Illinois Tried to Bait Restaurants With Carp But Customers Won’t Bite | Eater Chicago
"At weekend seafood sampling events held in the shop’s parking lot, owner Dirk Fucik presides over grill tastings that draw crowds to try salmon, shrimp, tuna and his copi offerings — he even urges people to “try these copi cakes,” explaining that copi were once called Asian carp. He has showcased carp widely (including hundreds of carp burgers at Taste of Chicago after a 2010 call from the White House), introduced copiburgers in salsa and teriyaki flavors, and continues to sell chopped and ground carp and frozen patties even though sales lag far behind staples like salmon (about 100 pounds of copi move in a month versus 100 pounds of salmon often selling out in a day). Fucik emphasizes to customers that copi are mild-flavored, high in omega-3s and low in mercury, and though he admits he “doesn’t sell a ton of it,” he keeps buying and promoting the fish as a good cause and a potential tool for controlling invasive populations." - Xuandi Wang
