i have had farm-raised catfish at restrauant's, and it was really tasty! but this friend of mine told me that from a reservoir their flesh tastes like mud from all the silt they eat. is this true, or are they good from our lakes and reservoirs?
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I have eatan cat's out of willard bay and they were taste. Just dip them in some egg than bread crums, or crackers, then fry them up. [
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Your friend told you a wives tail. Catfish are excellent, I catch them out of some pretty gross water (Bear River, Cutler), and they are delicious. Some people just have no idea how to cook fish/game. I do prefer to soak my catfish fillets in salt water for one day before cooking. I have heard the same silly rumor about ducks tasting like mud. You just need to get some good recipes, and you are set!
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I have had the willard cats too beer battered. very good dredge in flour then into batter 1 beer with like 2 cups flour (enough to make it a bit thick) tea paprika (i like smoked) dash of cayenne. fry 375 couple min add some lemon and its a party.! or you can dust with cornmeal with same spices and pan fry 2 min each side still good but not as.
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false!!! i fish u/l all the time and ive heard of phb and everything else you could throw at a guy.. plain and simple farm raised fish dont taste as good as natural fish[TO ME} let those cats sit in some milk over night and then cook them any way you prefer..
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If you have ever been to a catfish farm you would se this is not correct. They are not raised in concrete raceways like a trout hatchery. Most are just a pond that has been bulldozed out, filled with water and small catfish.
Then they feed them, lots of food. Then, well you know, you ---- too if you eat regular. So do they. But in a bulldozed pond there is no natural flow or vast expance of water to dissipate that stuff,
I don't like the 375 temperature for frying though. I like 350. I find that 375, even when using small chunks like TD taught me at the catfest last year, the outside coating burns before the meat is fully cooked. I find at 350 this doesn't happen. I can get a nice golden brown, not a dark brown, coating.
(I'm not going to get into any kind of diaagreement about this, It's my opinion and opinions are like, well you know, we all have one)
I like Panko flakes too, and a little cummin gives it a smokey taste.
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[quote Walleye_Guy] this friend of mine told me that from a reservoir their flesh tastes like mud from all the silt they eat. is this true, or are they good from our lakes and reservoirs?[/quote]
[cool][#0000ff]Your friend knows very little about catfish. Not a good source for such information.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Channel cats are primarily creatures of cold running water. But, they survive in lakes and in farm ponds. They do not "eat silt". They feed mostly on LIVE food when they can get it...worms, crayfish, minnows and aquatic insects. They also eat dead stuff. But, not silt.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As has been suggested, the "closed" environment of a commercial catfish raising operation is probably a lot nastier than even the worst spot you could ever find in Utah. And, because the farm raised cats are used to eating "processed" food, they are likely to root around in the stagnant muddy bottom looking for escaped morsels...and slurping up the "silt"...with all of the "used" catfish chow that settles to the bottom.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I suggest you change friends, or at least change the subject when he starts holding forth about catfish.[/#0000ff]
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Haha[cool] thanks for the information. I'll have to try those recipes also[
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I would take a wild catfish over farm raised any day. We actually compared wild with farm last night. Did soaking in salt water to both and battered both the same. Farm raised were fishier! So I disagree with your friend.
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I also agree that farm raised cats are the ones that have that muddy flavor. I have had both and wild cats are one of my favorite fish to eat (coming in at third, walleye being first).
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I just had catfish for dinner tonight. My two boys and I caught them saturday night at one of the community fishing ponds. They are one of the best eating fish. I fillet the fish and let them soak in water and soy sauce for about a day in the fridge. I make a breading mix out of corn meal, flour, seasonings ( creole, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, ect..) I dunk the cut up fillets in egg, and then into the batter mix. I cook them in a deep fryer for a minute or until they float. Damn, they are good!!
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Out of Hope and curiosity.....What did you use to catch them?
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Biggest cat I ever caught was just on a chunk of carp meat. Didn't have a scale, but I was guessing it at about 10 lbs, and yes, I have caught other catfish when I had a scale there to compare it to. I've never needed anything fancy: liver (chicken or beef), worms, and carp meat have worked better than any "catfish bait" I've bought at the store.
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Minnows, or shrimp have worked well for me!! You can buy shrimp at most stores (walmart, smiths, harmons) good luck!!
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[#0000ff]As has been suggested, the "closed" environment of a commercial catfish raising operation is probably a lot nastier than even the worst spot you could ever find in Utah. And, because the farm raised cats are used to eating "processed" food, they are likely to root around in the stagnant muddy bottom looking for escaped morsels...and slurping up the "silt"...with all of the "used" catfish chow that settles to the bottom.[/#0000ff]
TD, I make fish food for a living. I know you are right. The food I make has sardine, anchovie, herring, squid, blood meal, feather meal, and the smelliest of it all fish oil. It is a very intense diet both in nutrients and in smell. It is my opinion that farm raised fish are "fishier" than wild fish. Even planted fish that have been "wild" for a while will lose some of that taste. The feed we make is very healthy food for fish and they grow extreamly well, and very fast. But I do like wild fish better than farm raised. Ron
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