Crucian Carp in Sour Cream with Onion, Pan-Fried

What ruins crucian carp isn't the flavor, but the bones. It has more small, sharp bones than any other fish we catch, and that's exactly why half the catch ends up with the cats instead of the frying pan.

The fix isn't cleaning — it's a knife, before cooking. Frequent crosswise slashes down to the backbone, every five to seven millimeters, cut the small bones into short fragments, and in hot oil those become soft. A whole bone doesn't behave that way, which is why the slashes need to be frequent, not decorative.

Sour cream comes in as a second move here, once the fish is already golden on both sides. Poured in at the start, it turns frying into stewing, and the crucian carp ends up boiled in white sauce — tasty, but a different dish entirely.

The sour cream here stays a coating for the crust, but braised crucian carp with sour cream and onion thins it with water into a gravy. Boneless crucian carp fried in a pan skips sour cream altogether.

Caloric content: 145kcal

Notes

• Slashes are cut down to the backbone. A shallow cut through the skin doesn't touch the bones this whole exercise is for. The knife has to reach the backbone, but not cut through it.
• Pond-raised crucian carp is soaked. Half an hour in cold water with a spoonful of salt, or in milk, removes the muddy taste. This doesn't apply to river fish.
• Coat in flour right before the pan. Breading that's sat on the fish gets soggy and slides off into the oil along with the skin.
• Use sour cream that's at least 20% fat. Low-fat sour cream splits into water and flakes on a hot pan, and there's no sauce to speak of.
• Fry the onion separately and add it back at the end. Cooked together with the fish, it will burn: the crucian carp stays on the heat longer than onion can withstand.

Questions and Answers

How do you get rid of the small bones in crucian carp?

Make frequent crosswise slashes down to the backbone — every five to seven millimeters, on both sides. In hot oil the cut bones soften; whole ones don't.

How long to fry crucian carp?

Six to seven minutes per side to a golden crust, then another seven to eight minutes under the lid once the sour cream is added.

Why does crucian carp smell muddy?

That's the taste of pond water, not spoiled fish. Half an hour in salted water or in milk removes it.

Can this be done the same way with carp?

Yes, the slashes work on any carp-family fish with small bones. But large carp needs more time under the lid than crucian carp does.

Recipe and step-by-step photos — kolizhanka.net.ua.