I have always loved a shore lunch of walleye,pike or bass........but what about catfish?? We have some of the largest channel catfish in North America here but I never hear of people eating them....just sportfishing.I've also heard that they have to be prepared right or the flavor will suffer.So whats the secret ?....surely some of you guys/gals have some killer catfish recipies.....
I had a recipe in a previous post for a batter for fried catfish...but I also liked grilled catfish. I catch channel cats up to 5 pounds and yellow and blue cats 20-30-40 pounds. I fillet all of them and the larger ones I cut into "slabs" about the size and thickness of my hand. I have several wire "baskets" with handles on them so you can put the fish in the basket, close it, and put it directly over coals or even an open campfire flame. (If you can get mesquite wood it makes a difference). With the baskets, you can turn it often enough to cook evenly and keep from burning. All the while, baste it with Italian Salad Dressing....it will be moist and seasoned well. I also sprinkle generous amounts of creole (Cajun) seasoning.
If you haven't tried catfish cooked like this you need to...it is good.
I have baked catfish in the oven like other fish and I'm not pleased with it.
Fried catfish is great anytime but grilled is plenty good too.
XTP, I used fish the Red all the time. I have my "Specialist" in cats. When we caught a 15lber or so, we usually got it smoked as they are quite an oily fish like trout and salmon. Taste pretty good too. I`ve also seen people at Lockport catch smaller cats, take them off the hook, and throw them straight into a fire, and get eaten right away. I don`t think that`s your idea of a shore lunch though.
Ron
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Filet you cats I use 20 lbs and under.
Put a sprinle of lemon pepper and cajun spice on filets
Take on box of cornbread mix add 1 cup milk,dunk filets in batter,roll in crushed crackers(ritz or saltines).
Heat oil up till 375-400 degrees,drop filets in oil and fry till golden brown.
BBJ
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Are you kidding me, catfish as a sporting fish? There one of the best eating fish in the lake. I never had an oily cat fish. We just filet ours like we do crappie. Batter and fry with bacon, purple onions and sliced potatoes in the skillet with them. Season with salt and pepper and place a filet, some bacon, and a couple slices of potatoe on some toast with mayo. Best sandwich known to man.
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.....and no I'm not kiddin ya about them being sporting,not sure why ya think that but.....you hook into a 25lb channel cat and it feels like you hooked a passing boat! I've seen guys fight them for 20-30 minutes and still not have landed them.
I agree with the fight. I 've caught 2 way over 10 pounds and tha tis a powerful fight.
Could the taste differ from state to state. I'm from Maryland and use to eat large moth bass, suckers and catfish. Down here in Florida the bass and catfish are rather strong. The only fresh water fish I eat are the blurgills , shell crackers and crappie.
I haven't tried smoking the catfish yet and may give the channels a try like that. The bass did taste good smoked as well. I've even eatten the bluegills pickled.
Chuck
Catfish...now what ???
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