Eat or don't bother to eat CATFISH !

[Tricia]

Anyone got a positive opinion about estuary catfish ? I'm told OK eating if haven't caught anything better. Evidently need to bleed them and skin them.

[oldboot]

I cant testify first hand (yet). but Ern Grant refeers to catfish as a first class table fish.
The asians aparantly are very keen on them a dna catfish stew is a cajun staple.

The standard line is that they taste better out of clean water, and quit a bit of the muddy taste is in the skin, so skinning is esential.

Give it a go and report back... likewise on grinner.

cheers

[Tricia]

According to my fishing partner, tasting will happen when we next catch one. I hope I can overcome previously instilled thoughts to be able to give an unbiased report.

[finding_time]

Tricia

Surely your not that far from a KFC!!! And i might be giving some thought to getting a new partner who can catch a edible species. i would be better keeping some i&j fish fingers or bassa fillets in the freezer if your that keen on fish!

Ian


Ps

Oldboot

As far as Ern Grant goes , i took his advice and tried Stargazer one night ($#@^%&$@#@$$%%^^%^^&^&^$#$$%$##@#$ ) Never again am i going to believe his good eating qualities statments !

[Braddles]

I dont think I could eat one - cant get past the thinking of them being the rats of the sea...

[Nic]

Oh dear, why hasn't anyone said to put catfish in a pan with a rock/beer/boot, cook for 10 mins, and then throw away the catfish and eat the rock? This thread just isn't trite enough for my liking!

Would actually be interested to hear the results of a catfish tasting, I have never tried one.

[Tricia]

I have started looking up recipes from the southern states of good old yankie land. Probably the main information I have seen other than bleeding and skinning is to cut into 1/4" fillets for frying. Next he'll be wanting me to deal with pike eels. One catfish we caught the other night spat out what smelt like 6 mth old squid.

[Gorey1]

I've eaten them once.
I wanted to know how they were, and I read in Grant's they were good.
I decided they were okay. Cooked them whole in foil and ate off the bone. Had it in the back of my head they would be really bad, but i was surprised. Lot better than European carp!
Having said that, they don't compare to jack/bream/luderick etc.

[darbwah]

they are not too bad mate. I crumbed one and it was ok. as gorey said they arent as good as "proper" fish but definitely edible. little bit like shark.

[Cammy]

Beware about the flesh, i caught a decent size one bout 70cm, blue catfish, skinned, filleted. Got it home cooked it up first bite was allright, didint mind it i went back to take another and i saw a worm of some sort in the flesh just near where i bit into it, i tried to spit out what fish i had left in my mouth and it went strait to the bin and some to my fish.

So just be a bit careful, make sure you inspect each fillet.

Cam

[Damned67]

I lived in the midwest of the US for a few years. In the local area, every Friday was 'Friday Night Fish Fry', and my guess would be that 95% of the fish served was catfish. I even bought fillets from the grocery store on more than one occasion. Granted, these were farm-raised fish, but I would still consider eating a 'wild' cattie just to see how they compare.

[tunaticer]

As a kid growing up on the Pine River I caught filleted and skinned a fair share fo catfish for the table. Yes they are actually a very white firm tasty flesh if prepared right. They need a quick kill first of all then iced down to set the flesh. Fillet and skin in one operation and wash the fillets in strong brine to remove any bit of slime that may have transferred to the flesh (if any traces remain it does affect the quality of the flavour substantially). Much better to roll in flour and shallow fried rather than crumbed or heavy battered.

A well prepared catfish fillet is on par with estuary rock cod in my opinion, not that i take either of them these days, but I would not shy away from a catfish meal again in the future.

Having some good Vietnamese friends I have eaten all sorts of locally caught seafood from catfish to eels to rays and blue jellyfish....yes blue jellyfish is a very tasty meal when they do it......the mind tends to over react a bit but the flavour os good.

[oldboot]

Don't think worms are any thing special to cat fish.....there was a thread about worms in fish no long ago.......you can find them in almost anything.
Some people scrub the slime off the fish before they bring them aboard with a long handled brush... right after thet clip the spines off.

cheers

[Cammy]

Yeah i know there nothing special, but first time i found one in a fillet and i almost ate it, was in a catfish, so i dont really wanna touch em again.

Cam

[oldboot]

In some cultures magots and worme in cooked meat are considered delacacies.


not in mine but in some.

cheers