Give your dinner guests a memorable dining experience with this Crawdad and Shrimp Stuffed Carp Recipe. (Photo courtesy of Rydell Danzie)
September 22, 2022
By Rydell Danzie and Vero Rodriguez
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In this carp recipe, a whole carp is stuffed with crawdads (aka crayfish), shrimp, and seasonings. The stuffed carp is then wrapped up in banana leaves and grilled. The banana leaves create a pocket around the fish, trapping steam, liquids, and flavor within.
This Crawdad and Shrimp Stuffed Carp dish offers a full dinner experience. It's a unique and satisfying meal that is loaded with protein and perfect for entertaining friends and family. The presentation and taste of this so-called "rough fish" will delight your dinner guests. Who knew carp could taste so good?
Crawdad and Shrimp Stuffed Carp is best eaten traditional style with your hands, as the bones are still in the fish but are easily separated after being cooked. Using your fingers to eat this dish not only allows you to weed out any larger bones but also heightens the sensory experience and makes the food even more enjoyable!
This recipe serves up to 4 people depending on your guests’ appetite. If you need to stretch the meal a bit (or if you just want leftovers), consider doubling the recipe or serving the stuffed carp with a side of rice.
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Serves: 2-4 Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 25-30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 (2- to 3-pound) carp (head on) 1 green onion (or wild onion) ½ cup chopped cilantro 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 lemons Banana leaves, enough to wrap the carp 1 head baby bok choy 1 tablespoon garlic salt 2 tablespoons fresh cracked peppercorn ¼ cup your favorite rub (I used a wild game rub from Beard BQ Sauce ) ½ pound crawdads (aka crayfish) ½ pound shrimp 1 pineapple Save the top of your pineapple and use it to keep the banana leaves wrapped around the stuffed carp. (Photo courtesy of Rydell Danzie) Directions:
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Preheat your grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and pat dry your carp. Cut slits along the rib cage on both sides (this will allow the season to seep into the meat of the carp). Set carp aside. Chop the onion and cilantro. Put them into a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Take half a lemon and juice it into the onion, cilantro, and olive oil mixture. Lay your banana leaves out on your workspace. Use as many banana leaves as needed to fully wrap around the carp. Break up the stems of the baby bok choy and layer them on top of the banana leaves. Put the carp on top of the bok choy layer. Brush the carp on the outside with the remaining olive oil. Stuff the onion, cilantro, and olive oil mixture inside the carp. Slice the other half of the lemon and insert the slices inside the carp. Cut the remaining lemon in half and spritz the lemon onto the carp. Sprinkle stuffed carp with garlic salt, ground peppercorn, and your favorite rub to taste. Finish stuffing the carp with the crawdad and shrimp. Slice the pineapple and put a few slices along the top of the carp. Wrap the banana leaves loosely around the carp, creating a pocket to trap and steam the liquids of the carp. You can use the top part of the pineapple to hold the banana leaf wrap in place. Place the wrapped carp on your grill. Close the grill lid and grill for 25-30 minutes or until the meat can be flaked with a fork. Once done, carefully transfer the wrapped carp to a platter and unwrap. Be careful when unwrapping because hot steam will be released during this step. Cut and serve Crawdad and Shrimp Stuffed Carp. Using your fingers to eat this dish will allow you to easily remove any large bones. Enjoy! Eat this stuffed carp with your fingers – it takes the sensory experience to another level and makes it easier to filter out larger bones. (Photo courtesy of Rydell Danzie) To learn more about the authors of this recipe, Rydell Danzie and Vero Rodriguez of Field to Grill aka F2G, visit: f2goutdoors.com
