Carp Brine
Ingredients: 1 kg carp, 15 ml oil, 6 cloves of garlic, a sprig of fresh thyme, a hot pepper, pepper, 4 large tomatoes, 4 bell peppers
The carp (Cyprinus carpio) is undoubtedly one of the most appreciated fish in Romanian cuisine, holding a place of honor in the hearts of many local chefs. This species comes in three distinct varieties: wild carp, farmed carp, and mirror carp. Wild carp, with its elongated shape, has leaner meat, while farmed carp, being more developed, offers fattier and thus tastier meat. Mirror carp is distinguished by its lack of scales, having only one row along the backbone. Preparing carp is an art, and the available recipes are countless, each with a touch of creativity and tradition.
One of the most delicious ways to prepare carp is through a brine recipe that I learned from my brother-in-law, Gaby, a passionate fisherman and a true master of cooking. The entire process is simple but requires attention to detail to achieve a truly savory result. The first step is to gut the fish, followed by portioning it without removing the scales to preserve the authentic taste.
Next, we sprinkle coarse salt in a baking tray or, why not, in a roasting pan. Personally, I prefer flavored salt, inspired by Jamie Oliver's recipes, making sure to always have it on hand, as my family loves fish dishes, especially grilled. The preparation of flavored salt is simple: for every 100 grams of coarse salt, we add the leaves from two sprigs of fresh rosemary and the zest of an orange and a lemon. The rosemary leaves are crushed, and the zests are grated, then mixed with the salt. This mixture can be used immediately or left to dry for six hours, stored in an airtight jar to keep its aroma for a month.
For the brine recipe, I chose to flavor the salt with fresh lovage, which I finely chopped in a mortar, mixing it with the coarse salt. We place the fish on the salt in the tray and put it on a hot grill. Once the fish is evenly cooked on one side, we carefully turn it over to cook the other side. Once the fish is cooked, we quickly dip it in a pot of boiling water for a few seconds to slightly reduce its saltiness.
The next step is to prepare the brine: we grill the tomatoes, bell pepper, and chili pepper, then peel and finely chop them. We crush a few garlic cloves in a mortar, adding a little water and oil, then mix the chopped vegetables with the garlic sauce. The resulting brine is generously poured over the prepared fish, and for a fresh finish, we sprinkle finely chopped parsley on top. This recipe is not just a delicacy but an invitation to savor a Romanian culinary tradition.
