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What an awesome fish I made last night!
- Thread starter Eric Perry
- Start date
It's not something you find in English fishmongers. I may see if I can find any specialist retailers.
I am a big fish lover. I will try this recipe for it sounds deadly. Thanks for sharing.
Love catfish. I have had it like that actually. Fried catfish in any form is fishy goodness!
Yeah, I learned that trick from my mom's side of the family. It's amazing how much better the cornmeal sticks to the fish when you have a sort of "glue". It's amazing how it doesn't make the fish taste like mustard, either.
Actually, no. I could see why you would think that, though, considering they're bottom-feeders. Catfish aren't oily fish, which from my experience are the types that taste more "fishy". Catfish meat is light-tasting not unlike tilapia.
Around here (deep south), we also eat what I believe you call crayfish. It's unfortunate that our big ass American suckers got exported to over there, but maybe you Brits could start eating them too in order to control their population.
Not in the slightest....very good actually. The only thing that might make them a little "mushy", or "swampy", is catching them in the heat of summer when the water temperature is very warm and the fish are lazy.
Yeah, I learned that trick from my mom's side of the family. It's amazing how much better the cornmeal sticks to the fish when you have a sort of "glue". It's amazing how it doesn't make the fish taste like mustard, either.
Actually, no. I could see why you would think that, though, considering they're bottom-feeders. Catfish aren't oily fish, which from my experience are the types that taste more "fishy". Catfish meat is light-tasting not unlike tilapia.
Around here (deep south), we also eat what I believe you call crayfish. It's unfortunate that our big ass American suckers got exported to over there, but maybe you Brits could start eating them too in order to control their population.
I can also see where somebody not familiar with catfish could be put off by it. They're bottom-feeders that have skin, not scales, but you're absolutely right...white, flakey fish...not oily or "fishy".
Titus, Catfish is an industry in the American South. Catfish farms...on the menu at very good restaraunts.....not just backwater "greasyspoon" eateries, etc. A smaller cousin of the catfish from the northern US where I grew up we called a "bullhead". Don't know what a proper, biological term for them might be, but they're very much like catfish, but small enough you can clean them and fry them whole instead of having to fillet them, etc. They do go a little soft in the summer when the water temps. get too warm...delicious the rest of the year.
Also +1 to crawdads (crayfish). A staple in Cajun Louisiana and popular throughout the south. Love the tails....never got into sucking the heads.
They're like a miniature freshwater lobster....also farmed in the South and on the menu at many places. Usually spiced and boiled alive, like a lobster, along with corn on the cob and red potato's.
Cool. If you make it, let me know what you think.
I know tilapia is sometimes criticized for being so mild, but I think in certain applications, it's a great "canvas" for bolder flavors. In this instance, I think it's perfect.
I love tilapia. I usually blacken it in butter and eat it with Zataran's wild rice. It's really fast to do if you're only eating by yourself.
I still want to try your stuffed version, though.
I still want to try your stuffed version, though.
Several years ago, we PM'ed each other about a tilapia recipe..thus began a beautiful friendship
Talking of which, check your email this week.
FWIW, I'm afraid to use leftover marinade in a sauce after meat of any kind has been soaking in it. If I had intentions of using marinade as a sauce or a base for one, I'd set some aside prior to marinating. Leftover marinade is probably OK in a sauce if you cook the heck out of it.
I spent a some of my work history in a large food manufacturing facility and meat-borne bacteria scares me, but dayum, that recipe sounds great!
I spent a some of my work history in a large food manufacturing facility and meat-borne bacteria scares me, but dayum, that recipe sounds great!
Understood. But keep in mind the marinade was cooked afterward. I brought it too a quick boil, and then turned down the heat to let it reduce. The marinade had more cooking time than the fish itself.
I don't like anything fish as a general rule, or mayonnaise for that matter, but I admire creativity.
fried catfish is definitely edible.
my trout recipe:
catch a trout from the stream, I caught a rainbow trout from the yellow breeches
gut and remove head
place two pats of butter inside
wrap in tin foil
place on open fire
drink two beers
remove from fire, open tin foil
scrape skin off with fork, gently pull tail, all bones should come out too
salt and pepper to taste
eat.
fried catfish is definitely edible.
my trout recipe:
catch a trout from the stream, I caught a rainbow trout from the yellow breeches
gut and remove head
place two pats of butter inside
wrap in tin foil
place on open fire
drink two beers
remove from fire, open tin foil
scrape skin off with fork, gently pull tail, all bones should come out too
salt and pepper to taste
eat.
As other's have already pointed out, the vast majority of catfish eaten in the US are farm raised. They are raised in ponds with adequate oxygen content and fed a commercial pelleted feed. So it isn't like most catfish that end up on a plate in America are pulled from the bottom of a swamp where they have been eating a diet of bottom-dwelling detritus feeders.
Only certain wild caught catfish. They tend to taste like the water they come from smells, so the trick for wild caught catfish that's tasty is to get them from flowing water. Caught from your typical red mud pond, they have a very muddy taste.
That said, the big thing these days is farm raised catfish. Done in ponds with nice clean sandy bottoms, plenty of induced aeration, and regular feeding with clean food that encourages bulk, farm raised catfish from the south is some of the finest tasting commercially available fish available these days. Tilapia pales in comparison, even the farm raised variety. They are just not as tasty as catfish.
If you take care to remove the bloodline from farm raised catfish fillets, it's hard to tell the difference between it and cold water cod. but then again, there is no fish on this planet that won't taste better with the bloodline removed prior to use. Make your kitty happy by removing and chopping that mess fine, then mix it with their usual food or give it to them straight as a treat whenever you have fish for yourself. If you don't have a cat, remove the bloodline anyway and just toss it, you (and your taste buds) will thank you.
IMO the top fish for flavor
cobia
wahoo
african pompano
triggerfish
blackfin tuna
farm raised catfish
Yes, I noticed that in the OP and that's the smart way to do it. So many people don't and use it in a sauce then wonder why they have the poopies later.
Yes, I noticed that in the OP and that's the smart way to do it. So many people don't and use it in a sauce then wonder why they have the poopies later.
Yeah, I've seen people use a marinade straight after its primary use of marinading, and that's just asking for trouble!
I grilled chicken last night, and during grilling did brush on some of the bbq sauce the chicken sat in prior (Sweet Baby Ray's. Great stuff!), but made sure it actually cooked the marinade through on the searing hot grill. Safety first. The runs are never fun!
