06-15-2016, 05:27 PM
I got thinking.......I think the catfish sometimes get a bad rap in Utah (trout fishing state) by some people and I've heard several folks tell me that they think catfish taste muddy. Well, I'm going to show you one way (of many I use) to put those fish to good use.
Most folk just think to coat the fillets in corm meal and deep fry, but there are several other ways to prepare them to be delicious without busting out the frying pan.
Ever hear of "poor man's lobster"? I'm sure many in here have, but I've never really known anyone to make it from catfish....myself included. I usually use stripers, walleye, crappie, etc. Turns out that catfish make excellent "poor man's lobster" if you take a few extra minutes to get it properly ready.
First, get that fish on ice as soon as possible, or at least in a live well so that they don't start deteriorating. Bleed them if possible if you are going to ice them.
Next, once you are home or wherever you are going to prepare them, fillet and (this is the important part) trim the dark meat and even the yellow meat by the head off. This will go slightly slimey or oily when cooked and give off that "muddy" taste that some complain about.
Once all that prep work is done, boil about 6 cups of water with 3/4 cup of sugar, 1-2 TBSP salt, and about 1-2 tsp old bay seasoning. Once it is boiling, drop your fish in and turn the heat down to a slow boil or simmer (keeps the meat from flaking apart). Continue cooking for about 5 minutes or so for catfish, or about 2 minutes for other fish (catfish taste best cooked longer). When done, remove and drain on paper towels. Microwave some butter with a little garlic salt until just melted and use that to either pour over the fish or just dunk the pieces in the butter like you would with lobster or crab. My kids were convinced that they were eating some sort of crab or lobster when I made this the other day for them.
Anyway, I'm bored at work at the moment and thought this might be helpful to someone who is wondering what to do with that catfish they or their kids kept. Btw, grilling them is MY favorite way to cook them, but this is a close second!
Mike
P.S. I tried to post these pics inline, but I couldn't get it to work.
[signature]
Most folk just think to coat the fillets in corm meal and deep fry, but there are several other ways to prepare them to be delicious without busting out the frying pan.
Ever hear of "poor man's lobster"? I'm sure many in here have, but I've never really known anyone to make it from catfish....myself included. I usually use stripers, walleye, crappie, etc. Turns out that catfish make excellent "poor man's lobster" if you take a few extra minutes to get it properly ready.
First, get that fish on ice as soon as possible, or at least in a live well so that they don't start deteriorating. Bleed them if possible if you are going to ice them.
Next, once you are home or wherever you are going to prepare them, fillet and (this is the important part) trim the dark meat and even the yellow meat by the head off. This will go slightly slimey or oily when cooked and give off that "muddy" taste that some complain about.
Once all that prep work is done, boil about 6 cups of water with 3/4 cup of sugar, 1-2 TBSP salt, and about 1-2 tsp old bay seasoning. Once it is boiling, drop your fish in and turn the heat down to a slow boil or simmer (keeps the meat from flaking apart). Continue cooking for about 5 minutes or so for catfish, or about 2 minutes for other fish (catfish taste best cooked longer). When done, remove and drain on paper towels. Microwave some butter with a little garlic salt until just melted and use that to either pour over the fish or just dunk the pieces in the butter like you would with lobster or crab. My kids were convinced that they were eating some sort of crab or lobster when I made this the other day for them.
Anyway, I'm bored at work at the moment and thought this might be helpful to someone who is wondering what to do with that catfish they or their kids kept. Btw, grilling them is MY favorite way to cook them, but this is a close second!
Mike
P.S. I tried to post these pics inline, but I couldn't get it to work.
[signature]
