Carp fish: calories, composition, benefits and harms, recipes

The inhabitants of ancient China did the seemingly impossible: they tamed the carp, the wild ancestor of the modern carp. Since that time, artificially bred fish is called carp. After the carp began to be artificially grown, it moved from artificial reservoirs and began to populate wild reservoirs, starting from the expanses of Eurasia. So he settled in almost all water bodies of the world.

What kind of fish is a carp?

This representative of the underwater world is considered an omnivorous fish. For catching it, nozzles of various origins are used. As a rule, he chooses areas of the water area where there is no fast current, and the bottom is clayey. Likes warm water and breeds at a temperature of about 18 degrees. Nevertheless, he successfully inhabits reservoirs with cold water, or rather reservoirs that are covered with ice for the winter. Closer to the northern latitudes, it cannot be found.

The diet of carp consists of mollusks, crustaceans or worms. Basically, 3 types of carps have taken root in our reservoirs: scaly, mirror and naked.

Despite the fact that cyprinids are also divided into species, depending on the nature of the body cover, the presence of bones and the shape of the body, an inexperienced angler or cook can easily confuse carp with crucian carp.

Carp calories

In the case of preparing a particular dish, you should be interested in the calorie content of the original product. This is especially true if the direction is taken to a healthy lifestyle, without being overweight.

How to choose fresh carp

Due to the fact that carp is artificially bred without problems and grows quickly, carp dishes are present on many holiday tables. Despite this, the quality of the initial product should be given special attention, since the quality of the final product depends on it.

To choose a product that has not deteriorated, you should pay attention to:

• The state of the gills. Their color may indicate how fresh the product is. Gill plates should have a fresh, red-pink tint. If the gills stick together and do not differ in their natural shape, then this is evidence that the product is spoiled.
• On the eyes. Transparent bulging eyes indicate that the product is fresh.
• The outer covers should not have mechanical damage.
• When pressed, you should feel elasticity.
• If there is a suspicious smell, fish should not be bought.
• If there is a lot of blood on the body of the fish, then it is infected with some kind of disease.

Carp: benefit and harm

Seafood is different because they contain a whole bunch of vitamins and minerals. Fish in particular is an indispensable product that can ensure the normal functioning of the human body. Regular consumption of fish can contribute to:

• Improving the general condition of the body, due to its replenishment with useful vitamins and minerals.
• Potential for life extension by blocking free radicals with antioxidants.
• Increasing efficiency and productivity, regardless of the nature of work: mental or physical.
• Decreased blood sugar levels. This means that carp is recommended for patients with diabetes.
• Improving the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, against the background of accelerating metabolism.

The main contraindication is the excessive use of the product. The extra bits you eat won’t do you any good. The human body will take as many nutrients as it lacks. In addition, there is also such a thing as a balanced diet. In other words, the diet cannot consist of only one fish, even if it is healthy and contains so many useful components. In any case, it is better to rely on gastronomic preferences.

The best carp recipes

Carp is a versatile fish for cooking various, fairly inexpensive dishes. Carp is used in almost all national cuisines around the world. Below are some recipes that are actually used for cooking carp.

Classics of the genre – fried carp

To cook fish according to this recipe you will need:

• Half a kilo of carp.
• Ground pepper.
• Vegetable oil.
• Flour.
• Salt.
• Lemon.

At the initial stage of cooking, the fish is cleaned of scales and gets rid of the insides, after which it is thoroughly washed. After that, the head, tail and fins are cut off from the fish. Next, the fish is divided into 2 parts along the line of the spine and cut into small pieces. Then the fish is salted, peppered and watered with lemon juice. Do not interfere with any spices. The fish is left for 10-15 minutes to marinate.

A frying pan is taken, lubricated with vegetable oil and put on fire, pieces of fish are rolled in flour and laid out in a frying pan. The fish is fried on both sides for 5-7 minutes until a golden hue appears.

Carp baked in the oven with vegetables

1. Carp weighing about 2 kilograms should be cleaned, gutted, gills, head, tail and fins removed, then rinsed thoroughly.
2. The fish is rubbed with salt, spices, and also poured with lemon juice. The fish should be marinated for 15-20 minutes.
3. 2 onions are taken and chopped into cubes, and one carrot – on a medium grater. Half a kilo of champignons are cut into plates.
4. A frying pan is taken, vegetable oil and onions are poured into it, after which it is fried for 5 minutes. After that, carrots and champignons are poured to the onion. Vegetables are cooked until a pleasant appetizing blush appears.
5. Stuff the carp with this mixture, then fix the filling with toothpicks.
6. Cuts are made on the carcass, into which half a slice of lemon is inserted.
7. The fish is coated with sour cream and laid out on a baking sheet covered with foil, after which the dish is sent to the oven, heated to 180 degrees.
8. The dish is baked in the oven for half an hour.
9. In the process of baking, it is advisable to coat the fish with sour cream a couple more times.

Carp fish soup

To prepare a delicious and healthy dish, you will need the following ingredients:

• Half a kilo of carp meat with head and tail.
• Four potatoes.
• One carrot.
• Parsley root
• Celery root.

In addition, you will need seasonings such as bay leaf, allspice and ground pepper, vegetable oil, salt and other herbs.

First you need to cut the fish and cut into pieces, separating the head and tail. A container is taken, one and a half liters of water is poured into it and the head and tail are placed, which need to be boiled. At the moment of boiling, spices should be added to the broth. After 40-50 minutes, the broth is turned off and filtered.

All vegetables are peeled and cut, for example, into cubes. Chopped potatoes and fish are added to the broth, after which it is all boiled for 15 minutes. The remaining vegetables are sautéed in a skillet for about 7 minutes and added to the soup. The soup is still cooked for 10 minutes and salted to taste.

Cutlets from carp

Cooking is carried out according to the following technology:

1. Carp, weighing about 1,5 kilograms, is cleaned, butchered and washed thoroughly.
2. The meat is separated from the skeleton with a sharp knife.
3. After that, the fish is passed through a meat grinder, along with 150 grams of lard, an onion and two slices of bread soaked in water.
4. The resulting mixture is kneaded until a homogeneous mass.
5. A couple of eggs are also driven in here, one tablespoon of semolina and three chopped cloves of garlic are added. After that, salt and pepper are added and mixed thoroughly.
6. Cutlets are formed from the resulting mass.
7. Each cutlet is rolled in flour and fried on both sides until a golden hue appears.

Carp stuffed with egg and vegetable mixture

The preparation of this dish requires the presence of the following ingredients:

• One kilogram carp.
• Six quail eggs.
• One bulb.
• One bell pepper.
• One carrot.
• One clove of garlic.
• A couple of sprigs of dill and parsley.
• One sprig of rosemary.

The carcass of the fish must be prepared properly: it must be cleaned, gutted and rid of the skeleton. After that, the fish is thoroughly washed and dried with a paper towel. Then, the fish is salted both inside and out, and seasoned with spices. Next, you need to take and fry all vegetables, herbs and garlic in vegetable and butter. Take half of this mixture and stuff the carp with it, but not completely.

The next step is to add the quail egg filling and the remaining half of the vegetable mass. The fish is cooked in the oven on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper for half an hour at a temperature of about 200 degrees.

Before baking, you can put a sprig of rosemary on top. A dish is served, previously poured with a marinade of garlic, herbs and vegetable oil.

Carp is a tasty, healthy and, most importantly, affordable fish for a wide range of consumers. If you want, you can cook any tasty and healthy dish from it.