Caught a Catfish..... Now what???

[The House]

So I got up at the buttcrack of dawn and went to the park to try my luck at catfishin. It looked like it was gonna rain but never did. :) I sat around for a few hours with no luck and started to pack up my things. As I grabbed my pole a fish pulled back:thumbsup: So I pulled him in and walked to the car, put him in a bag, and drove home....... Here's where the trouble starts....... The fish is still alive! It took me like an hour to get home too. Now he's swimming in my sink. Well not really he's kinda just sitting there.:wtf: but what should I do? I don't know how to clean a catfish let alone how to cook it....? I sure know how to clean trout though!:D Does anyone know how to do it? I've never caught one before so i'm kinda in the dark over here. And what should I do to kill it? Just drain the sink? Anyone?:stoned:

[Cooter McDoogle]

Get real high and eat it raw.



:eat::bonghit:

[ToDrunkToFish]

I dont know much about the cooking part. But as my grandpa always said "Take the damn knife, gut the sucker and drain it out, your gona kill it one way or another"

[action.420]

Catfish Cleaning (http://www.h2ouse.com/catfish/catfish_cleaning.html)

not to be an asshole, but google was a great invention.

[CanaDanKs Inc.]

Bash that fuckers head 'til he's not moving anymore, then cut him in half. Keep slicing him in filets and make sure to throw away all the gooey stuff, only keep the nice meaty fillets!

If you've never done this before...I hope you are not affected by blood and guts, because it's going to be a sick adventure. :thumbsup:

[The House]

I'm down for the smashing and gutting.... I've done it with trout but didn't know if it was the same process with cats. Or should I get him a fish tank?

[mikeyjo]

Blackened catfish fillets are yum.

[dean0000]

If you donâ??t even know how to prepare one you should have let it go. If you insisted on keeping it, killed it with a swift blow to the head. Instead it is slowly dying in a small pool of water because there is only so much oxygen in that water.
Donâ??t just drain the sink to kill it, how would you like to be held under water. Kill it with a swift blow to the top of its head with a blunt, heavy object whilst holding the fish down. Something that looks like a police baton is the best.

[CanaDanKs Inc.]

Hahaha catfish can be good pets! they are vicious when they feed...cool to watch!
but in all honesty you should eat that guy!

the link action.420 posted is good

[geonagual]

shove that suckers head underwater and drown it!

[action.420]

I haven't ate a catfish before...most people around here look down on it, probably because they are so fucking slimy and a pain in the ass. But my grandpop used to swear by them, and they usually know best... :thumbsup:

[The House]

Don't worry Dean, I've left the sink on.... so the water keeps circulating. Now I guess i'm waisting water too, huh?:thumbsup: I'll eat it. I'll just wait till my roommate comes home to help me clean it. Why do they have wiskers? My friend said it's cause their blind. But when I walk over to the sink... It can see me.

[slipknotpsycho]

cut off it's horns.... i learned that lesson the hard way..... as i was pulling off the skin the pliars slppped and his head was still on the cutting board... one of the worst pains in my life.... it was a big fucker so his horn wasn't little, nor sharp... but it managed to prety much go all the way through the dead center of my hand....

other then that, either get fishfry, or just coat him in a 75% cornmeal 25% flour mix.... and fry him.

[The House]

Yeah those things look dangerous! Mines only about 2 pounds so there kinda small but look like they could do some damage. I'll need to find some pliers but it looks like it could be done. Should I try and fillet it or just take off the head and skin it?

[slipknotpsycho]

that small, just take off the head and skin it.... (fins too of course and intestines lol)

then just use the mix i said above and fry him... you can deep fry him if you have a deep fryer, but if you're gonna do it in a pan, just make sure the oil covers him halfway, and flip him after a few minutes (medium-high heat, he'd be too fat to flash cook, but you wanna cook him fast)

[The House]

Right on! That what i'm gonna do. I'll use the pan method and hope I do it right. Thanks for the info on the fishfry stuff. I think I saw it at the store a few days ago so i'll go get it. After I eat it i'll let you all know how it turned out. :microwave:

[slipknotpsycho]

i always find caught fish taste the best.... not sure if it's because you caught it, or if you just know it's 100% fresh....

i wish i could go fishing =/ i haven't been in years.... i can't wait til my son gets old enough to go...

[Cannabis-Sativa]

start off my stabbing him in the head and then cut down his underbelly and pull all the organs out and then wash out the blood with cold water, and you now have fish meat with bones, i don't know how to take out the bones

[Storm Crow]

Bash it HARD! Catfish do not die easy! Watch out for the dorsal spine (the fin on its back). Many catfish have a poison in that spine that can cause pain. The other fins are usually OK.

Do all of this next part outside or over a sink! Get a sharp knife. Slit the belly near the gills. DO NOT cut its asshole! Stop just before you get there! Scrape out the guts and swim bladder (if your species of catfish has one). The stomach will be still be attached, as will the asshole. Cut the stomach end from the head. It dangles in the sink, while you carefully cut around the asshole trying your best not to nick the intestines. Get rid of the innards. Rinse the fish.

Now it is an easy thing to remove the head and tail. The fins have spines going into the flesh, so you may wish to remove them with the fins. Cut right next to the fin on both sides, going deep into the meat. Give it a good yank, and it should come out. Pliers are useful for this.

I don't care for fish skin, so I usually skin it. Pliers can be helpful here, too. Just grab and pull. With some fish you can start peeling the skin off with a knife, and then just force your fingers between the skin and the flesh.

If it is a really BIG catfish, you may want to make fillets. Cut just one side of the middle, all the way along the spine. Eventually, you will hit the ribs. Don't cut through them! Just take the knife, and scrape and peel the meat from the ribs. Boneless fillets!

