Cooking fish on the grill, at home, is not difficult at all, and the amount of nutritional value from such a dish will only increase.
We eat this fish, get benefits and lose weight. Are you preparing carp fish?
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26.06.2020
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Culinary secrets on how to cook delicious carp on coals
Let's start the article by revealing the main secrets of cooking delicious carp on the grill. They will also come in handy when you want to bake or fry this wonderful fish at home.
- Do not purchase or use fish for cooking that you are not sure is fresh. Cloudy eyes, dull gills, mucus that is unpleasant to the touch and a disgusting smell indicate that the carp has left its natural habitat too long ago and can no longer turn into a luxurious dish worthy of your table.
- Preparing carp for grilling involves peeling it, gutting it, washing it, drying it and, if necessary, cutting it into steaks or fillets. The scales are cleaned off with a special grater or an ordinary knife, being careful not to damage the skin. The sad news is that the carp will try to slip out of your hands, and the scales will begin to fly in different directions. But there is good news: these troubles can be overcome. Sprinkle salt on the carp, put on cloth gloves, put the carp in a bag, and the task can be completed quickly and cleanly. Next, all that remains is to rip open the fish’s belly and carefully, so as not to damage the gallbladder, remove the entrails, then rinse the carcass and pat dry with a paper towel. The last stage is quite simple: remove the gills or head (as you like) from the future decoration of your table and proceed to preparing the food according to the chosen recipe.
- The question of whether to grill carp on coals whole or in pieces is decided taking into account its size. It is advisable to cook fish weighing up to 1 kg whole, larger ones - cut into steaks, and from the largest specimens you can even make a shish kebab.
- How long to grill carp on coals depends on the size of the fish. Whole carcasses are cooked for 20-25 minutes. The steaks are fried for a quarter of an hour, and the fillet pieces in the form of a kebab take only 10-12 minutes.
- When frying fish, you need to turn it over periodically, even if it is wrapped in foil. To prevent the carp from sticking to the grill, lubricate it with vegetable oil, and it will come off the bars very well.
And now we get to the most important secret. Transverse notches on the carp carcass, especially those applied diagonally in the shape of a lattice, will allow you to break the bones and make them less dangerous. The marinade will help to finally get rid of the problem by softening the bones.
Grilled carp: methods, secrets and culinary tips
Below, in the relevant sections, the detailed process of selecting fresh carp, its preparation for further use, as well as the rules for preparing the marinade will be described.
How to choose the right carp for grilling
You should pay attention to the freshness of the carcass both when purchasing it fresh and frozen.
When buying a fresh carcass, be sure to look at:
- Eyes. Even the slightest cloudiness is not allowed. Eye color should be light.
- Gills. Their color should be bright red. For this reason, it is not advisable to buy fish without a head, since in this case, signs of staleness are most likely hidden.
- Scales. Should be smooth and shiny. If it is cloudy or damaged in places, this is a sign of staleness.
- Smell. A fresh carcass should exude a light, pleasant aroma. If the fish stinks of ammonia, it is not fresh.
It is best to prepare the dishes described below from fresh carp. If it is not possible to buy fresh, but there is a chance to purchase frozen, when purchasing it you should pay attention to the following:
- Eyes. If frozen fish has dark eyes, it is better not to buy it, since most likely it has already been defrosted several times.
- Gills. Ice creams should be red or at least pink. If their color is green or gray, then the product is unsuitable for use.
- Surface smoothness. If the surface of the fish has depressions, pits, or is uneven, it means it has been defrosted more than once. You can't buy this.
By following these simple rules for choosing a quality carcass, you can prepare not only a tasty, but also a healthy dish.
By the way, read more on this topic: Carp fried in a frying pan
How to easily clean carp, video:
To make it easier to clean the carcass from scales, you first need to rub it with salt. For this purpose, it is better to take coarse salt.
The cleaning process will also be facilitated by briefly dipping the fish into boiling water, for just one minute.
Be sure to clean the scales from the tail to the head. Before cleaning the scales, you need to remove the fins and gills. The fish must be gutted, the black film removed from the belly, and the gall bladder removed. The carcass, cleared of scales, fins, gills and entrails, should be washed under running cold water.
Delicious roasted carp
Preparing baked carp dishes is easy. The most rich and juicy taste is obtained from the dish that was prepared in foil. To make the dish even tastier, you need to use 2 layers of foil.
In order for the taste of the finished dish to be complete and complete, before baking, you can once again season the product with spices. Also, to achieve maximum taste, you should place the fish already on hot coals or a preheated oven.
