Let Them Eat Carp
-By Nelson Spencer

With all the ballyhoo about Asian carp, the staff of HeartLand Boating finally decided to conduct a taste test of its own. Editor Lee Braff ordered a slab of smoked carp from Valley Fish & Cheese in Prairie du Chien, Wis. She prepared it several different ways, even going so far as to cook salmon for comparison. Several people in the office outright declined, saying “no way, no how” would they eat carp. The more daring of the group came away with mixed reviews.

Carp’s reputation as an edible fish has no doubt been sullied by the fact that it is a centuries-old staple of Asians, whose rumored appetite for dogs and cats, or practically anything that moves for that matter, casts an unsavory cloud over the fish. Fish markets would be wise to follow the lead of those who sell Chilean sea bass, which is a fancy, and much more appealing, name dreamt up no doubt by some clever marketing group, for the Patagonian toothfish.

How about “silver carpeau?” No? Well, give it some thought, see what you can come up with and let us know. We’d be happy to publish the 10 best ideas.

Following the advice of the fish market (see “Where to Buy Carp, and Other Advice,”
page 15), Editor Braff asked for a small, female bighead carp that had been caught during the winter and smoked. Not wanting to mask the carp’s taste with a lot of herbs and spices (see “Eat More Carp,” page 14), she served it, one, on a cracker with mayonnaise, two, on a cracker with sour cream, and, three, with green beans, with which the carp had been allowed to sit overnight, “to let them get acquainted with one another.” As a side dish, she chose brown rice. Other ways to serve smoked carp are listed on page 15.

Nelson (Spence) Spencer, Jr., HeartLand Boating’s business manager, said “Not bad,” after tasting the carp, while Mark Gentry, advertising sales, said “Tastes like tuna.”
Graphic Designer Kim Waterhouse doesn’t like fish and didn’t try it. Pat Platter, circulation manager, was among the abstainers, along with Erin Quade, Linda Deutschlander and Julie Fisher.

“As tasty as catfish, our old favorite,” proclaimed Editor Braff.

Several staff members of our sister publication, The Waterways Journal, sampled the carp, too, and found it to be “OK,” although one cried foul in that the salmon, which had been prepared as a control, was cooked in a sauce, while the carp was not.

As for me, I love fish and have eaten smoked walleye, lake trout and Arctic char, all of which I found to be delicious. While the carp—I liked the carp and green bean stew the best—was passable, maybe even “good” at the time I ate it, it had an aftertaste that was somewhat disagreeable. With no disrespect to Valley Fish & Cheese, it could have resulted from the way it had been smoked, or it might just have been the carp, but it was a strong taste that lingered into the morning.

Would changing the name of carp on the menu and as a consumable in general be nothing more than “putting lipstick on a pig?” Why don’t you try it for yourself and let us know what you think? We’d love to hear from you.