Smoked Copi Fish Dip

We've talked a lot here at Timber2Table about invasive bighead and silver carp. Their meat is firm, white, and very mild in flavor.

If you noticed the Copi in the recipe name and wondered what that was all about, it's part of the new rebranding of silver and bighead carp to make them sound more palatable to the American consumer, who typically is turned off by the name carp. We import 6 billion pounds of seafood into this country each year. A large portion of that seafood is raised under questionable conditions in countries where safe food production isn't a priority. What I'm saying is, if the average consumer could see where this seafood was raised and what it was fed, there is no way they would eat it or serve it to their families. Copi, or invasive carp, grow in clean water right here in the U.S. and are processed in USDA inspected facilities. To top it all off, the meat is better quality and has better flavor than most of the imported stuff. Hopefully the new name will help the American consumer embrace this low cost, high quality protein we have swimming right in our own rivers and lakes.

This recipe makes a smooth, creamy fish dip. If you prefer your dip a little chunkier, just hold back a bit of the smoked fish and stir in at the end, or increase the amount of fish in the recipe.