Ingredients
- 1 carp weighing around 1.5 kg already prepared by fishmonger (head, bones, fillets and offals)
- 4 litres of water
- 1 onion, roughly cut
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 whole peppercorns
- 2 tbsp Hungarian ground paprika
- Salt
- 200 g sauerkraut and 100 ml of the juice
- 100 ml sour cream
- 1 dried chilli
- Optional: dill, paprika seed oil and tarragon
Preparation
1.Make fish stock with the head and carcass of the carp. Add the roughly chopped onion, bay leaves, whole peppercorns, and salt, and leave to boil for 20 minutes. Add Hungarian ground paprika and cook for a further 20 minutes.
2. Strain, and discard everything from the stock, keeping the broth.
3. Cut the fish fillets into large cubes, sprinkle them with salt and leave to stand.
4. Add sauerkraut juice, sauerkraut, an option sprig of fresh tarragon and 1 small, dried chili to the broth, and cook for another 20 minutes.
5. Add the fish fillets, the fish offals (milt, roe) to the broth, and cook for 5-10 minutes.
6. Mix sour cream with 100 ml of the hot broth removed from the dish until smooth, add back to the pot.
7. Garnish with your choice of fresh dill, chili flakes or paprika seed oil. You could serve the soup with noodles.
Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)
- The oldest known carp was born in Japan in 1751 and died in 1977 at 226 years old! The estimated age of this fish is controversial but many Japanese koï carps can live way over 100 years.
- European carp are native to Eastern Europe and the Caspian basin. They were introduced to every continent except Antarctica!
- In France and the UK, carp are highly respected by anglers. They take good care of them and always release them when they catch one. A day and night on the bank of a private lake that hosts big carp can cost more than at a luxury hotel.
- Carps have a remarkable ability to recognise and remember specific individuals, including humans. They can even be trained to respond to their names or specific feeding signals.
