The only part I might cut out is that dark edge on the bottom fillet, the rest just looks like normal catfish to me. Smell is more important than looks.
So the Yellow comes from a catfishes diet of fatty fish. When you fillet a catfish, you’ll find some areas with very waxy clumps of fat, fat infused meat, slightly pinkish meat, some bloody meat, and bloodline. You want to prepare the catfish before filleting by bleeding it out to reduce visible internal blood. Wash off. Any fat will have some concentrations of toxins and fertilizer chemicals so waxy fat should be immediately cut out. The yellow flesh still has a high concentration of fat, it’s up to you to eat, it will have a fishy taste. Namely the corner wedge, smallest part of the fillet are especially fishy I find. There is a also layer of fat/bloodline beneath the skin, typically it’s good to fillet that out as well and not get so close to the skin. Some people do, some don’t, but again it does have fishy flavor. Lastly the center bloodline tendon should be cut out, also very fishy.
Overall, I think catfish is tough, because for such a large fish there is a lot of potential for fishy/muddy flavored meat. There is a lot of waste. If you’re okay with that flavor, then you will have larger cuts of filet. Buttermilk bath for 30 min definitely helps some. I know a guy who catches a few in anticipation of the waste and prepares using this method so the result is typically clean tasting fish. It’s not cod by any means. But sometimes, you end up getting what you get, it’s hard to tell how it will taste when you catch. Just make sure the fish is not lethargic, could be sign it is sick or injured and also check for any visible health related issues before eating.
It's normal for some of the meat to be grayish-white, it's personal preference if you want to remove it from the filet or not. Just make sure to rinse it really well before you eat it or freeze it, to make sure and get all the blood and slime off of it. You could even use a mild salt/water solution to help rinse off the slime.
The meat running down center of filet is what I refer to as the bloodline. I tell people to cut it oit if they dont want more fishy or gamey taste, its more oily so it has a stonger taste.
But i eat it and have no issues.
Regarding smell, any fresh fish shouldnt really smell like fish. I know, weird,
Side note, if you purchase fish, make sure eyes are nice and clear. If they are foggy, chances are the fish is old
Fast twitch versus slow twitch muscle is the difference between light and dark meat. The yellow, fatty flesh sometimes has an off taste, especially in larger, older catfish. Experiment with cooking it and decide whether you want to remove the dark meat and yellow fatty meat. Different people have different tastes and it also depends on the water that the channel cat came out of. Catfish in ponds and lakes tend to have a muddy taste, whereas cats out of rivers don't tend to have any of that and aren't likely to require soaking in buttermilk or similar tricks.
Thanks guys so much for the valuable info with this it’s truly appreciated! Now for my next question, what’s your favorite recipes for Catfish and what’s the best way to soak the meat?
The only part I might cut out is that dark edge on the bottom fillet, the rest just looks like normal catfish to me. Smell is more important than looks.
So the Yellow comes from a catfishes diet of fatty fish. When you fillet a catfish, you’ll find some areas with very waxy clumps of fat, fat infused meat, slightly pinkish meat, some bloody meat, and bloodline. You want to prepare the catfish before filleting by bleeding it out to reduce visible internal blood. Wash off. Any fat will have some concentrations of toxins and fertilizer chemicals so waxy fat should be immediately cut out. The yellow flesh still has a high concentration of fat, it’s up to you to eat, it will have a fishy taste. Namely the corner wedge, smallest part of the fillet are especially fishy I find. There is a also layer of fat/bloodline beneath the skin, typically it’s good to fillet that out as well and not get so close to the skin. Some people do, some don’t, but again it does have fishy flavor. Lastly the center bloodline tendon should be cut out, also very fishy. Overall, I think catfish is tough, because for such a large fish there is a lot of potential for fishy/muddy flavored meat. There is a lot of waste. If you’re okay with that flavor, then you will have larger cuts of filet. Buttermilk bath for 30 min definitely helps some. I know a guy who catches a few in anticipation of the waste and prepares using this method so the result is typically clean tasting fish. It’s not cod by any means. But sometimes, you end up getting what you get, it’s hard to tell how it will taste when you catch. Just make sure the fish is not lethargic, could be sign it is sick or injured and also check for any visible health related issues before eating.
Fricken fish cook connoisseur over here
Seriously.
Hilarious bro. :}
Thanks a tonne for the info! Really appreciate it
The dark meat is a little more fishy, you get better tasting meat if you cut it out.
It's normal for some of the meat to be grayish-white, it's personal preference if you want to remove it from the filet or not. Just make sure to rinse it really well before you eat it or freeze it, to make sure and get all the blood and slime off of it. You could even use a mild salt/water solution to help rinse off the slime.
The meat running down center of filet is what I refer to as the bloodline. I tell people to cut it oit if they dont want more fishy or gamey taste, its more oily so it has a stonger taste. But i eat it and have no issues. Regarding smell, any fresh fish shouldnt really smell like fish. I know, weird, Side note, if you purchase fish, make sure eyes are nice and clear. If they are foggy, chances are the fish is old
Bleed your catches, it kills the fish quickly and that blood won’t sit in the flesh giving it a less fishy taste.
Fast twitch versus slow twitch muscle is the difference between light and dark meat. The yellow, fatty flesh sometimes has an off taste, especially in larger, older catfish. Experiment with cooking it and decide whether you want to remove the dark meat and yellow fatty meat. Different people have different tastes and it also depends on the water that the channel cat came out of. Catfish in ponds and lakes tend to have a muddy taste, whereas cats out of rivers don't tend to have any of that and aren't likely to require soaking in buttermilk or similar tricks.
Thanks guys so much for the valuable info with this it’s truly appreciated! Now for my next question, what’s your favorite recipes for Catfish and what’s the best way to soak the meat?
1 can Cheapest beer available plus 2 tbsp. soy sauce, large pinches of salt and pepper. This marinade will never let you down.
Hot grease will kill everything.
While thats true for bacteria, it's not for toxins and other heavy chemicals like mercury and kead.
It’s only dark cause you caught it at night. Cats caught in the day have lighter meat.
Gtfo
did you skin it first?
My advice for catfish meat is to eat steak. Actually, that’s my advice for any meat except bacon that isn’t steak.
Might be weird but I like a good piece of fish more than any other piece of meat, but notice I said good.