Discovering the Loire Valley: its small châteaux and carp à la Chambord

Marion Sauveur, what specialty do you recommend us to taste in the Loire Valley? 

A dish served at the time at the table of kings: it is “carp à la Chambord”.

You have to imagine a whole fish, in the center of the table.

It was one of the masterful banquet pieces, with gargantuan accompaniments: lots of merchandise and lots of hands to make this lovely dish.

The recipe was developed in the 18th century, as the starred chef Christophe Hay tells.

"It's a recipe that was created for the Maréchal de Saxe, in Chambord. At the time, this carp was stuffed whole. With crayfish, since we were in the moats, and in the moats there were crayfish and carp. But also peasant bacon, truffles. If you look at a hundred years ago, we were in the most truffle-producing regions in France. They ate truffles like potatoes. And then mushrooms, since historically there were a lot of mushroom cellars in the region. Everything was washed down with this red wine sauce. It was all the riches that were around the castle. "  

At the time of the hunt, there were even game birds which included the stuffing.

And all these elements (crayfish, truffles, bacon, mushrooms) were also installed around the carp.

It was a real sculpture that was placed on the table.

And it is this garnish that bears the name “à la Chambord”.

It has evolved according to the times.

Alexandre Dumas in his Little Dictionary of Cooking relates that the carp was served with “six small chickens (...), four stuffed partridges (...), twelve pigeons (...) and eight beautiful whole truffles”.

It must have been impressive! 

But was the carp a luxury fish? 

It was in any case a royal delicacy.

It must be said that at the time we ate freshwater fish more easily than today.

Even if in Sologne we have always eaten stuffed carp, until recently they came from ponds or from the Loire.

It was a Sunday dish like chicken or roast.

And yet the carp is a faded fish.

It has suffered from a reputation as a fish full of bones and with a muddy taste, while it has a white, tight and very fine flesh.

Can we cook this carp à la Chambord at home? 

Yes, it is a real family dish that takes a little time.

You have to stuff the carp with a duxelle of mushrooms, a stuffing of fish and crayfish.

And once the carp is closed, head for the oven.

The carp cooking juice is then mixed with a reduction of red wine and creamed.

And we water the carp before serving.

Of course, there will be edges but it will be like at the king's table! 

Do you have an address to put your feet under the table? 

There is only one address to taste this carp at the revisited Chambord: at Christophe Hay, at the Maison d'à Côté, in Montlivault.

This is his signature dish.

The carp is not drawn up on a dish, whole.

We have a piece of this roasted carp, without bones.

We really discover the flavors of this very fine fish.

It is covered with truffles and crayfish, next to a quenelle of duxelle of mushrooms and accompanied by a very creamy red wine sauce.