Carpe à la Chambord

Freshwater fish are regarded with suspicion by English cooks, particularly those members of the carp family, ‘coarse’ fish like the common carp, bream, and tench, which lurk in the depths of still and muddy waters. Coarse and insipid is the usual verdict, with the added reflection that they feed on mud and garbage. As a rule the muddy accusation is forestalled by transferring the fish alive into a freshwater tank with running water.

If you ask the fishmonger to scale and clean your