Catfish on the Table?

[Hawnjigs]

Since catfish seem to be available everywhere, I have some questions for you chip munchers.

Since I only short time on the mainland only eaten kitties 3x, all fried.
1st: 5# from Seeley Res in Greeley CO. Dirty shallow water. Tasted terrible, went into the garbage.
2nd: 8# from Glendo Res WY. Low but fairly clean water off dam. Delicious, famiily of 5 enjoyed.
3rd: pair of 3# from Sutherland Res outlet NE. Flowing water, bit murky but not silty. One tasted OK, the other had an unpleasant off flavor.

So, how do you value catfish for eating? Is there some way to tell the good tasting from lesser quality fish? I've read that smaller ones are better eating, tho my best experience was from a chunky? Can the flesh be brined or marinated to fix the off tasting ones? The Glendo cat was dripping with fat, is that a function of season, location, or ?

 

[Fatman]

Love catfish - even the lowly bull head!!! Have always soaked them in buttermilk and then use a spoon to take the top layer of milk off. If you just pour it off everything just goes back on the fish.

 

[hunter7711]

The only catfish I'll eat is out of running water. Since the Missouri River is only a mile away I eat them once in awhile. Prefer Flatheads over Blues and Channel. My favorite is one that is 2# and is fried whole. I've never eaten any catfish over 4# that tasted worth a crap.I

 

[AtticaFish]

I smoke them pretty often...... the fattier the meat the better when it comes to smoked fish IMO. The layer of fat between the meat and skin will just about make you drool once it is smoked. I usually keep fairly small cats, maybe 16"-18" at biggest.

Fishing buddy of mine keeps them pretty regularly.... says to cut off any yellow colored meat that is usually around the upper shoulder area. He soaks his in buttermilk before frying as well.

 

[Jig Man]

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The only catfish I'll eat is out of running water. Since the Missouri River is only a mile away I eat them once in awhile. Prefer Flatheads over Blues and Channel. My favorite is one that is 2# and is fried whole. I've never eaten any catfish over 4# that tasted worth a crap.

^^^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^

The only fish I bring home anymore is crappie. My bride doesn't like the kitties. If I'm having a fish fry then I'll cook mostly cats cause they are easier to catch, but cook my bride some crappie. She is the boss after all. Hope I can catch her a snapper, or a cobia when we are at the coast. Tripple tail would be nice, but there isn't any where I'm going.. Prolly wont make it out to the deeper water where the whahoo run.

 

[Bucko]

catfish are delicious! spring and fall are best times to eat them. I bleed mine before I filet them. simple to do. hang them by the tail and cut them open on the bottom behind the gills. the blood will come out and a lot of the bad taste with it. I don't eat the belly meat because of the fat and it don't taste good to me. if you trim any red meat out that will help. soak in milk and ice then fry. yum. anyone else bleed them? my grandpa taught me that years ago and always have done it since.

 

[Jig Man]

yes sir...

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

I've eaten plenty over the years and have only had a few that tasted muddy. Sometimes fillet them while still squirming, always cut out the red meat in any fish. That's where the strong taste lies. Fresher fish is the best. #5 on my list of freshwater fish I eat ahead of trout and bass. Probably over 25 years since I ate a bass.

 

[hookup]

I dont even eat the catfish from the local rivers any more - to much pollution around DC.

Friend of mine use to fish a private pond that had big ones and the land around was farming - in other words, no horse, cow, pig or chicken poop. They tasted good. He's dip them in a egg, then cornmeal with salt, pepper, and seasame seed, then into hot oil (375dF) for a brief fry. They were excellent.

When I first came to DC, I'd eat one meal a year. Usually the smaller ones in the 2-3# range. We'd cook them bachelor style; salt, pepper, butter, lemon juice wrapped in foil on the grill. They were always good. The young ones are always the best for pussy munching.

 

[redman]

Keith Our family eats catfish all the time. We have at least two times a week. Bucko is right the blood has to be removed from the meat. I soak my fillets in water that has ice cubes added with salt to leech out the blood. You can do the buttermilk soak I have did that but for the most part I just use a home made cornmeal breading fry in a good hot oil. French fries, Hush Puppies, Cole Slaw, and Ice tea or beer and you have you a good meal. I have been having half and half Ice tea. Half Ice tea and half lemonade a nice fresh drink that seem to compliment a catfish dinner perfectly.

Attica is right the smoked catfish are great. I love smoked fish and was reluctant to try catfish. I smoked my first batch and it was as good as smoke trout not as good as salmon. Most of the smoked fish have high oil content and catfish will fit in there very well.

Think that catfish caught out of running water that has a low row crop agriculture around are the best. Catfish are bottom feeders and will retain harmful chemicals if caught in waters that have a heavy ag chem run off. We are very lucky that we have no row crop raised on the upper part of the Big Cypress Bayou where all the catfish I catch come from. So eat them kitties just make sure that you get all the blood out of the meat.

Redman

 

[Hawnjigs]

Thank you all for the valuable advice. Mostly, I've been trout fishing the last few years and when I want to eat one, I'll cut the gills and let the fish bleed out in the water while still alive. Maybe, the fish will have some comfort passing on in its home environment, and the water will inhibit clotting allowing the heart to pump out the vascular system? Would this work with kitties?

 

[redman]

Don't see why it won't. I keep mine alive until they are ready to be cleaned. Then they are processed and put in cold water. With the heat down south we try to keep them live and as fresh as possible. Most fisherman use ice chest filled with cold water and ice. Spoilage does become a problem the hotter the temperature becomes. In cold trout streams that is never a problem right now our water temps in the high 70's.

Redman

 

[quivira kid]

I keep one every once in a great while.... But definitely prefer crappie and bluegills!

 

[Lost Pole]

I eat em, but haaaaate cleaning em, so yeah.... I keep few.
I think there is an art to catfish cooking. And I'm not an artist.
For example, there is a catfish joint not far from here that I could eat at 7 days a week. If they had enough help to be open more than 4.
I'd put their fish above any steak, lobster, blah, etc.

But I'd rather a microwave burrito than my cooked catfish

 

[moswampy]

Red meat removal is a must. Cold water soak and some squeezing will get a lot of the fat out that is not trimmed away. I prefer blue cat over channel but flats are the best. I cut cleaned fillets into nugget size and soak in milk with a few eggs and some mustard about four hours. Fried is the best way but oven fried is not bad. A good consistent fry is needed as with all fish. We eat a lot of cats at times


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