June 26, 2026
Translated by ChatGPT.
In the Czech Republic, only a few people can imagine Christmas without carp—whether you like it fried, cooked “na modro,” or prefer a more modern interpretation. And when it comes to carp, you would be hard-pressed to find a better place for inspiration than Třeboň, a town as closely associated with this symbol of Czech Christmas as a carp scale is with the legend of good luck.
It is from here that this recipe comes, shared with us by the team from the Šupina and Šupinka restaurants: poached carp with black sauce, potato croquettes, and a warm salad of savoy cabbage and dried plums. A traditional fish prepared in a modern way—evoking the aroma of Christmas while bringing something new to the plate.
Ingredients
Carp
800 g carp fillets
300 g salt
150 g sugar
20 g fennel seeds
5 g bay leaves
10 g black pepper
10 g allspice
Croquettes
500 g potatoes
100 g plain flour
50 g starch
20 g salt
50 g dried plums
50 g almonds
20 g chives
2 eggs
Salad
400 g celeriac
200 g Brussels sprouts
100 g dried plums
10 g flat-leaf parsley
salt to taste
Black Sauce
100 g butter
150 g shallots
10 g garlic
10 g thyme
50 g dried plums
50 g almonds
400 ml fish stock
50 g plum jam
20 g salt
100 ml white wine
Pickled Celeriac
200 g celeriac
200 ml water
100 ml wine vinegar
100 g sugar
10 g salt
10 g turmeric
microgreens for garnish
Crumble (for sprinkling)
200 g potatoes
200 g pancetta
Method
Carp
Trim the carp and cut it into portions of about 150 g. Mix the salt and sugar and add the spices, which you lightly toast in a pan beforehand to release their aroma. Coat the carp thoroughly in this mixture and leave to marinate for 2 hours. Then rinse and allow to dry until the next day. Place the carp in a saucepan with melted butter and oil and poach at 90 °C for 10–12 minutes. Remove from the fat, peel off the skin, and sprinkle with the crumble.
Crumble
Peel the potatoes, cut them into small cubes (ideally brunoise), and fry in oil at 140 °C until golden. Remove and let drain and dry. Fry the pancetta until crispy, also let it dry, and then mix with the fried potato cubes.
Croquettes
Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water until almost tender. Drain, peel, and finely grate. Add the plain flour, starch, two eggs, sliced almonds, finely chopped dried plums, salt, and chives. Work into a compact dough and shape into balls. Coat in the classic three-step breading (flour, egg, breadcrumbs) and fry until golden.
Black Sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the finely chopped shallots, and let them soften. Add sliced garlic and briefly sauté. Add the thyme, dried plums, and almonds, sauté briefly again, then pour in the wine. Let the alcohol evaporate, add the plum jam and fish stock, and simmer thoroughly. Blend the sauce in a Thermomix and strain through a fine sieve. If necessary, adjust the seasoning with sugar or verjuice.
Warm Salad
Cut the celeriac into fine julienne strips. Clean the Brussels sprouts, halve them, and blanch lightly. Heat butter with a little oil in a saucepan, add the celeriac, and sauté briefly. Add the Brussels sprouts, sauté, and finally mix in the dried plums and chopped flat-leaf parsley.
Pickled Celeriac
Pour a hot pickling liquid made from water, wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and turmeric over the celeriac cut into small cubes. Serve garnished with microgreens.
