Carp is one of the most delicious freshwater fish. Differs in lean, tender meat with a pleasant sweetish aftertaste, but when considered bony. Carp can be cooked in a variety of ways, but especially juicy and tender meat comes in foil. Thanks to this, the fish also retains most of the nutrients it contains.
It is necessary
- - carp;
- - vegetables;
- - lemon;
- - olive oil;
- - salt and spices;
- - fresh herbs;
- - natural unsweetened yogurt.
Instructions
Step 1
Correctly chosen carp is the key to a tasty and healthy dish. When buying a fish, focus primarily on its freshness. If possible, purchase a live carp, which will be caught from the aquarium or cistern with you. Choose the most active one. If the fish is on the counter without water, check that the eyes are not cloudy, the gills are bright pink or burgundy and are not sticky, and the skin should be covered with an even layer of mucus without a lot of blood. Remember that old fish can not only spoil the taste of the dish, but also harm your health.
Step 2
After purchasing frozen fish, allow it to thaw at room temperature or in cold water. In the latter case, it must first be wrapped in a bag. Then cut into pieces, as it is better to bake only fresh carp whole. Please note that if the meat is too easily separated from the bones - the fish is clearly not the first freshness, so it is better not to risk your health.
Step 3
If you purchased a live carp, clean it of scales, gut it, making a longitudinal incision along the entire abdomen and removing all the insides. If there is caviar in the fish, do not write off throwing it away, just bake it with the carcass. Then be sure to remove the gills so that the finished dish does not taste bitter, and only then thoroughly wash the carp under cold running water. Please also note that you need to wash it just before cooking. Otherwise, it is best to leave it gutted but not washed and stored in the refrigerator.
Step 4
Make transverse, shallow cuts on the sides of the carp. This is necessary so that the meat is well saturated with all the seasonings. Mix together salt, pepper and fish seasoning. As spices for carp baked in foil, black ground and allspice, oregano, anise and marjoram are best suited, bay leaves and lemon balm will add fresh aroma, and thyme and turmeric will make the dish taste more spicy.
Step 5
Rub the outside and inside of the fish with the mixture. Leave it to marinate for half an hour. Peel the carrots and grate on a coarse grater. Chop the onions finely and chop one onion into rings. Salt and pepper the carrots and chopped onions and fry everything in olive oil. Stuff the carp with fried vegetables.
Step 6
Place some sliced onion rings on a sheet of foil. Drizzle a little olive oil over it. Lay the fish on top of the onion. Place the rest on top of the fish. Wrap the carp in foil and bake in the oven at 200 ° C. Cook for 35 minutes. But five minutes before cooking, remove the top layer of foil and let the fish brown. Sprinkle a little lemon juice on the finished carp when serving.
Step 7
Bake the rice-stuffed carp in foil. To do this, prepare the fish as described above, salt, rub with spices to taste, pour over the juice of half a lemon and leave for 20 minutes at room temperature. While the carcass is marinated, make the filling - boil the rice until half cooked, mix it with sautéed onions and carrots. Put the fish on a sheet of foil, fill it with the prepared mixture, put the tomato cut into slices on top of the rice. Drizzle with a little olive oil and wrap the foil well. Bake in an oven preheated to 200 ° C for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the carp. According to this recipe, the fish will turn out immediately with a side dish soaked in juice.
Step 8
Use other vegetables when roasting carp. Potatoes, asparagus, bell peppers and tomatoes, kohlrabi and cauliflower will go well with fish. In time, they will cook in the same way as fish, so they will serve as an excellent side dish. Bulgur can also be used as a filling - this cereal should be pre-fried in butter and boiled in water in a 1: 1 ratio.
Step 9
Do not be afraid to use dry white wine as a marinade. It can be easily combined with lemon juice, white or black ground pepper, sprigs of fresh or dried mint, rosemary. It is not necessary to keep carp in it for a long time - 10 minutes is enough. Just salt the fish, put it directly on the foil, sprinkle with the juice of half a lemon and 50 ml of white wine, add spices and herbs. Wrap the foil, leave for 10 minutes, and then bake in the oven.
Step 10
Carp is also very tender in yoghurt sauce. To prepare it, mix 3-4 tbsp. tablespoons of natural unsweetened yogurt, 1 clove of garlic passed through a crusher, a bunch of chopped fresh dill, 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Salt the carp, washed and dried with a napkin, thoroughly coat with the prepared sauce, wrap in foil and leave to marinate for 15 minutes. Then cook in the oven as usual. Transfer the finished carp to a dish decorated with herbs and serve with lemon wedges.
Step 11
You can also cook carp in foil on the grill. If the fish is rather large, cut it crosswise into two or three parts, wrap each in foil, having previously soaked in lemon juice and spices for 15 minutes. Be sure to make sure that the foil does not have holes through which the precious juice will flow. Place the fish pieces on a wire rack and bake for 15 minutes on each side. If you cook whole carp, increase the cooking time to 40 minutes.
Step 12
For fish cooked on the grill, you can serve boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes, tomatoes baked on a wire rack, bell peppers, mushrooms. A salad of any greens and fresh vegetables will also go well with carp, for which you can prepare a dressing with lemon juice, olive oil and Dijon mustard.
