How to remove the fish taste out of catfish?

[Allen R.]

Soak the cleaned or filleted fish overnight in a gallon of water and I think 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Be sure to remove any dark meat when cleaning. Some people use malt vinegar for the soak. My local commercial fisherman uses a clear cold spring to clean out his live Tennessee River catfish. I think he leaves them in there for two or three days. They don't have a muddy taste at all.

I have soaked my filets in water for years and it removes a lot of the fishy taste, like stated above wait 2 or 3 days with the filets in water and the Fishy taste won't be all gone but it will have died down a lot..

 

[RussMo]

I have never had Catfish taste fishy! That is why I like it so much, guess I have been lucky and only gotten fresh Catfish. To me the only reason it would taste fishy is because it is not fresh. I lived in Tennesse most of my life, and never had a bad cat there.

I was born in Biloxi, and all my blood is from North Louisiana and I lived down there for the first 18 years of mt life and caught many of them. I have had mud cat that tasted like mud. You are correct most catfish I've ever had didn't taste fishy but there is always the exception to that rule and I have had it taste fishy.
That's just one of those discriptive terms I guess where one person says it does and the other says if don't! Looking forward to retiring and returning south to the kind of fishing I like, catfish, bass & bream oh yea and gator balls, boudin & mud bugs. Man 1-year to go!!!!!!!!

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

throw fish over left shoulder, cook a juicy steak.

 

[jimh0220]

use it as bait for better tasting fish?

 

[Clem Kadiddlehopper]

I was cat fishing one night in Texas - And a Korean fellow fishing by me says - "Are you hungry?"
I'm like sure?
He takes a catfish right out of the water - puts a stick in it's mouth and starts cooking it right over the camp fire?
Not skinned or gutted - still a live.....
The skin just burns off. In a few minutes he breaks some of it off and gives it to me.

Best catfish I ever ate.....:thumbup:


Than he invites me to come over to his house for a Bar B Q on he weekend.
I go there and he made the best dam Bar B Q I ever ate.

 

[Hammer67]

- Marinate the catfish for 12 hours in a lemon/pepper/garlic sauce. Keep cool.

- When the coals are glowing red, lay the catfish on a thin cedar plank, and lay the plank directly on the coals for approx. 10-12 minutes.

- When it's done, throw that nasty bottom-feeder away and eat the plank.

Works great for getting the "goose taste" out of geese as well.

 

[garry3]

All good tips, especially the soaking to remove a muddy taste. But to remove that fishy taste it comes down to taking the time to clean them properly. Skin and gut your catfish, then prior to cutting the fillet away from the bone, on the outside of the fillet take a very sharp fillet knife and gently go along and remove all of the silvery and red colored meat. There is a thin layer of this over the entire fillet (thickness is determined by the size of the fish). Once this is done cut the fillet away from spine, remove rib cage and remove any red meat which runs length ways down the middle of the fillet. This is a lot of extra work and may be impractical on very small fish, but on those 2-3 lbs and up it makes all the difference if you don't want the fishy taste.

Then soak in whatever method you prefer, dredge in cajun seasoned cornmeal and fry til crispy. serve with hush puppies, french fries, coleslaw and beer. Dats how we eat em down here in Louisiana.

Got a dozen caught this morning soaking in water in the fridge for tomorrow's fish fry.

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That's about how I do it. I bleed mine out, soak for an hour or two in buttermilk and hot sauce.
Lots of people up here think they are trash fish. So much better than trout.

 

[springnr]

Growing up Pop would put them in a tub of fresh water for a couple days. City water with chlorine will kill them hammer dead.