The Asian carp, considered an invasive species that have made it up the Mississippi River and possibly to Lake Michigan might be the next up and coming fish to eat. Some chefs and officials in Illinois are considering marketing the fish which includes of two species (the Bighead and Silver carp) instead of trying to just get rid of it.
Carp is said to be a tasty fleshy fish. The carp has two obstacles to wider acceptance: bones and a bad rap. Currently the carp suffers from bias in the U.S. The fish looks terrible and smells bad, but it has a subtle, moist flavor that is surprising – provided you remove all the bones.
“Everyone agrees the word carp has a negative connotation to diners in the U.S.,” John Rogner, assistant director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, an agency charged with keeping the fish from taking over Lake Michigan, said in an article from the latest issue of Audubon. “I think they’re great smoked, and I’ve had them fried. I think the fish will sell itself once it’s given the chance.”
The fish is already being eaten by a number of ethnic groups. The Vietnamese community cooks carp in coconut milk with lemon grass and chili peppers. The Polish like to draw out the fishy odor by soaking it in milk and onions.
There is precedence of chefs popularizing fish. Prior to the early 1980’s, the Louisiana Redfish was not a popular fish. After Chef Paul Prudhomme developed a recipe for “blackened redfish”, the fish got so popular it almost got fished to extinction.
Chef Philippe Parola and his group plan to re-brand Asian carp as Silverfin and popularize the fish with boneless, pre-cooked and flavored Silverfin fish fillets.
According to Chef Phillipe Parola, the taste of carp is like a cross between scallops and crabmeat. He has created recipes, which include silver fin fried strips, silver fin almondine, silver fin with fresh berries and silver fin cakes.
Image Source:
Photo by Chef Philippe Parola www.chefphilippe.com
Links:
Carp for Dinner – Audobon Magazine article