Karp po Polsku — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Whole carp poached in a fragrant vegetable broth and served with a sweet-and-sour sauce of raisins, almonds, and gingerbread — the traditional Christmas Eve centerpiece.

Ingredients

1 whole carp (about 1.5kg), cleaned and portioned
2 onions
2 carrots
1 celery root
2 bay leaves
6 allspice berries
50g dark raisins
30g sliced almonds
2 tbsp honey
200ml fish broth
50g gingerbread, crumbled
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Instructions

1 Simmer onions, carrots, celery root, bay leaves, and allspice in salted water for 20 min to make a court-bouillon.
2 Gently poach carp portions in the court-bouillon for 15-20 min until fish flakes easily.
3 Soak raisins in warm water 10 min, drain. Toast almonds lightly in a dry pan.
4 Make sauce: simmer fish broth with crumbled gingerbread, honey, lemon juice, raisins, and almonds until slightly thickened.
5 Arrange carp on a platter. Strain and spoon the sweet-sour sauce over the fish.
6 Serve warm or at room temperature as the star of the Wigilia table.

Did You Know?

Many Polish families keep a live carp swimming in the bathtub for days before Christmas Eve — children often name the fish before it becomes dinner.