By the way, read more on this topic: Oven-baked carp: it doesn’t get any tastier
How to marinate carp, video
When preparing the right marinade for carp, you should not be afraid to experiment and mix products. This type of fish goes best with olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, grape vinegar and dry wine. You can add fresh garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, marjoram, garlic powder, and so on to the marinade.
The marinade must contain spices, salt and pepper. When marinating fish, you can make shallow cuts on it so that the sauce gets into them and soaks the fillet. The fish is marinated in the refrigerator for 1 hour; at room temperature, half of this time will be enough.
How to marinate carp for grilling: 6 marinade recipes
The role of marinade in cooking carp can hardly be overestimated. Firstly, it softens small bones, making eating fish more enjoyable. Secondly, it neutralizes the specific muddy odor characteristic of the inhabitants of rivers and ponds. Thirdly, it gives the fish a unique taste, which greatly depends on the composition of the marinade.
When choosing a sauce recipe for marinating carp, you should give preference to formulations that contain acidic ingredients: vinegar, lemon juice, or at least tomato, sour cream. It is advisable that the marinade also contain fatty foods: butter, sour cream, mayonnaise. Among the seasonings, preference is given to marjoram, rosemary, parsley, black pepper, and coriander.
Considering all these subtleties, you can make marinade for carp according to your own recipe, but it will still be safer to use proven options.
Lemon mustard marinade
For one carp you will need juice squeezed from half a lemon, a pinch of sugar, a tablespoon of water, 50 ml of refined vegetable oil, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (6 percent), a bay leaf, and salt and pepper, which are added to taste. First, juice, vinegar, mustard and water are mixed. The bay leaf is crumbled and added to the sour liquid along with salt, sugar and pepper. Lastly, add the oil and beat the mixture with a whisk. 30-60 minutes after coating with lemon-mustard sauce, the fish can already be fried on the grill.
Lemon marinade with garlic and marjoram
Juice from a whole lemon is mixed with two tablespoons of vegetable oil, a couple of garlic cloves passed through a press, and two teaspoons of dried marjoram. Pepper and salt are added to the resulting mixture to taste. Cover the carp with aromatic sauce and leave for an hour.
Sour cream marinade with onions
Place a glass of sour cream in a bowl. Small greens are coarsely chopped and mixed with sour cream. Cut two large onions into thin half rings and combine with sour cream. All that remains is to add pepper and salt, mix and use as a marinade. The sauce prepared from a glass of sour cream is enough for two medium-sized crucian carp.
Beer marinade
A glass of light beer is mixed with salt and spices, the prepared fish carcass is poured with the foamy drink and left for 2 hours.
Marinade with vinegar and soy sauce
For a quarter glass of water (60 ml) take a teaspoon of 9 percent vinegar. An equal amount of soy sauce and the same amount of vegetable oil are added to the resulting mixture. All that remains is to season the marinade and use it for its intended purpose. After an hour of staying in it, the fish will be ready to fry on the grill.
Tomato marinade
For a kilogram of carp you will need a glass of tomato paste, a teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of sugar, a pinch each of coriander, black pepper and marjoram. You can also add a sprig of rosemary. All components are mixed, the resulting mass is coated with the fish and left for 2-3 hours. Before baking or frying, remove excess sauce from the carcass.
If it is not possible to prepare a full-fledged marinade, dilute a tablespoon of 9 percent vinegar in a glass of water and soak the carp in the resulting liquid for at least half an hour. This will be enough to soften the bones.
In addition to recipes for marinade suitable for representatives of the carp family (including carp and crucian carp), we offer recipes for the dishes themselves that can be prepared from carp on the grill.
How to marinate carp for grilling
The basis of a good dish is fresh fish and properly selected spices for it. Many people prefer to use only salt as a seasoning to enhance the natural taste of the product, but the river dweller has a specific smell. Therefore, if you don’t want to fry carp with seasonings, then you can use soy sauce for the marinade; it combines salt and sugar in the right proportions.
The filling for carp is selected depending on the method of its preparation. If freshly caught carp is the basis for fish soup on a fire, then it does not require pre-treatment. It is enough to clean it of entrails and scales.
You will first need to clean the fish from scales.
The marinade can be based on sunflower or vegetable oil, tomato juice or paste, sour cream, and cream. There are many recipes for cooking carp fish dishes over coals. Some of the most popular and delicious ways to cook carp over a fire - below, step by step.