How to cook them- Dry the fillets or fish chunks with paper towels. Dip into a 50/50 mix of egg and milk. Dip in your choice of dry bread crumbs, corn meal and/or flour plus herbs. I like a mix of flour and corn meal with sesame seeds, onion powder and thyme. Fry in about 1/4 inch or less of oil. Do not fry at too high of a temperature! Give them time to brown. Flip them once.

Add a tossed salad and some corn bread and you got a great meal! - Granny

[slipknotpsycho]

well tha'ts what filet is for <.< but it's too small.... best way to get the meat off the bones after it's cooked is just use a fork, and kind of 'rake' the meat going the same direction as the bones....

just make sure you chew good to make sure there are no bones in each mouthful....

[slipknotpsycho]

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: now that's a mother fucking catfish!

btw this is pretty much the same exact fish (type and size) i impaled my hand on...

[CanaDanKs Inc.]

Woh that first catfishie is fucking huge
must have been one heck of a fight to bring this guy to shore (hopefully not boat!)

[dean0000]

Woh that first catfishie is fucking huge
must have been one heck of a fight to bring this guy to shore (hopefully not boat!)

I remeber seeing this. It is thought to be the biggest freshwater fish ever caught. It weighed 650lbs, its a big fucker.

[something]

even if it's small, the best way to go is to fillet it boneless, i'm not sure what that involves on a catfish since i find them disgusting and throw 'em all back...and get pissed when i catch one, heh, but i've eaten them before, very tasty, i just don't want anything to do with catching them i guess.

we fillet northern pike boneless, it's a pain in the ass but it's so worth it, pull the y-bones out with a few little cuts then you got two perfect huge fillets, a top one, and on a big sucker you got two tail fillets, most people don't realize how great pike tastes 'cause they have no idea how to fillet it, and they're so full of bones it's crazy, take the time to fillet it right and it's so much sweeter eating it...otherwise...awe shit i just pierced the roof of my mouth...heh

anyway, tangent...fillet the sucker.

[slipknotpsycho]

guess it's a matter of opinion on fileting it.. i mean i know it can be done... but it really is a pain in the ass on smaller fish... we (me and my grandpa) never really caught big fish around here... there were a few times, liek the catfish pictured above... a 15lb or so redfish and 12 poundish stripped drum... but mostly we only catch 1-3lb catfish and kroakers.... and he always said it was too much work to filet such a small fish, so it's how i got used to it...

of course later on i tried, and did agree.. lol it's too much work for me atleast

[4twentE]

Beat it. Gut it. Skin it. Chop it into nuggets or small strips. Bread/Batter it. Fry it. Cook some cheese grits and cornbread while you're at it. Squeeze some lemon on it. Make some tartar sauce. And chow down.

[TryptamineScape]

for future reference, there's also two nice chunks of meat right behind where it's skull stops...very nice and tender...if you get enough catfish, those are nice little entrees. for the cooking, I learned from my grandpa. Flour, cornmeal, pepper, and any spices you like...wouldn't hurt to fry him in some nice hash infused oil either...if you know what I mean...and big catfish...hahaha...right down here under the dam the catfish get so big they can't swim anymore. Whenever they open the spill waves the fish just chill and get fed by the current, so they get so damn big they can't move...they are the size of cars...not even shitting you...the Tennessee River is full of crazy shit...look it up in google sometime...North Alabama, Muscle Shoals Alabama, Tennessee River, Waterloo Alabama...you'll find interesting shit.

[SmokeyTokey]

The fish is long dead by now but you can club the sucker. I prefer the backhanded swing. Reach back like a pimp and smack the fish.

[Mrs. Greenjeans]

I always nail their head to a plank with a big ass nail. That way I can use both hands to skin it.

I HATE cleaning fish.

[stinkyattic]

When I was doing biological sampling of -you guessed it- fish, the way I'd kill them quickly was simply to plunge a scalpel directly into their brain. It's between but just behind the eyes.

Cube the meat and dust it with Cajun blackening spice before deep-frying it in hot oil.

Serve with chipotle mayonnaise- mix mayo, chipotle pepper flakes, garlic powder, and a little squirt of lemon juice. Allow this sauce to rest for an hour before serving to let the flavors marry.

If you don't get down with mayonnaise, chipotle pepppers in sour cream works very well.

Catfish tacos are great; take your chipotle sour cream and spread it in the center of a small flour tortilla, toss some roasted onion strips in there, your catfish chunks, shredded lettuce, and pico de gallo if you've got it. Don't use salsa; the flavor is too overpowering.

[Mrs. Greenjeans]

I've always wondered: why are fish tacos made with a soft tortilla?

[suhl]

to cook it. i am no expert cook but frying fish is easy as it gets. take a pan put some oil in it put some lour and some spices(whatever you like) on the fish and fry. it is just that easy i have done it with many different kinds of fish and it allways comes out good. except when i used too much oil and ended up about shitting my pants. so easy on the oil

[TryptamineScape]

The fish is long dead by now but you can club the sucker. I prefer the backhanded swing. Reach back like a pimp and smack the fish.


lmao...that made me lol and I'm not sure why...

[The House]

Wow!! I ate it last night. Fried it up with some beer batter! YUM! I never knew how good cat fish is. I ended up having burning hot oil pop out of the pan and burn my eye.:mad: It really hurt! But I would have to say it was well worth it. Thanks for all the great info everyone!

[mikeyjo]

I'll fillet if the carcass is going into making a stock. Like slipknot mentioned, too much work on small fish and cooking off the bone takes some flavour away.