05-04-2006, 04:34 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Part of what we discussed yesterday, while cooking the catfish and working with Kathy (cooking writer for the paper) is that catfish are unique and require special handling to make them as good as they can be.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]First, compared to trout, perch, walleye or many other species, the flesh of catfish is much denser and much oilier (good Omega 3). You have to cook it longer than most other fish flesh to get it right. Most people who say they do not like catfish, or who have catfish with a "bad taste" have eaten undercooked catfish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you cook a whole catfish fillet, it is difficult to get it completely cooked all the way through, before the batter turns brown. There will be a soft, partially cooked area in the middle that retains a "catfish" taste.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That's why on any cat over about a pound or two, I cross cut the fillets into "fingers"...strips about a half inch wide. I also do not use batter, because it insulates the flesh and does not let it cook as thoroughly. Batters are good for delicate fish, like perch, crappies, etc. They cook quickly and simply "steam" inside the batter. Catfish need more direct heat, for longer.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I use a "dry coating" of a mix of Bisquick, yellow corn meal, salt and spices. I shake the water-wet strips of fillet in the dry mix, just until lightly coated and then fry the heck out of them in 400 degree peanut oil until they are almost crisp. They should be a dark brown. The dry coating adds texture and flavor but does not soak up oil or insulate the flesh against thorough cooking.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The finished product can be eaten like chicken strips...with or without a dip. I like seafood cocktail sauce or tartar sauce, but also like sweet and sour or BBQ sauce too. If you have a good spicy wings recipe, the cooked kitty strips are great with that too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=142538;#142538"]HERE IS A LINK[/url] to a post I put up about once or twice a year, showing how I fillet and prepare catfish. One of the steps I show is removing the area of darker flesh along the lateral line of the catfish. Sometimes that can help reduce the characteristic taste too. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have caught and eaten catfish all over the country, and I will put Utah Lake cats up against those from any other body of water, anywhere. In the olden days, of Geneva Steel pollution, all of the fish in the lake tasted like badly used 30 weight motor oil. (at least I think so. Never tried the oil.) Today the fish test very low for any pollutants, including mercury and other heavy metals now being discovered in fish in many other waters in Utah and around the country. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In short, the fish are good quality and do not naturally have any bad taste. Try cooking them longer and cutting them into strips first and I think you will like them better.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]First, compared to trout, perch, walleye or many other species, the flesh of catfish is much denser and much oilier (good Omega 3). You have to cook it longer than most other fish flesh to get it right. Most people who say they do not like catfish, or who have catfish with a "bad taste" have eaten undercooked catfish.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If you cook a whole catfish fillet, it is difficult to get it completely cooked all the way through, before the batter turns brown. There will be a soft, partially cooked area in the middle that retains a "catfish" taste.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That's why on any cat over about a pound or two, I cross cut the fillets into "fingers"...strips about a half inch wide. I also do not use batter, because it insulates the flesh and does not let it cook as thoroughly. Batters are good for delicate fish, like perch, crappies, etc. They cook quickly and simply "steam" inside the batter. Catfish need more direct heat, for longer.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I use a "dry coating" of a mix of Bisquick, yellow corn meal, salt and spices. I shake the water-wet strips of fillet in the dry mix, just until lightly coated and then fry the heck out of them in 400 degree peanut oil until they are almost crisp. They should be a dark brown. The dry coating adds texture and flavor but does not soak up oil or insulate the flesh against thorough cooking.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The finished product can be eaten like chicken strips...with or without a dip. I like seafood cocktail sauce or tartar sauce, but also like sweet and sour or BBQ sauce too. If you have a good spicy wings recipe, the cooked kitty strips are great with that too.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=142538;#142538"]HERE IS A LINK[/url] to a post I put up about once or twice a year, showing how I fillet and prepare catfish. One of the steps I show is removing the area of darker flesh along the lateral line of the catfish. Sometimes that can help reduce the characteristic taste too. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have caught and eaten catfish all over the country, and I will put Utah Lake cats up against those from any other body of water, anywhere. In the olden days, of Geneva Steel pollution, all of the fish in the lake tasted like badly used 30 weight motor oil. (at least I think so. Never tried the oil.) Today the fish test very low for any pollutants, including mercury and other heavy metals now being discovered in fish in many other waters in Utah and around the country. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In short, the fish are good quality and do not naturally have any bad taste. Try cooking them longer and cutting them into strips first and I think you will like them better.[/#0000ff]
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