Yes, you can eat carp if caught from a river, a clean water lake, or from a reservoir. Freshwater carp is an edible fish and many people eat it across the globe. Even though the recipes can be different, this fish tastes great and you will certainly want to try it!
A lot of people are interested in carp. Thousands of people ask questions like does the carp taste terrible or not, should they eat it or not, and is it safe to eat carp or not. Such questions are asked on various platforms and this post will answer all of these questions.
Carp Fish Basic Details
It is believed that carp fish was originated in the Danube River. People later transplanted this fish in different freshwater sources across the world. Now, it has also become a pest in some areas.
A carp can grow up to 47” long and weigh up to 80 pounds. The carp is also regarded as a highly commercial fish, but not in the North American countries. This fish is usually found in slow-moving streams and large lakes, where they reside in muddy water.
There are countries like China, which farm carps. It is expected that about 3,300,000 tons of carp are farmed every year. It shows how popular this fish is among seafood lovers. Western countries like the UK and France farm carps for recreational purpose.
Although Americans love to eat seafood, most of the fish markets in this region do not feature carp fish. Many Americans don’t even know that they can eat carp. That’s why this post is created. Continue reading to reveal everything about this amazing aquatic creature.
Carp Habitat and Distribution
Carp are found in almost every major water body in the eastern US. You can also find different species of this fish. These species are distinguished based on their habits and preferences. Regardless of the kind of water, there is, carp fish can survive and thrive in it and that’s why it is everywhere.
People catch most of the carps in reservoirs, where they were first distributed to control vegetation. Carp fishing regulations are not the same everywhere and therefore you should beware of rules and regulations.
Finding and catching carp would be pretty in the outlying backwaters of some popular rivers. People often visit the Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio rivers to find carps. These rivers feature soaring population of the carp. Carp is probably the only available fish species in some parts of Louisiana.
Carps are found in most of the rivers in many countries. However, their population grows faster in slow-moving rivers. It prefers roaming in the shallower water, but all the carps do not have such habits. Some carp species prefer deeper areas in the lakes and rivers.
The methods of catching carp vary depending on the species and habitat of the carp. You will reveal those methods in this post.
How to Catch a Carp
There are a few important things you must learn before decide to catch carp. You should be aware of areas where you can easily find this fish. Although this fish is widespread in many continents, the catching methods are different for carps found in the lakes and rivers.
You can plan to visit the nearest freshwater pond, lakes, and slow-moving rivers because these are favorite dwellings of the common carp fish.
Carp is not one of those aquatic creatures, which happily come out of their hideouts to catch the bait. Carps are quite hesitant feeders and somewhat shy. It won’t come near the fishing line if this fish detects any unnatural movement around the bait. Therefore, it is tough to catch the carp but not impossible.
Get a rod pod to keep your fishing line still in the water and follow these tips to catch the carp:
Catching a Carp in a Lake:
It would be quite easy to catch a carp in the lake if you use the required equipment and method. Get a medium to a medium-heavy spinning rod and it should be equipped with a 10lbs braided fishing line. You will also need a 3-way rig linked to a circle hook and 2-feet of 20lbs fluorocarbon leader line.
Attach a sinker by using a different piece of leader material to the free leg of the rig. This arrangement will ensure that your bait reaches the bottom where carp roam freely.
You can use dough ball or canned corn balls as a bait to lure carps in the lake. However, you must check the state fishing regulations to ensure you are not breaking the law by using any prohibited material as bait.
You have got the right tackle and perfect bait for the carp. Now, you have to search for a perfect place to catch this fish in the lake. Just like other fishes, carps also prefer roaming around areas where they can easily find food and protection. Pick such a location, drop the bait, and you will quickly catch the corp.
Catching a Carp in a River:
Catching a carp in a fishing lake is a bit easier than catching this fish in a river. It only resides in a slow-moving river or channel. You should try catching the carp in a river only after trying it in the lake.
All the arrangements of tackle, 3-way rig, and the bait would be the same. Stronger currents of a moving river make a big difference. Even though you find a carp, a moving river can displace the fishing line and it can scare the carp.
Each carp feeds more frequently in a river because they spend more energy to maintain their position in a moving river. Therefore, carps reside near areas where they can easily access food. Places like inlets and outlets of a river are perfect to find carps. Freshwater is constantly deposited in such areas of a river and therefore you can easily find carps there.
Try to keep the fishing line as still as possible and let the carp feed the bait. Pull it out and prepare other baits for another carp.
How does Carp Taste?
Carp is described as the Queen of Rivers in a 17th-century book “The Compleat Angler”. Many people do not like the taste of this fish because they do not catch the right species of this fish from the right water. Make a perfect selection and you will get a revered salmon-type taste.
Being an oily fish, carp tastes great. There is a rumor that it tastes muddy, but that’s not the fact. Its taste gets muddy only due to a stress reaction. Many other fish species have the same issue and their taste also alters.
Carps have oily muscle, which makes it the best fish for preparing delicious fish fry. Its meat would be peeling and moist with quite a subtle flavor if done perfectly. You won’t even get a hint of mud and that’s what quality carp tastes like.
The best way of maintaining deliciousness and renowned flavor of the carp is putting it straight on ice or ice water mix. Do not leave it out in the air for too long otherwise, it might taste weird. Catch the fish and put it over the ice and water mix. Thus, you will prevent the blood flow in the rib meat and its flavor will be preserved.
Your carp will taste muddy only if you include a bloodline of the carp in your meat. Remove that bloodline and it won’t taste bad. Whether you are buying this fish from the market or catching it, prefer clean water carp. It tastes way better than carps found in muddy water.
