Franconian Smoked Carp

Name: Räucherkarpfen Franken
Total time: 7 h
Ingredients: 45 g Meersalz; 150 ml Helles Lagerbier; 40 g Zwiebel, in Ringe geschnitten; 6 g Kümmel, ganz; 3 Stück Lorbeerblätter; 4 g Schwarzer Pfeffer, ganz; 10 g Zucker

BrineFishHot SmokingMedium7-9 hrs65-68 °C90-110 °CBeech

Following Franconian tradition, the carp is cured in a robust beer brine and then hot-smoked over beech wood. Onions, bay leaf, and caraway give the fish a hearty, regional character. The result is a moist, aromatic smoked carp with crispy skin, prepared as it has been in Franconia for centuries.

Ingredients(for 1 kg)

Sea Salt45 g

Light Lager Beer150 ml

Onion, sliced into rings40 g

Caraway Seeds, whole6 g

Bay Leaves3 Stück

Black Pepper, whole4 g

Sugar10 g

Instructions

Prepare Beer Brine & Cure

12-16 hours

Dissolve salt, sugar, pepper, caraway, and bay leaf in water, let cool, then combine with lager and onion rings. Submerge the gutted carp fully in the brine and refrigerate for 12-16 hours.

Preparation & Drying

1 hour

Remove carp from brine, rinse, and pat thoroughly dry. Fill belly cavity with fresh onion rings and caraway. Leave on rack uncovered for 1 hour to air-dry.

Smoking

4-5 hours

Preheat smoker with beech wood to 90 °C. Place carp on grate. Increase temperature to 100-110 °C and smoke until an internal temperature of 65-68 °C is reached in the thickest part of the back. Skin should be golden brown and crispy.

Resting

20 minutes

Rest the carp for 20 minutes after smoking. Traditionally served warm with horseradish and rustic bread.

Pro Tip

Fill the carp with caraway and onion slices before smoking – this gives the flesh an incomparably Franconian flavor. Use only genuine beech wood.

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