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Karpfen blau
Carp poached in vinegar stock
Karpfen blau: Franconian Christmas Eve carp poached blue in vinegar stock
In Franconia and Bavaria, Christmas Eve supper is often carp, and the old way is 'blau': the fish is poached in a sharp vinegar stock that turns its natural skin slime a striking slate blue. It is served with melted butter, freshly grated horseradish and boiled potatoes, and many families keep a carp scale in their wallet for good luck in the year ahead. Buy carp already killed and gutted by the fishmonger, and ask for it unscaled and handled as little as possible, or the blue colour won't appear. Chef's tip: never rinse or wipe the carp skin, because the slime is what turns blue.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the stock
- 12 ½ cups water
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 onionsliced
- 1 carrotsliced
- 4 lightly crushed juniper berries
- 2 tbsp salt
For the fish
- 3 ⅓ lb carp, gutted and unscaledcut in half lengthwise or into 4 portions
- ½ cup white wine vinegarhot
To serve
- 2 ⅞ oz buttermelted
- 4 tbsp fresh horseradishfinely grated
- 1 ¾ lb boiled potatoes
- 1 handful parsleychopped
- 1 lemonin wedges
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Simmer 12 ½ cups water, 1 cup white wine vinegar, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 bay leaves, 10 black peppercorns, 4 lightly crushed juniper berries and 2 tbsp salt in a large, wide pan for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 2: Lay 3 ⅓ lb carp, gutted and unscaled skin-side up in a shallow dish without washing it, and pour ½ cup white wine vinegar over the skin. It will turn blue almost at once.
Step 3: Lower the fish into the barely simmering stock; the liquid should just tremble, not bubble. Poach for 15–20 minutes, depending on thickness.
18 minStep 4: It is ready when the flesh near the backbone is opaque and flakes easily and a fin pulls out with no resistance. A common mistake is boiling the stock, which splits the skin and dulls the colour.
Step 5: Lift out carefully onto a warm plate. Serve with 2 ⅞ oz butter, 4 tbsp fresh horseradish, 1 ¾ lb boiled potatoes, 1 handful parsley and 1 lemon.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does karpfen blau take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white wine vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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Perfect for:Christmas