Crucian carp have tasty, slightly sweet meat, they have very little fat, but they almost never turn out dry, unless they are overcooked. If, while relaxing in nature, you combined relaxation with fishing and caught crucian carp, then it would be a good idea to fry them over coals. Crucian carp cook quickly on the grill and turn out very tasty. If you pre-marinate them, the marinade will destroy the small bones in the fish, and it will become even more enjoyable to eat. There are several options for cooking crucian carp in nature, and each has its own advantages.
Cooking features
The technology for cooking crucian carp on the grill is not complicated. The prepared fish is marinated. While it is soaking in the marinade, they light a fire and wait for it to burn out. Carp are fried on a grill or directly on coals; in the latter case, they must be wrapped in foil. The result is a juicy and aromatic dish that is pleasant to eat. Even an inexperienced cook can handle its preparation, but to get the best result, he needs to know and take into account several important points.
- Before grilling crucian carp, it is necessary to properly prepare it. They are washed and cleaned. The scales are removed with a knife, fork or a special grater. To prevent the fish from slipping out of your hands, wear fabric gloves. Then the fish is gutted, washed again and dried with a napkin. When cleaning and gutting fish, be careful not to squeeze too hard so as not to damage the gall bladder, as this will cause the fish to become bitter. The black film inside the abdomen must be removed when cleaning. If there is caviar in the crucian carp, it is returned inside the fish and fried along with it. Sometimes caviar is prepared separately, but you definitely shouldn’t throw it away.
- For grilling, choose small and medium-sized fish. It takes 12-16 minutes to fry, depending on the size. On average, crucian carp are fried for 7 minutes on each side, but during frying they are periodically turned over, so it is more convenient to take into account the total cooking time. You should not exceed the specified cooking time, especially if the crucian carp are fried without foil, otherwise they may become dry.
- Crucians will turn out delicious even if you fry them without marinating them first. But it’s still better to keep them in the marinade for at least an hour or two. It not only makes the meat more tender. It rids the fish of the smell of mud, gives it a pleasant taste and even destroys small bones. All this has the best effect on the organoleptic qualities of the finished dish.
- In order for the fish to be better saturated with the marinade, diagonal cuts are made on its back with a sharp knife in two different directions. At the same time, the bones are cut. Thanks to this, the dish becomes more tender and convenient to eat.
Preparation
First of all, you need to prepare the fish itself. To do this, select medium-sized crucian carp and clean them of scales. This must be done under running water. Or, to prevent the fish from slipping out of your hands, rub it with salt. After cleaning, cut the crucian carp along the belly and remove all the entrails. Rinse again. It is also necessary to remove the gills, as they may contain a lot of silt and other debris.
Some people don’t really like crucian carp, as they have a specific muddy smell. You can get rid of it by keeping the fish in water for an hour with a little vinegar or salt added.
When the crucian carcasses are ready, make several deep cuts along the back. Thanks to this, the crucian carp on the fire will not have small bones: they will dissolve during the cooking process. Therefore, eating fish will not be scary. In addition, such cuts allow the crucian carp to cook faster. And if you pre-soaked the fish in the marinade, the crucian carp on the grill will become more juicy and aromatic.
Crucian carp on the grill in a classic marinade
Compound:
- crucian carp – 1 kg;
- lemon – 0.5 pcs.;
- refined vegetable oil – 50 ml;
- black and allspice (ground) - to taste;
- onions – 100 g;
- salt - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Clean and gut the fish. Wash the crucian carp, dry with a napkin. Make diagonal cuts on the back of each fish, about 5mm apart, in two opposite directions.
- Rub the crucian carp inside and out with a mixture of peppers and salt.
- Squeeze the juice from the lemon and mix it with vegetable oil. Cover the fish with this mixture.
- After removing the husk, cut the onion into semicircles and place them inside each fish.
- Leave the crucian carp to marinate for 1-2 hours. In the meantime, prepare the grill - you will need to fry the crucian carp on a grill over coals.
- Place the marinated crucian carp on the grill and sprinkle them with a mixture of oil and lemon juice. Roast for 12-14 minutes, turning occasionally.
Crucian carp fried on the grill are delicious on their own, but if you complement them with baked potatoes and fresh vegetables, the dish will be even more satisfying, appetizing and pleasant to the taste.
Crucian carp shashlik
To prepare kebabs from crucian carp, experienced chefs advise taking small fish and frying them without cutting off the heads and other parts. If you decide to cut the carcasses, make the pieces at least 5 cm wide, otherwise they will fall through the bars of the grill.
We take:
- Fish – 1 kg.
- Bay leaf – 2 leaves.
- Lemon – 0.5 fruits.
- Bulb.
- Vegetable oil – 3 tablespoons.
- Dill, basil, cilantro - a bunch.
- Black pepper – 0.5 small spoon.
- Salt - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Clean the fish, remove the entrails, cut off the heads, fins, tail, remove the entrails. We won’t need them now, use them to cook wonderful crucian fish soup.
