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Boiled carp (carpe au bleu)

Carp cooked the French way: the fish is cleaned without removing the slime coat, salted and doused with boiling vinegar for the blue color, then poached 1 hour in salted water with onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and parsley. Served with melted butter and grated horseradish or whipped cream with horseradish, vinegar and sugar. Bream is prepared the same way.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 114 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

«Carpe au bleu» is the classic French cooking method in which the boiling vinegar makes the fish's slime coat turn a bluish color – which is why Erken emphasizes that the slime coat must not be washed off. Carp and bream were common freshwater fish in lakes and ponds, and horseradish was the standard accompaniment to boiled freshwater fish.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Clean the fish

    Clean the carp and wash it in water, but do not rinse away the slime coat – it gives the fish its blue color.

  2. 2

    Salt and vinegar

    Salt the fish and pour a little boiling vinegar over it; this is done for the sake of the color.

  3. 3

    Bring the liquid to a boil

    Pour enough boiling, salted water into the fish kettle to cover the fish. Add onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and parsley.

  4. 4

    Let the fish poach

    Let the fish poach just below the boiling point for 1 hour. It can be cooked whole or in slices.

  5. 5

    Serve

    Serve the fish with melted butter and grated horseradish, or with whipped cream seasoned with grated horseradish, vinegar and sugar. Bream is prepared the same way.

Changes from the original

Amounts are specified in modern units, and the cooking water is given as «enough to cover the fish». «Smaatrækker» is translated as poaching just below the boiling point. The method is otherwise unchanged.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From19141949Modernised
To19141949Modernised
1914 (proofread, p. 114) → 1949 (proofread, p. 139)~65% of the text changedremovedadded
1 karpe paa 1 1/2 à 2 kg. salt litt kokende eddik kokende, saltet vand 1 løk 1 laurbærblad 2 hele pepperkorn 1 bundt persille Karpen har et saftig og velsmakende kjøt. kjøtt. Man vælger velger helst karper paa 1 1/2 à på 1½ å 2 kg., disse er fetest feest og mest velsmakende. Fisken renses og vaskes i vand, slimhinden skal ikke avvaskes. Fisken saltes og overheldes med litt kokende eddik; dette gjøres for farvens skyld. Nu heldes saa meget kokende, saltet vand løk i fiskekjelen, at det staar over fisken. I fiskevandet haves: 1 løk, 1 laurbærblad, laurbærblad 2 hele pepperkorn og 1 bundt i bunt persille. Fisken smaatrækker småtrekker 1 time. Fisken kan kokes hel eller i skiver, som man vil. Fisken serveres med smeltet smør og reven pepperrot eller med vispet fløte, tilsat tilsatt reven pepperrot, eddik og sukker. Brasen tillages paa samme maate.

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Frequently asked questions

How large a carp should I choose?
The recipe recommends carp of 1 1/2 to 2 kg – these are the fattest and most flavorful.
Why is boiling vinegar poured over the fish?
It is done for the sake of the color – the vinegar together with the slime coat gives the blue color that has given the dish its name, «carpe au bleu». That is why the slime coat should not be washed off; the fish is only cleaned and rinsed.
How long should the carp cook?
The fish should poach (not boil hard) for about 1 hour in boiling, salted water with onion, bay leaf, 2 whole peppercorns and a bunch of parsley. It can be cooked whole or in slices.
What is it served with?
Melted butter with grated horseradish – following the recipe in Schønberg Erken's «Stor kokebok» (1914), p. 114.

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