Baked Carp in Sour Cream (Ukrainian)

Rub the fish with salt and lemon juice and let it sit for 20 minutes — the acid neutralizes the earthy smell. You can also soak the carp in milk for 30–60 minutes, which gently draws out the off-note and tenderizes the flesh. Fresh fish with clean red gills smells far less than fish that has sat around. The garlic and herbs in the coating also mask the river note.

Ordinary slashes on a whole fish won't soften them — baking doesn't make carp bones disappear, so eat a whole carp carefully and pick the bones out. A larger carp (over 1.2 kg) doesn't have fewer bones, but they are thicker and easier to find. If bones are a deal-breaker, use fillets and do what German and Central European cooks call Grätenschneiden: cut across the fillet from the flesh side every 3 mm or so, through the flesh and the fine bones but not through the skin — you hear the bones crunch under the knife. The cut bones become small enough not to bother you after cooking. A whole fish stays juicier, though.

Besides carp, crucian carp, silver carp, bream, or sea bream all work — any freshwater or white fish that bakes well. A whole fish stays juicier because the skin and onion bed hold in moisture. Pieces are easier to serve but dry out faster, so coat them more generously with sour cream. For large pieces, shorten the baking time.

Yes, as long as you don't bread the fish in flour or thicken the sauce with flour: fish, sour cream, onion, and lemon have no gluten and almost no carbs, so it's a keto and gluten-free dish that's high in protein. Carp fried in flour is no longer gluten-free. Potatoes on the side add carbs — for keto, swap them for vegetables or skip them.

Carp is classically served with boiled or roasted potatoes that soak up the sour-cream sauce, and fresh herbs. You can arrange the potatoes right around the fish so they bake in the same sauce. A handful of grated hard cheese over the sour cream for the last 10 minutes gives a browned crust. Round it out with lemon, pickled vegetables, and a fresh salad.