Try something special this Christmas – a traditional Czech recipe, “Black Carp.”

The Black Carp (Carp in a black sauce) is a traditional Czech recipe from the 19th Century. It is the oldest surviving Czech recipe for Christmas Eve fish. We recommend preparing it at least one day in advance.

Black Carp’ was likely named after the deep, dark color of the sauce. Its sweetness comes from a combination of plum preserves, cherry juice, and honey, while balsamic vinegar balances the sweet flavor with a hint of acidity.

If you want to taste interesting flavors of ingredients that you might not even think of combining, get inspired by the following recipes for the best carp in black sauce!

Carp Fillet in Plum & Cherry Sauce

This is an attractive, sweet delicacy, the flavor of which is a combination of delicious plums, cherry juice, and honey.

A little balsamic vinegar adds the perfect balance of acidity.

Ingredients

• 2 carp, gutted and cut into 4 fillets or steaks
• pinch of salt
• 2 spoons of plum jam
• 1/2 cup cherry juice
• 1 teaspoon of honey, preferably honeydew
• 1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ginger (grated / ground ginger)
• ground black pepper
• salt

Method

• Remove the scales from the fish and cut off the head, tail, and fins. Cut into steaks or fillet portions.
• Transfer the carp fillets to a saucepan and cover with salted water – just enough to submerge the fish.
• Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook for 8-10 minutes, preferably on low heat, at around 160°F.
• Carefully transfer all the carp fillet pieces to an ovenproof dish. Set aside.
• Pass two tablespoons of plum jam through a sieve into a bowl. Add cherry juice, honey, balsamic vinegar, freshly ground black pepper, ginger and cloves. Mix with a fork or whisk.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Coat the pieces of carp fillet with fruit sauce and cover with foil or a lid. Bake together for 5 minutes.
• Serve hot, and pour a little sauce over the fillets. Combine with mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, or steamed cauliflower.

Carp with Ale sauce

If you love the taste of beer (especially the dark one – ale beer), this recipe is perfect for you.

Combine the excellent taste of the fish with the exciting taste of dark, bittersweet beer (Ale).

Ingredients

• carp fillets
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 5 tablespoons of flour
• 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 bottle Ale beer (dark beer)
• salt, ground black pepper
• 2 onions

Method

• Wash the fillets and dry them with a paper towel. If using frozen fillets, let them thaw slowly at room temperature.
• Peel and chop the onion. Then, place it on the prepared fillets and leave it overnight in the refrigerator.
• Peel the garlic, chop it, and sprinkle with salt. Then rub the garlic on the fish and put it back in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Mix the flour and sweet paprika on a plate.
• Cut the marinated carp into portions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and coat in flour and paprika.
• Rub some of the butter into an ovenproof dish.
• Place the carp in a bowl and cover with your favorite dark beer.
• Cut the remaining butter into pieces and add to the bowl with the fish.
• Place in the oven and bake until golden, approx. 20 minutes, at 360°F.
• Serve with grilled vegetables or potatoes.

Traditional Black sauce Carp (Black Carp)

Carp served with a mouth-watering prune, walnut, and raisin sauce; this Czech dinner party dish is impressive yet surprisingly easy to prepare. 

Boiled new potatoes and a cucumber salad will complement the carp beautifully.

Treat your guests to a real feast and prepare a caper they have never eaten!

Bon apetite!

Ingredients

• 1 carp
• 1/2 cup carrots
• 1/4 cup parsley
• a piece of celery
• 1 onion
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 1 glass of red wine
• 1 cup of dark beer (Ale)
• 2 tablespoons of wine vinegar
• 3 spoons of old gingerbread
• 2 scoops of plum jam
• a pinch of thyme
• Bay leaf
• allspice
• a handful of sultanas (big raisins)
• a few peeled almonds
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt, pepper and sugar to taste

Method

Fish

• First, you need to boil fresh carp and pour the blood into a bowl.
• Rinse the inside of the fish with vinegar and add the vinegar to the blood in the bowl. Then wash the carp, divide into “horseshoes” and salt.
• All vegetables must then be peeled and cut into cubes. In the next step, put it in hot butter and fry it on all sides.
• Then add lemon juice, allspice, bay leaf, thyme, sultanas, almonds and cover everything with half a liter of boiling water.
• Then put the fish in the container with the prepared mixture and cook everything for about 10 minutes.
• At the end, simply remove the fish from the pot and clean it from the bones, then transfer it to another warm container.

Sauce

• The next step is to prepare the sauce. Add the grated gingerbread, beer, jam and blood with vinegar to the pot and bring to a boil.
• Then serve the carp, pour the sauce through a strainer and you’re done!

Jewish Carp

Thinking about the menu for the Christmas holidays, there is one wonderful dish – Jewish baked carp. 

This dish exists in many countries where Jewish communities live. Over time, it assimilated into the cuisines of these countries, which is why there are several recipes for its preparation. 

We chose one of the variations that is most often found in Polish cuisine and without which Christmas Eve is not complete in many families.

Ingredients

Carp

• 1 carp
• 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• frying oil

Sauce

• 3 onions
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1 spoon of sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2-3 dried carnations
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 glass of dry white wine

Method

• Prepare all the ingredients for preparing carp the Jewish way.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Clean the fish from the guts and scales, and wash it well.
• Make several cuts on each side of the fish. Drizzle the carp with lemon juice and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. To do this, peel 3 onions and cut them into slices.
• Heat a pan with the butter and fry the onion until soft. Add the dry white wine.
• Add all raisins to the onion and wine.
• Add 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 2-3 dried cloves, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, and ½ teaspoon paprika. Cook everything together for about 5 minutes on low heat.
• Heat another pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the carp and fry until golden on both sides.
• Place the fish in a baking dish and add the sauce. Bake for 1 hour and regularly pour the sauce over the carp.

Black Carp recipes are simple, and anyone can prepare them.

The procedures listed above will guide you step by step in preparing the most delicious treats your guests will praise long after tasting them.