picture of 20,000+lbs rotting in the sun, or the NOG at the bottom of our Tourney boats on a given day... WHEEEW!

Although im not at all a fan of their tablefare, and NOT AT ALL A FAN of what they do as a species to destroy habitat, Im honestly glad to see a positive review finally and think the key -like most wild caught/shot/killed groceries-, is harvesting the younger of the species.

Good on ya!!


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## tye dye twins (Mar 8, 2011)

You must be part grizzly bear!8) 

So what's next? Suckers? Chubs? My buddy ate a chub once..... he never will again!


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

Did you get a beating after telling your friends you fed them carp?


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## Trooper (Oct 18, 2007)

Carp are a favorite fish of the Germans. A town near where I lived even had a "Karpfenweg" or Carp trail with all these statues, like the crazy moose in Park City. http://www.kemnath.de/unsere-stadt/karpfenweg/


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## Pecorino (Jun 22, 2013)

Longgun, I appreciate your feedback. I've struggled with knowing how to present this idea to bowfishers. When they go out, by the end, they're dealing with tons of smelly dead carp. When I bought my bowfishing gear, I asked if there was a special way to take the arrow out of the fish. The guy just said: "Who cares man? It's just a carp." Why would anyone want to eat something that we talk about with such disdain? I don't blame you for having negative associations with carp based on your experiences.

This is all I hope people will think about: Carp have not changed since they were brought over and were _gladly_ eaten by many people. The only thing that has changed is OUR perception of them. That's it.

Based on blind taste studies, my own experiment, and the personal accounts I've read - I'm thoroughly convinced that the main issue here is simply with the name "carp". If we can get past preconceived notions, and of course prepare them correctly, I'm sure people can enjoy them more.


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

I few decades ago I bow-fished a few carp in cache valley and tried eating them a couple of times. One time the flavor was good, and the other time the flavor was muddy.

Fish preferences are a funny thing, and geography and culture have a lot to do with them. For example, when I was catching and eating catfish up in Cache valley my mother was horrified that I would even think about eating catfish. Years before that, when I was a kid, we used to catch perch at Deer Creek and just throw them on the bank to rot. Later I learned that perch are the most delicious fish in Utah, rivaled only by their relative, the walleye. When I lived in Texas I found few if any people who would consider eating mullet, but mullet were fairly popular with people I knew when I lived in Florida.

Turning to game animals, I talked to a person last week who ate jack rabbit and found it to be delicious, but you would be hard pressed to find anyone in Utah who has even tried jack rabbit. In fact, there aren't all that many people in Utah who have eaten cottontail, but in some parts of the country they are very popular.

I don't think you will find many people in Utah who would consider eating squirrel, but when I lived in Wisconsin I hunted squirrel a couple of times and found them to be quite delicious. On other hand, few people in France would consider eating a squirrel, but many people there enjoy snails, which is something most people here would consider disgusting.

And then there are frogs, speaking of which, does anyone here watch Duck Dynasty?


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

^^

mm, you mention perch and walleye. Both i find are to fine grain and soft to be to my personal liking. Wiper, Stripers and an occasional SM or LM are my particular favorites of local fish fare.


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## outdoorser (Jan 14, 2013)

massmanute said:


> And then there are frogs, speaking of which, does anyone here watch Duck Dynasty?


Heck ya!!:? I bet like 90+ % of the members on here watch it. In fact, I bet a lot of the smilies were made just for the Robertsons j.k. but here are a few examples:
willie and jase:argue: 
:kev: Si
:thumbhil (or si or any of em)
:ranger:jase
 Alan (beardless)
O*--Si
:help:any of the women folk on the show
:EAT:all of em before dinner time
:amen:all of em after the dinner prayer.
There are many others I could see that resemble the quack pack but this gives a general idea.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Im sure you have all heard of cooking the carp on a pine board? Throw the carp away and eat the board;-)


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Carp eyes anyone


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## outdoorser (Jan 14, 2013)

Yum!!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Cool experiment Pecorino!

I always like to tell the story about the time I caught a carp at Lake Powell and deep-fried carp fillets along with some walleye and striper fillets. The other 9 people on the houseboat enjoyed the carp, not knowing what it was. :grin: On the way home I told them that I slipped some carp in with the other fish at the fish fry. I don't think all of them believed me.

When I was young my dad and I would spear spawning carp every spring.....geeze, so many fond memories..........He'd keep a few and steak them like you would a salmon, using a corn knife (machete to people out here). The carp steaks were brined over night and then smoked with hickory. Not too shabby really. And every year without fail he would remove the mud line on a couple of medium-sized carp and bake them. Few of us hungry kids went back for seconds I'll tell ya. Lots of people ate carp, especially smoked carp.

The town I grew up in, Geneseo Illinois, had a huge metal carp on top of the city water tower. The old water tower is gone but the metal fish has been preserved and is displayed outside the Geneseo Community Center.

50 years later I still eat a carp now and then and when I go home to visit I always drive across the big river to the small town of LeClaire Iowa and get some smoked carp and some smoked buffalofish at Fullmers, just a few blocks from the American Pickers (yes, like on the TV show) antique store.


Fullmers, a few feet from the Mississippi River.

If you want to try carp just save the belly meat and the piece(s) of meat between the end of the rib cage and the tail. Be sure to remove the lateral (mud) line. Soak the pieces in a weak brine solution for awhile then roll in seasoned flour and fry it like you would any fresh water fish or bake it with a bunch of veggies like onion and tomatoes and of course a couple slices of lemon.

Not the best ...a little better than eel sushi though.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

The carp we've ate came from utah lake. The meat above the back bone is white and was the only edible pice on the fish imho. It wasn't bad if it didn't have so many bones. It had so many bones it simply wasn't worth chocking over though.

The dark meat and lateral line was fricken gross! So gross the cat wouldn't eat it. In fact I'd rather eat coot for dinner than eat carp. 

Never tried it smoked and never tried it from a clean lake. I might try it again if goob cooks it. He sounds like he can cook anything and make it edible.


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

Interesting thread. I was raised in central Utah with the same attitude about catfish - trash fish not fit for consumption. I was an adult before a friend from Alabama introduced me to catfish as table fare.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

swbuckmaster said:


> Carp eyes anyone


 That's the second damnest thing I've ever seen. :grin:


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