Whole Stuffed Carp Baked in the Oven

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you bake a stuffed carp in the oven? Gather everything on the list. Fresh-caught fish is ideal, but frozen works just as well. For this recipe I used a frozen fish weighing about 3 1/4 pounds. If your carp is frozen, take it out of the freezer and let it sit at room temperature until fully thawed.

2. Step 2:

   

   Gut the fish, remove the gills, and scale it. Peel the onion and carrot. Trim the stems off the mushrooms if they're spongy. Rinse everything under running water and pat dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels.

3. Step 3:

   

   Cut the onion into small dice and grate the carrot on the large holes of a box grater. Roughly chop the mushrooms into small pieces.

4. Step 4:

   

   Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly, until golden — about 5–7 minutes. You want all the liquid to cook off and the mushrooms to take on an appetizing golden color.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add the onion and carrot to the mushrooms. If the vegetables start to scorch, lower the heat a bit. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   Cook the buckwheat in lightly salted water. Add it to the skillet. Stir, season with salt to taste, and take off the heat. Let the stuffing cool slightly.

7. Step 7:

   

   Score the fish with a thin, sharp knife. Brush the whole fish with vegetable oil using a silicone brush. Sprinkle both sides with ground pepper, garlic powder, and fish seasoning, then rub the spices into the surface. Fill the carp with the buckwheat stuffing.

8. Step 8:

   

   You can trim off the tail and fins. I usually leave them on — the finished dish looks more striking that way. Wrap the tail in foil so it doesn't burn during baking. I had about 2 tablespoons of stuffing left over, which I spread underneath the fish. As it bakes, the fish releases its juices, so that buckwheat comes out nice and moist.

9. Step 9:

   

   I love tucking all kinds of fresh vegetables into the baking dish, brushed with oil and sprinkled with aromatic spices. If you have room left in the dish, try roasting a small cluster of tomatoes alongside the fish.

10. Step 10:

    

    Bake the carp in a preheated oven at 350–425°F (180–220°C) for about an hour. If food tends to brown fast in your oven, cover the carp with foil and bake that way for 30–40 minutes, then remove the foil, brush the surface with the released juices, and let it brown for another 10–15 minutes.

11. Step 11:

    

    Serve while the fish is still warm.

12. Step 12:

    

    Cut the carp into serving portions with a long, sharp knife and enjoy the incredible flavor.