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:
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!):
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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!
![Image]()
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:
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.
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.