Classic carp recipe on the grill
What do you need:
- carp – 2 pcs. weighing up to 1 kg;
- onions – 2 pcs.;
- garlic – 4 cloves;
- parsley, dill - half a bunch each;
- salt, pepper mixture - to your taste.
How to cook:
- Clean and gut the fish, rinse and dry with napkins. Remove the gills.
- On the sides of the carp, closer to the back, make transverse cuts about half a centimeter deep. The optimal distance between cuts is 1-1.5 cm.
- Rub the fish on all sides with salt and pepper mixture. Stuff chopped garlic into the slits.
- Stuff the fish with thinly sliced onions and sprigs of herbs. To prevent the filling from falling out, secure the ends of the belly with wooden toothpicks, previously soaked in water.
- Prepare the grill and grill. If at a distance of 15 cm from the coals the heat is such that you cannot hold your hand over them for more than 2 seconds, you can fry carp over them. Don't forget to cover the grill with oil so that the fish doesn't burn.
- Place the carp on the grill. Fry them for 20-25 minutes, turning them every two to three minutes.
All that remains is to place the treat on a dish, decorate with slices of lemon or tomato, sprigs of fresh herbs and serve.
Carp stuffed with apples, fried on the grill
What do you need:
- carp – 2 pcs. total weight about 2 kg;
- onions – 0.2 kg;
- apples – 0.2 kg;
- lemons – 2 pcs.;
- salt, pepper, coriander - to taste.
How to cook:
- Clean, gut the carp, remove their gills. Rinse well and pat dry with a towel.
- Make frequent oblique cuts in the shape of lattice on the sides of the fish.
- Rub the carcasses with spices and salt.
- Cut the lemons into slices, place a few pieces inside the carp, and place the rest on the outside. Leave the fish, covered with lemon slices, to marinate for an hour. Remove the lemon.
- Cut the apples and onions into small cubes, mix them and place them in the fish bellies.
- Mend the carp or pin the edges of their bellies with toothpicks so that nothing falls out of them.
- Place the stuffed carps on the grill and fry them over the coals for 20-25 minutes, remembering to turn them over from time to time.
Grilled vegetables are suitable as a side dish for stuffed carp, although fish made according to the above recipe will be tasty without a side dish.
Stuffed on the grill
You can cook stuffed carp on the grill. It turns out unusual and tasty. For cooking you will need a gutted carcass. Sour apples and onions are used as filling.
Cut the onions and apples into cubes, sprinkle with lemon juice and place the mixture in the belly. We sew up the incision and pierce it in several places with a toothpick.
Important! When grilling stuffed fish, you need to carefully sew up and secure the edges of the cut so that the minced meat does not fall out onto the grill during frying.
Place the carcass prepared in this way on a wire rack and bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, turning it over periodically.
Carp baked in foil on the grill
What do you need:
- carps – 2 pcs. total weight up to 2 kg;
- mayonnaise – 0.25 l;
- lemon – 2 pcs.;
- refined vegetable oil – 20 ml;
- onions – 0.2 kg;
- salt, seasonings - to your taste.
How to cook:
- Cut the onion into thin half rings, marinate it in the juice of one lemon.
- Cut off the heads and fins of cleaned and gutted carp.
- Sprinkle the fish with salt and seasonings, sprinkle with lemon juice, wrap in film and leave for an hour.
- Prepare two pieces of foil by folding each in half.
- Grease the foil with oil. Fold into an envelope shape, leaving an opening to insert the fish through.
- Cover the carp with mayonnaise, place in envelopes and seal.
- Place the envelopes on the wire rack. Bake the fish for 30-40 minutes, sometimes turning the envelopes on the other side. If you want the fish to brown, 10 minutes before it is ready, remove it from the foil and finish cooking over open coals.
Carp baked in foil in mayonnaise turns out no worse than in sour cream. The recipe given is simple, but worthy of attention.
What do experienced chefs recommend?
Everyone will like the carp you cook in foil over coals if the following nuances are taken into account. You need to make sure that the carcass is fried and not stewed. It may be that the carp in the foil will begin to stew in its own fat or juice. If this happens, then simply move the fish to some other place on the grill.
It is better if the carp baked on coals is fresh. Experts recommend cooking mirror carp. The fact is that it will be much easier for you to remove scales from it. The skin of the carp will remain intact. According to professionals, a very tasty dish is made from freshly caught fish. As seasonings you can use garlic, ginger, basil, coriander and bay leaf.
