The accused: carp. The list of charges: long. Fatty, bland, full of bones. Strike out as needed. Supposedly, it smells of mud and has nothing but flaws. Carp has many opponents, but far more defenders and admirers. And rightly so, because it is a very nutritious fish. Perhaps slightly less so than oily sea fish, but compared with meat carp is the clear winner.
And it brings good luck, too. At least that is what the Chinese believe. In the Middle Kingdom, carp is the hero of myths and legends, and a symbol of prosperity, courage and perseverance. The Chinese wrote the first cookbook featuring carp as its main ingredient. And it was in Chinese food shops that I looked for carp when I first tried to host Christmas Eve dinner in London. And I found it ;) Carp also holds a special place in Japanese cuisine and often appeared on the imperial table. Japanese culinary tradition places it just behind sea fish.
Love and Hate
Carp tastes best on the Christmas Eve table. In my home, it usually appears fried. The children in our family love fish, but with carp, the problem has always been—and will continue to be—the bones. So I decided to take a creative approach. The solution turned out to be carp patties.
This dish borders on genius. Simple to prepare, sophisticated in flavor. Ground carp meat is delicate and juicy at the same time. As with Jewish-style carp, the flavor is enhanced by raisins. You will also need onion, garlic, a little salt and pepper. Mix everything, shape the patties and fry them in butter.
In the raisin version, carp patties are delicate and slightly sweet. If you do not like that sort of thing, use cranberries, which will add a little acidity. If you decide to prepare them outside the Christmas season, add some finely chopped, fried bacon to the carp. No meat lover would be able to distinguish such patties from traditional meat patties.
Experiment. Carp is a really strong contender.
If you are looking for interesting recipes for the Christmas Eve table, be sure to check out salmon tartare. It is delicate, delicious and elegant. You can find more of my recipes at www.platebykate.com.
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Carp Patties
Serves 4. Preparation time: 15 min. Cooking time: 15 min.
Ingredients
- 600 g ground carp meat
- 60 g raisins
- 1 large onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 6 tablespoons butter
- pepper, salt
Method
Remove the larger bones, skin and fins from the carp meat, then grind it twice in a meat grinder. Chop the raisins. Dice the onion finely and press the garlic through a garlic press. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. Fry the onion for 4 minutes, gently, so that it does not brown. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Leave to cool. Add the onion and garlic mixture, raisins, salt and pepper to the carp meat. Knead thoroughly by hand. Shape into 8 patties and flatten them with your hand. Fry the patties in the remaining butter over medium heat.