Wise catfish anglers practice restrictive harvest, releasing large fish (like the flathead on the left) to be caught another day and keeping smaller, more abundant fish (like the one on the right) to eat.
Cook a Cat for Dinner
By Keith “Catfish” Sutton
Savor the flavors of catfish with these delectable recipes.
You and a friend have spent a summer evening at your favorite catfish hole. Lady Luck has smiled upon you, and you have several eating-size catfish in your cooler. Some have already been filleted and are ready frying.
The aroma of hot peanut oil rises from a deep cast-iron skillet where spoonfuls of hushpuppy batter are cooking to a golden-brown. Hot fried potatoes, slices of Vidalia onion and a bowl of coleslaw beckon from a makeshift table by the campfire. A cold drink takes the edge off the heat as you dredge the catfish fillets in seasoned cornmeal and drop them with a sizzle into the skillet.
If you’re a Southerner, thoughts of meals like this probably make your mouth water. Fried catfish is a cornerstone of Dixie cuisine, and the region’s anglers know that eating catfish can be just as much fun as catching them. If you’re from other parts of the country … well, you ought to try catfish if you haven’t. They’re delicious.
For some folks, frying is the only way to cook a cat. There’s simply no tastier method of preparation, so why bother with anything else? Case closed.
Truth is, if you savor the flavor of fried catfish, you’ll probably also enjoy a variety of other terrific dishes in which catfish is the key ingredient. Catfish has wonderful adaptability and complements any cooking technique. Serve it grilled, baked, sautéed, blackened, poached or combined with other foods for casseroles and chowders. You’re limited only by your imagination.
The biggest mistake made by many catfish cooks is overcooking. Catfish is naturally tender and cooks quickly. It’s done when it flakes easily with a fork. If you wait for it to float in hot oil, you’ve probably cooked away most of the natural moisture that makes catfish so succulent and destroyed much of its unique flavor in the process.
When deep-frying, heat the oil to 365 to 370 degrees—no hotter. The old “throw a match in the oil and wait till it lights” trick rarely results in the proper frying temperature. Use a cooking thermometer to get it right, or a deep-fryer that can be set at the correct heat.
I highly suggest you also try other methods of preparation that produce scrumptious catfish your dinner guests are sure to love. The following recipes should help in that regard. Bon appetit!
Fried Catfish, Arkansas Style
This recipe can be used with any type of catfish and will feed a dozen or more people at your next home fish fry. The hot sauce/milk marinade adds a nice piquant flavor to the catfish without making it spicy hot.
Ingredients:
6 pounds catfish steaks and/or fillets
3 (3-oz.) bottles Louisiana hot sauce
3 quarts milk
3 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
Peanut oil
Preparation:
- Marinate catfish 1 to 2 hours in a mixture of hot sauce and milk. Remove fish and drain.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large plastic bag. Add the fish a little at a time and shake to coat.
- Cook the fish in 2 inches of peanut oil in a deep fryer heated to 365 degrees. Fry until the thickest part of the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining fish. Serves 12-15.
Dixie Catfish Chowder
If you’re an angler who has learned to catch catfish during winter, try this belly-warming recipe to warm you up after your next cold-weather fishing trip. It’s some kind of good.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons bacon grease
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 cups uncooked, diced, peeled potatoes
1 cup boiling water
1 pound catfish fillets (or other white fish), cut in bite-sized pieces
1 cup milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 small can (8.25-oz.) cream-style corn
Bacon bits (optional)
Preparation:
- In a cooking pot, sauté the onion in bacon grease until soft.
- Add salt, pepper, potatoes, water, and fish. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Add milk and corn. Heat thoroughly, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Serve with bacon bits on top if desired. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Lime-Broiled Catfish
When you need a catfish recipe that’s quick and simple, try this buttery, citrus-flavored favorite that can be ready to eat in a flash.
Ingredients:
2 pounds catfish fillets
1 cup melted butter or margarine
2 limes
Lemon-pepper spice
Chopped fresh chives for garnish
Preparation:
- Pour the hot melted butter in a large bowl, and dip each fish fillet. Transfer the fish to a rectangular pan lined with non-stick aluminum foil.
- Squeeze one half lime over each piece of fish, and season to taste with lemon-pepper spice.
- Place the fish under a preheated broiler and cook six inches from the flame for three to four minutes or until the thickest part of each fillet flakes easily with a fork.
- Garnish with chives if desired, and serve immediately while the fish is still piping hot. Serves 4.
Catfish Cakes
These easy-to-make fish cakes are real crowd pleasers.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 pound catfish fillets, cooked, flaked
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash of hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
Preparation:
- Sauté onions and celery in the oil until tender. Transfer to a bowl, and mix with fish and all other ingredients except the cracker crumbs.
- Form into 6 to 8 patties, and dredge in cracker crumbs. Pat with your hands so the crumbs stick to the outside.
- Heat the butter or margarine in a skillet, add the fish cakes and cook until the cakes are brown on both sides. Serves 6 to 8.
Grilled Catfish
If you’ve never cooked catfish on a grill, you really ought to try it. It has a unique flavor you’re sure to love.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds catfish fillets
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preparation:
- Combine Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, paprika and pepper, and pour over catfish fillets placed in a single layer in a large baking dish. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Transfer catfish to a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Fold up the sides to form a rim. Pour the marinade over the catfish.
- Grill over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until catfish flakes easily when tested with a fork at the thickest part. Serves 2 to 3.