It is possible that you will have to deal with carp that turns out to be dry. In this case, the fish is seasoned with butter. It is enough to put a small piece of this product in the abdomen. In addition, you can lubricate the carcass itself with it. The meat will turn out very tasty and with an appetizing aroma if you use fruit trees. Pear, plum and apple trees are ideal for this purpose.
Stuffed carp in foil on coals
What do you need:
- carp – 1 pc. weighing about 1 kg;
- salt, spices, herbs, lemon juice - to taste;
- semi-hard cheese – 100 g;
- vegetable oil - grease the foil.
How to cook:
- Prepare the whole carp carcass for roasting.
- Rub with salt, spices, sprinkle with lemon juice. Wait 30-60 minutes.
- Fill with coarsely grated cheese.
- Fold the foil into 3-4 layers, grease it, and wrap the carp in it.
- Place the bundle directly on the coals.
- Cook the fish for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally.
Before serving, it is recommended to remove the carp from the foil, cut into pieces and serve with grilled vegetables or potatoes baked over a fire.
Sour cream sauce
If you decide to process carp in this marinade, then you will need the following products:
- 200 g sour cream.
- A couple of onions.
- Two bunches of greenery. A good marinade is made from parsley or dill.
- Spices. Each cook chooses this ingredient according to his own taste.
The marinade preparation procedure lasts no longer than 10 minutes. According to experts, the sauce is very high in calories: over 200 kcal per 100 g. First of all, cut the onion into rings, and then finely chop the greens. Then these products are mixed with each other and seasoned with spices. The resulting mixture is rubbed onto the carcasses, and sour cream is poured on top. In this form, the fish should lie for one hour. During this time, the carp will be well soaked in the sauce.
Carp steaks on the grill (simple recipe)
What do you need:
- carps – 2 kg;
- lemon – 2 pcs.;
- rosemary – 2 sprigs;
- vegetable oil – 60 ml;
- onions – 1 pc.;
- salt, pepper - to your taste.
How to cook:
- Cut the cleaned and gutted fish into pieces 1.5-2 cm thick.
- Rub the steaks with salt and pepper. Grease with oil mixed with the juice of one lemon. Add rosemary. Marinate for an hour.
- Place the steaks on a covered barbecue grill and place lemon and onion slices between them.
- Close the grill and place it on the grill. Grill steaks for 15 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes.
This recipe for cooking carp on the grill is one of the simplest, but the result will definitely not disappoint you.
Features of cooking fish on the grill
River fish is distinguished by the fact that it has a bright taste and an indistinct aroma, like sea fish. It is easily and quickly cooked over coals, and there are a lot of options for marinade that highlight the taste of meat. Grilled carp is one of the most popular picnic dishes. You can barbecue it, bake it in foil, or make a delicious kebab.
The ideal option for grilling or baking on a wire rack in foil is to use medium-sized carcasses up to 1 kg. To prevent small bones from being felt too much, cuts are made perpendicular to the ridge along the entire length from head to tail. This procedure also helps the meat inside cook better and faster.
How to cook carp on the grill quickly and tasty? It’s not difficult, the main thing is to properly prepare the fish and a sufficient amount of coals in the grill. Among the spices suitable for carp are marjoram, black pepper, coriander, and rosemary. If the fish is cooked with stuffing inside, vegetables, fruits, and buckwheat porridge are suitable fillings. All this is generously sprinkled with spices. To prevent carp from burning on coals and the skin from sticking to the grill, the barbecue is greased with vegetable oil, just like the outside of the carcass. It is better to put wood from fruit trees, pears, plums, and apple trees in the grill. Its coals give the meat a special aroma and taste.
Carp barbecue
What do you need:
- carp steaks – 1 kg;
- soy sauce – 100 ml;
- water – 50 ml;
- honey – 20 ml;
- olive oil – 40 ml;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- rosemary (fresh) – 1 sprig;
- ginger root – 20 g;
- hot pepper (in a pod) - to taste.
How to cook:
- Prepare the carp steaks.
- Finely chop the rosemary and pepper, cleared of membranes and seeds.
- Peel the ginger root and finely chop it with a knife.
- Cut the garlic into thin slices.
- Mix the crushed ingredients, add soy sauce and water. Add liquid honey and oil. Whisk thoroughly.
- Add the steaks to the sauce and stir. It is better to do this with your hands so that the sauce covers all the pieces.
- After an hour, place the marinated fish on the barbecue grill and fry over coals until cooked. This will take 15-20 minutes.
The spicy taste of this dish will remind you of Asian cuisine. There is nothing strange about this - carp is no less popular in China than in Russia.