- Cut into pieces of the same size. Rub with a mixture of salt and pepper. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
- Cut the onion into thin rings, chop the bay leaves almost into crumbs, chop the fresh herbs.
- Sprinkle the fish preparations with chopped herbs and bay leaves, scatter the onion rings, and stir.
- Let it sit for about an hour under a cap of onions and herbs, stirring the contents periodically.
- When the wood in the grill burns out, brush the pieces of crucian carp with oil, then place them on skewers.
- Place over the coals. Grill for about 10 minutes, turning frequently to ensure the kebab cooks evenly.
- To make the kebab juicy, baste it with the remaining marinade, plain water or wine when frying.
Crucian carp shish kebab can be prepared with lard. To do this, lard or bacon is cut into thin strips and strung between pieces of fish. Or they wrap each piece with a strip of lard, then place it on a skewer or skewer.
Crucian carp in marinade without lemon, grilled
Compound:
- crucian carp – 1 kg;
- refined vegetable oil – 60 ml;
- salt – 10-15 g;
- ground coriander – 2 g;
- zira – 2 g;
- turmeric – 2 g.
Cooking method:
- Clean and gut the crucian carp. Wash them, dry them, and make diagonal cuts on the back with a knife.
- Mix spices with salt, pour oil into them. Stir.
- Cover the crucian carp with the spicy mixture inside and out, leave them to marinate for 1.5 hours.
- Place the crucian carp on the grill and fry, spending about 7 minutes on each side.
Marinade recipes
To crucian carp on the grill
turned out crispy, juicy and tender, you must first soak them in the marinade. There are several marinade recipes, and you can choose the one that suits your taste. Here are some options.
Take a glass of homemade cream, add 50 ml of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Finely chop the fresh dill and combine all the ingredients. Place the fish in this marinade and leave for half an hour.
How to marinate crucian carp for frying on a fire in another way? You will need:
- sunflower oil (0.5 cup);
- mustard (1 tablespoon);
- lemon juice (50 ml);
- vinegar (1 teaspoon);
- sugar (0.5 teaspoon);
- pepper, salt, bay leaf.
Mix everything well (you can use a blender) and brush the crucian carp with this mixture. They should remain in this marinade for about an hour.
Another option for marinating crucian carp for frying over a fire. The fish can simply be greased with a mixture of salt, vegetable oil and spices (coriander, cumin, turmeric, ground bay leaf). The oil will penetrate into the cuts, and during frying it will give a crispy crust.
Crucian carp in soy marinade, fried on the grill
Compound:
- crucian carp – 1.5 kg;
- leek – 1 pc.;
- lemon – 1 pc.;
- soy sauce – 120 ml;
- fresh dill – 30 g;
- dried basil – 30 g;
- ground black pepper – 10-15 g.
Cooking method:
- Prepare the crucian carp by cleaning, gutting, rinsing and drying them.
- Squeeze the juice out of half a lemon and mix it with soy sauce. Cut the remaining lemon into thin semicircular slices.
- Pour a mixture of lemon juice and soy sauce over the fish and leave for half an hour.
- After the specified time, rub the crucian carp inside and out with a mixture of pepper and basil. Inside each fish, place a piece of onion and lemon, and a small sprig of dill. Leave the fish alone for another 10-20 minutes.
- Wrap the crucians in foil, place them on the grill and bake them for 15 minutes, turning them over from time to time.
Crucian carp marinated in soy sauce and fried on the grill turns out tender and aromatic. Even those who are not too fond of river fish will like them.
How to fry crucian carp on a grill?
Preparing fish for frying
Crucian carp are covered with hard scales and therefore, regardless of the method of preparing it, you should start with cleaning.
Cleaning is carried out in the following sequence:
- using a knife, remove the scales under running water;
- the carcass is cut and all the insides are pulled out, and it is important that the gall bladder remains intact;
- the caviar is removed or placed back inside;
- gills are removed;
- the carcass is washed from the dark film.
There is no need to remove the head, because this can spoil the taste of the finished dish.
Sometimes when cooked, the fish tastes like mud. This property depends on the purity of the reservoir in which it was caught. To remove the unpleasant aftertaste, it is marinated before cooking, or placed in salted water for an hour.
Crucians have a lot of small bones.
To get rid of them, you need to make several deep cuts on the back of the fish.
During the cooking process, the bones will soften and the cooking time will be reduced.
And if the dish is pre-marinated, this approach will allow it to be better soaked in the marinade.
Recipes for marinades for crucian carp
The crucian carp itself, cooked on the grill, is a delicious dish.
You can simply salt and pepper the carcass, sprinkle with lemon juice and place on the grill.
Additionally, you can use various seasonings, herbs and chopped onions.
To make the fish more juicy, you should try frying it in foil.
To give the dish an original taste and make it juicier, the carcasses must first be marinated.
There are many different marinade recipes to suit any taste preference.
- Classic marinade
For the classic sauce you will need the following ingredients:
- half a lemon;
- medium bulb;
- vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- bay leaf – 2 pcs;
- allspice peas – 5 pcs;
- cloves - 5 pcs;
- salt, black pepper.
