How to Clean Carp

Carp are edible and plentiful

Carp are very plentiful in United States lakes and rivers and have been overlooked as a good source of meat by many due to it's slimy skin and unpleasant odor. If you clean a carp correctly, and throw on some spices and flour, you can make a good meal or pack the freezer for future use. Carp fishing is heavily encouraged in some areas as they are overpopulating major waterways and destroying the natural habitat and food supplies for other native fish.

Things You'll Need

• filet knife
• cutting board

Instructions

Steps

1. Slit the fish down it's backbone. When you feel that you are at the end of the ribs, cut deeply into the filet and move the knife toward the tail. Keep your knife lined up with the backbone. Move the knife back up toward the ribs and cut a filet away from the rib bones being careful not to pierce the internal organs at any time during the cleaning process.

2. Skin the fish to remove the tough inedible skin after you have cut filets away from the ribs. Lay the filet on your cutting board with the skin side down, hold tight to one end and work your knife carefully underneath and down the length of the filet.

3. Score the filets with 1/8 to 1/4 inch cuts to allow your cooking oil to reach deep into the meat and dissolve the small bones, as stated by dnr.state.il.us. Bones can be dangerous to the consumer if they are not soft or dissolved by proper cooking.

Tips & Warnings

• If cleaned properly, carp makes a great fish fry and a nutritional meal at only the cost of worms and a little cooking oil. Carp are very high in protein-about 39g per serving-according to nutritiondata.com, high in vitamin B12 and selenium, low in sodium and a good source of phosphorus.

• There is a dark red line running down the middle of the filet. You need to cut this line out as it tends to have an unpleasant flavor. A V shaped cut will allow you to just remove the unwanted dark meat while leaving the lighter meat intact below it.

• Carp meat is very high in fat and cholesterol content.

References

• DNR: Carp Preparation for Cooking
• Motherearthnews: How to Clean, Fillet and Cook Carp
• Nutritiondata: Carp Nutrition Facts