Ingredients
- 2 pounds carp
- 2 12-oz. cans dark beer
- 1 medium onion
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 sprig parsley
- 1/4 pound butter
- 1/2 cup gingerbread crumbs
Instructions
Mince onion, add celery, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, beer and salt.
Bring to a boil.
Cut carp into pieces and place in the sauce.
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes on low fire.
Remove carp from sauce and thicken sauce with gingerbread crumbs.
Strain sauce and stir in butter.
The sauce must be creamy and hot; pour it over the carp.
Like all fish, carp spoil easily. It's best to gut, gill and ice them down within a short time after catching. Be sure to remove all the blood along the backbone and from the body cavity as this blood causas faster spoilage. Some experts claim the flavor is improved by cutting the tail off and allowing the fish to bleed before cleaning it, and by removing the dark meat along its side before cooking by any method.
Since most people agree that the skin tends to add a strong, fishy flavor, you will probably want to skin your carp. The fish can then can be filleted, halved or left whole for stuffing and baking. Regardless of whether it is to be fried or baked, the carp should be "scored." Slice two-thirds of the way through the meat every 1/8 to 1/4 inch with a sharp knife. Scoring allows heat and cooking oils to penetrate and soften the fish's many small bones.
By TPWD Coastal Fisheries Staff