Carps are infamous for causing pollution because they consume underwater vegetation. If it is caught from the cleanest possible water, removed its bloodline, and processed perfectly, its meat will taste quite delicious.
How to Clean and Prepare a Carp
Whether it is a carp or any other freshwater fish, you would like to prepare it quickly. Stress reaction can reduce the deliciousness of the carp. Therefore, you should keep the hooked fish alive and carry it home as it is. You can keep it fresh for much longer periods in this way.
Another thing you can try is putting a freshwater carp in a tub filled with water. Carry it with you at home and keep it in freshwater for a few days. Its mud vein will be cleaned in this way and you won’t have to remove that mud vein from the meat.
Keep the fish in a freshwater tub or tank for at least a weak and dissolve 1tsp salt into the water every day. Do not feed it during this time. It would be tough to wait for a long time when a delicious carp is in your water tank. So, hold it with one hand and use a hammer to stun the fish.
Gut it and then prepare it for cooking. Follow these tips to prepare the carp for cooking:
- Scale the Carp:
Carps can have ½” or wider scales. You should draw your knife across the body of the carp from its head to tail. This is how you can get out scales perfectly. Do it until all the scales are removed and then rinse carp’s body in clean water.
- Filleting the Carp:
You can easily minimize the clutter by filleting this fish before gutting it. Cut into its meat right behind the gills. Use a freshly sharpened knife to perform this task. Do not use a dull knife otherwise you won’t get the best result!
Now, hold carp fish with one hand and then slice through the ribs and backbone. You should lift its skin and cut towards its tail. Do it from one side, finish the process, and repeat the same process from the other side. Make sure you won’t pierce carp’s body cavity if you have not gutted it yet.
- How to skin a Carp fillet
Experts suggest avoiding grilling carp’s fish fillet with the skin because it has a mud vein. That mud vein adds muddy taste into the meat, which you won’t like. Other fishes such as salmon are grilled with their skin because they don’t have any mud vein.
Carp’s mud vein is located right under its skin. You have to remove it before cooking this fish. So, hold the meat piece and start slicing its skin. Slice thoroughly to remove the entire skin and keep the meat. Do not slice too deep otherwise, you will waste a lot of meat.
Hold the knife in your dominant hand and fish by your non-dominant hand. Thus, skinning this fish would be much easier and its mud vein will no longer affect the taste. You won’t have to skin it if you keep this fish in clean water for a few days or a week. Thus, you will clean its mud vein thoroughly.
- How to remove the mud vein?
You can easily spot a dark-lateral line. Create a v-cut on both sides of that line and then remove the meat along with the vein. Hold the vein and pull it out and then throw it because it won’t taste great if you are processing the meat right after catching carp.
How to Cook a Carp
You can deep fry, grill, or pan-fry a carp fish. Whatever method you choose, it tastes great. Its meat is quite durable and therefore it can easily handle the grill. The simplest way to cook carp is pan-frying it. Most of the carp lovers pan fry it with delicious spices to boost its taste.
You can also bake this fish if you like baked taste over fried flavors. You just need great heat control and proper temperature to bake this fish. You can easily overcook it and therefore you must stop cooking and serve it at the right time to maintain its taste.
Its flavor can reduce easily if you do not follow proper cooking instruction. You should use appropriate seasonings and spices that go perfectly with carp meat. Pick an easy and delicious fish flavoring recipe and try it on carp meat. Its oiliness will enhance the flavor and you will have something delicious to serve.
Health Benefits of Eating Carp
People usually call it common carp because it is the most widely-eaten freshwater fish in the world. People across the globe prepare this fish in different ways on different occasions like festivals and gatherings.
It is a traditional cuisine in many countries like China and it also offers some noticeable health benefits. Those health benefits are as follows:
- Anti-inflammatory effect:
Many people experience joint pain. Increasing the weekly intake of carp can help you in reducing such types of pain and live a healthier and more active life. Carp meat contains omega-3fatty acids, which are good for your heart and also for soothing inflammation caused by injuries. Therefore, you must eat this fish twice or thrice in a week.
- It is an immunity booster:
A lot of people suffer from zinc deficiency because they often overlook this essential mineral. Its deficiency can be quite dangerous because your immune system won’t work properly. You need a strong immune system to fight many diseases and carp are rich in zinc. You can easily maintain the necessary zinc levels in your body by adding carp in your diet.
- Helps in fighting chronic health issues:
Carps provide several essential vitamins and minerals, which perform multiple functions. Some nutrients and minerals work as antioxidants, boost immunity, reduce pain, and promote mutation of healthy cells in your body. You get additional aid in fighting chronic health issues from nutrients found in carp. That’s why it should be in your diet.
- Prevents gastrointestinal issues:
Many people experience gastrointestinal and gut inflammation. Although people do not worry about such issues, the poorly functioning gastrointestinal system can lead to many severe health issues. You should consume foods which aid in improving digestive efficiency and prevent constipation, bloating, and hemorrhoids. Carp is one of those foods. Its omega-3 fatty acids will prevent inflammatory bowls and also improve your digestive system’s performance.
- It can slow-down the aging process:
People want to stay young as long as they can. Antioxidants are known to have the best effects when it comes to looking younger. Issues like wrinkles and blemishes won’t affect your looks if you add carps in your diet. Antioxidant-rich carps can boost the production of new skin cells and keep your skin young for a long time. It will seem like you have slowed the aging process.
Conclusion
Carp is an edible fish! Millions of people love to eat this fish. Although there are some rumors that suggest carps taste bad. Those are just rumors and you should not believe them. Follow the steps given in this post to catch, process, and cook carp. You will have delicious cuisine to serve for dinner. It will not only soothe your cravings but also provide essential nutrients to keep you healthy. So, try it now!