The recipe is designed for 1 kg of fish.
The onion must be cut into rings and the juice squeezed out of the lemon. You need to mix all the ingredients and soak the carcasses in them for half an hour.
- Soy marinade
A very unusual marinade is made using soy sauce.
For a kilogram of fish you need to take:
- soy sauce – 100 ml;
- lemon juice – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- half a lemon;
- salt, pepper - to taste;
- leek – 1 piece;
- dill greens – 6 sprigs;
- basil – 30 gr.
The fish must be placed in a mixture of lemon juice and soy sauce for half an hour.
Mix the seasoning separately and rub the marinated carcass.
Place chopped lemon and leek inside the crucian carp and cook for another 15 minutes.
You can bake directly on the wire rack or after wrapping the carcasses in foil.
- Mustard marinade
Soft and juicy fish is obtained if you use mustard in the marinade.
For a kilogram of crucian carp you will need the following products:
- water - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- sugar – 1/2 teaspoon;
- lemon juice – 50 ml;
- mustard – 1 tbsp. spoon;
- vegetable oil – 100 ml;
- vinegar 9% - 1 teaspoon;
- bay leaf – 1 piece;
- salt, pepper - to taste.
In a blender you need to mix lemon juice, mustard, water, pepper, salt and bay leaf. Without ceasing to stir, you need to add vegetable oil.
The carcass is coated on all sides with the resulting seasoning and left to marinate for an hour.
In addition to the fish, you can place various vegetables on the grill, which are suitable as a side dish.
These could be potatoes, zucchini, eggplant or tomatoes.
You can also serve charcoal-fried crucian carp with fresh and pickled vegetables, various sauces and boiled potatoes.
Stuffed crucian carp baked in foil on the grill
compound:
- crucian carp – 1 kg;
- onions – 100 g;
- carrots – 100 g;
- fresh dill – 50 g;
- mayonnaise – 40-60 ml;
- lemon – 1 pc.;
- salt, ground black pepper - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Rub the prepared crucian carp inside and out with a mixture of pepper and salt, sprinkle with lemon juice, and leave for an hour.
- Scrub and wash the carrots. Dry it and grate it coarsely.
- Peel the onion and cut into small pieces.
- Wash the dill, let it dry, chop finely with a knife.
- Place carrots, onions and dill in a bowl, add mayonnaise to them, stir.
- Stuff the crucians with the prepared mixture and wrap them in foil.
- Place the fish wrapped in foil on the grill grate. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally.
Cooking method No. 2
Now we will tell you how to prepare crucian carp in foil. This method will help you preserve all the incredible tastes and smells of fish. This recipe is suitable for both a festive table and a weekday dinner. For cooking, take the following products and spices:
- fresh fish - based on 1 pc. for 1 person (we have 2 large fish);
- onions – 1.5 pcs.;
- garlic – 4 cloves;
- mayonnaise – 2-3 tbsp;
- lemon – 0.5 pcs.;
- dill, salt, pepper, spices - to taste;
- vegetable oil - to taste.
Cooking crucian carp in foil is very simple:
- As in the previous method, the fish must be thoroughly cleaned, washed, and dried.
- Now the crucian carp need to be sprinkled with salt and spices. Let stand for 30 minutes.
- Peel the onion, wash it, cut it into half rings. You can lightly skip it in the frying pan, or leave it as is.
- Mix the onion with dill - this will be our “minced meat”, which should be placed inside each fish.
- Mix mayonnaise with squeezed garlic. Coat the carcass on all sides with this mixture.
- Place the fish on a double layer of foil. Place a slice of lemon on top, wrap it well on all sides, and put it on the coals.
- Fry for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally. At the end of cooking, you can cut the foil and allow the crucian carp to crust over.
Our recipes will help you prepare a delicious fish dish, as well as delight your guests.
After a good catch, any fisherman thinks about how to cook the caught fish. Small ones are most likely suitable for fish soup, while medium and large ones can be baked or fried. And do it right there, in nature. For example, crucian carp on a grill turn out especially well. They are easy and quick to prepare. And lunch will be not only tasty, but also healthy. So, crucian carp on the grill: a recipe for professionals.
Preparation
When the fish has been marinated, you can start frying it over a fire. The crucian carp itself on the grill, the recipes for which are given below, turns out very tasty if you follow the technology. So, grease the grill with vegetable oil so that the fish does not stick to it. The crucian carp should not be pressed against each other so that they can bake well on all sides. The cooking time depends on what kind of marinade you made and how long you kept the fish in it. In general, this can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.
Don't forget to turn the crucian carp so that they are well fried on both sides. Interestingly, during the baking process, small bones should completely dissolve. Therefore, it will be safe to eat crucian carp. As a result, grilled crucian carp, the recipe for which you have learned, should turn out rosy, crispy and aromatic.
In addition, you can cook crucian carp on the grill in foil. The fish also needs to be marinated first. Then wrap it in foil, in which you also put onion, cut into rings, and a bay leaf. You need to bake crucian carp on hot coals for 20-30 minutes. The finished dish is eaten hot.