Catfish Recipes

You can take a breath “Flathead guys” I’m inquiring about Channel Cat recipes.

BK, you mentioned on another post that Channel Cats taste better than walleye… well even though I’m calling BS on that I am intrigued how you cook these critters.

I catch a ton of these things (2-10 lbs) and I’ve even cleaned some for clients, but I’ve never heard a good report back as far as taste. They’ve just been pan frying them like you would a good fish Do these things just have an acquired taste or are we cooking them wrong?

Well lets hear some recipes that will make these things taste better than they look!

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No BS.

Make sure ALL red meat between the skin and the flesh is trimmed off. Take out the lateral line. Place in cold water over night and then trim off anything that looks greasy (or should I say shiny).
It helps to bleed your fish as well.

I chunk them up and use my favorite walleye coating…Sturdiwheat Cajun fish coating… or flour, salt and pepper it the Cajun isn’t available.

You can thank me later.

But really, 7 pound walleye cheeks are much better.

I think your taste buds are fried off from eating too much Spam.

Do you clean Channel Cats like a Burbot?

I’m interested in this also , what’s the deal with the yellow meat? Some seem to have it , others don’t.

I’ll vouch for BK on this one!

I bleed mine first, then I fillet them, starting from behind the rib cage, videos available on the net.

Then take special care to remove all of the red meat you can. After that I run them through several cycles of cold water to remove any blood or slime, I do this with all fish. I then let them sit overnight in the fridge in a large bowl of ice water.

Chunk them up to the size you like and fry as you normally do. I’ve converted several non believing northerners!

Good eats, enjoy!

Joe, yes like a pout… right behind the rib cage and to the tail end. I soak mine in milk overnight, not water. Catfish can be tasty.. dare I say at times, can rival walleye

Thanks Guys, at this point I wish I hadn’t thrown back the 40+ cats we caught this weekend! I’ll have to give them a try!

If anyone is interested in Channel Cat fishing let me know. These fish are very aggressive and will hit any dead bait after dark. In fact I’d be surprised if you had to wait more than 5 min to get a bite.

da chain !!!

We skin them and gut them. Put them on a cookie sheet over night in the fridge. All the yellow stuff hardens up. Trim that off. Cut out the mud line. And filet

big_g wrote:

da chain !!!

Nope the Mississippi by St.Cloud.

I am not a fan of fried or baked catfish. We were on a run this year where we couldn’t get away from them. A neighbor suggested that we smoke them. I brined them for 24-36 hours and then smoked them with apple wood. They turned out great; they are perfect on a Ritz cracker with your favorite beverage.

tight-lines wrote:

Do you clean Channel Cats like a Burbot?

Now how the ‘ell am I suppose to know how to clean a Burbot for pete’s sake!

Not a fan of fried channel cat – even filleted and well trimmed. Grilled is good and smoked is great.

We had a cat the LOVED fish and always “helped” me when I cleaned fish. I would give him scraps from the walleyes I cleaned first and he’d gobble them down, but when I’d give some channel cat after the walleyes he’d take a bite and give a “What the &^%#$ is that?” look and refuse to eat anymore.

Walleye taste just like the tartar sauce you put on it. If you want a taste treat pickle some 5 to10 pound channels.You will forget about the pike. DK.

Just like any other fish get those things on ice after caught, and I’ve found bleeding them really helps.

Many years ago we used to get them down around Prairie du Chien. Following what others have suggested regarding cleaning and prep, we’d season them with a cajun rub and grill them. Being that they’re somewhat oily to begin, they would be wonderful grilled crispy on the outside and moist inside.
Comparing to walleye though is like apple to an orange. Different animal…different taste!

Grilled…or I almost forgot Blackened Catfish!

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We will catch a few while ice fishing on Oahe by Mobridge SD, guess I’ll have to clean a couple and try out the grilled version. Never been a fan no matter what I tried.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tight-lines wrote:</div>
Do you clean Channel Cats like a Burbot?

Now how the ‘ell am I suppose to know how to clean a Burbot for pete’s sake!

Because Burbot taste amazing and I thought every fisherman has cleaned one

Like any fish or game it is impertant to cool and clean the catfish properly. I used to keep them alive in the livewell until I got home. Now with the draining laws I bleed them out in the livewell, drain the livewell and throw ice on them till I get home. I then fillet them and remove all yellow fatty meat and the lateral line, rinse them good and put in a bowl with ice till done cleaning all the fish. I don’t soak with anything. If rinsed properly when cleaned I can’t see how that could enhance the flavor. I don’t know of any resturants that “soak”. To cook I either use crushed saltine crackers or Zataran’s after a milk egg dunk and deep fry in canola oil at 375. Catfish take a little longer to cook than walleye due to a higher moisture content in the meat which takes more BTU to steam off slowing the cooking. Cook till golden brown and pieces break not bend. I cut the fillets into pieces and fry same size pieces together so they’re done at the same time doing the thin ones last.

I can’t speak for cat from any other place then the Mississippi River so I don’t know if this holds true in lakes and so on…

It’s a must to clean off any red between the skin and the flesh or they will taste muddy.

We don’t have pout down here Joe.

I think I see Joe as a new up and coming catfish guide in the near future.

Bassn Dan wrote:

Not a fan of fried channel cat – even filleted and well trimmed.

I’ve been told its not good unless you use very hot oil/grease.

Just remember guys, don’t forget the whiskers, they are just like walleye cheek, only better!

Num-num!

Slice it up, throw it away. Go eat some walleye

Num-num!

Brian Klawitter wrote:

I think I see Joe as a new up and coming catfish guide in the near future.

Charging people to catch catfish?… That would be like charging people to catch a cold.

You may not want to catch a (Catfish or a cold) but chances are you will anyhow without trying.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

I can’t speak for cat from any other place then the Mississippi River so I don’t know if this holds true in lakes and so on…

It’s a must to clean off any red between the skin and the flesh or they will taste muddy.

I’ve been eating “fiddlers” ever since forever…..clean them like bullheads(skin,gut and fry),and filleted tons just like Brian does….
I prefer Flats, but the kids used to love the channels….

Brian Klawitter wrote:

We don’t have pout down here Joe.

Au-contraire my friend……I’ve caught a few down here in colder water ares….and Lake Winnebago is full of the buggers…..You just have to widen your horizons a bit that’s all

@beachbrian you will have to show me sometime. I cleaned one as best I could last year from a lake near Alexandria… Brought it home for the wife and I to snack on…Worst tasting fish I have ever had the opportunity to dine on. I thought I cleaned that thing as best I could, because I was worried about the “MUDDY” taste…Nope. Interested in learning, maybe I should have soaked them for 24 hours, I don’t think I did that. I think we ate it the same evening.

I only fish for walleye but catch a lot of channels and a few flats incidentally. If you like fish like I do then lots of different fish taste good but different. My wife only likes what you could call “fishlite” like walleye or crappie. I keep cats and enjoy eating them prepared properly but they taste “fishy” to my wife. She also likes ice in her beer so go figure. I do some Thai and Cajun cooking and use catfish. You need a fish with a little more flavor in spicy dishes. Most people I know that don’t like fish like the walleye I cook and those that like fish enjoy the catfish too.

I should admit, I only eat them in the winter, caught thru the ice.