Memorable Christmas Stories...

Discussion in 'Culture' started by Yerusalyim, Dec 21, 2009.

  1. Yerusalyim

    Yerusalyim Well-Known Member

    My first Christmas with my Czech wife was amusing. It was 2007 and we lived in Germany. We'd driven to Cheb on the 23rd of December and bought a nice large carp at the Tesco. We had the fish monger kill and clean the fish for us. He whacked the fish with his knife across it's neck...going about half-way through the fish, then gutted it. We put it on ice and took it home. My wife soaked the fish in warm water for about two hours before preparing to scale the fish and prepare it for cooking the next day. As she grabs its tail and started to rake the knife against its scales the fish jumped in her hands...thrashing around violently. My wife jumped up and back almost 10 feet. Apparently when the fish monger attempted to kill the fish he did not severe the spinal cord. So there we have a 5 kilo carp flopping around in the sink getting bloody, fishy water all over my wife, the kitchen, the curtains...and my wife refusing to go near the sink. I couldn't do anything because I was paralyzed by laughter. Finally recovering enough to drain the sink, I finished "killing" the fish and helped my wife prepare it...it took longer to clean the kitchen than to prepare the fish. My wife made an EXCELLENT soup, potatoe salad and fried fish for the 24th. That was my first, and most memorable Czech Christmas...what's your story?
     
  2. Alexx

    Alexx Well-Known Member

    Hehe, this is pretty common the fish is "alive" even when gutted and beheaded for few minutes. You just prolonged that time by putting it to the ice. Probably some post-mortem nerve/muscle reaction.

    While I was a kid we (my father and brothers) were going to my grandfathers house, where in the cellar there was my grandfather, my father and few helpers and kids killing around dozen of carps for our extensive family. It was pretty common beheaded carp jumped down from the table or heads in the bucket moved their eyes and/or lips.
     
  3. kibicz

    kibicz Well-Known Member

    Ive seen even carp filet shaking on pan after few days in freezer..
     
  4. Yerusalyim

    Yerusalyim Well-Known Member

    WOW, really? Cool.
     
  5. stepan

    stepan Well-Known Member

    Yes, that happened to me when I was a boy. My dad and I had been fishing and he had caught some bullheads. I had smacked one well over the head and had gutted it. I went to the water to clean it off and as I put it in, it suddenly twisted out of my hand and swam away. Of course, I jumped back 10 feet and screamed. My father came running. The only comment he had is, "Why did you let it get away?"

    By the way, would someone give me the recipe for good fish soup. I do not have it and would love to make it for my family.
     
  6. Yerusalyim

    Yerusalyim Well-Known Member

    I can give you the basics of how my wife does it. She boils the heads, tails and fins and then lets them simmer for several hours (salt and pepper to taste). She then strains the broth created to get all the little pieces out...and the heads and tails. She then adds potatoes, onions, chives, celery root, carrots a bit more salt and pepper...cook until the veggies are tender.

    It's pretty basic and very light but quite delicious.
     

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