Best way to fry catfish

[diamond hunter]

Ive fried literally thousands of crappie in the last30 years,no problems. I can never get catfish right.What is your method and what eactly do you do?Thank for any reples.

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

Generally Crappie are smaller thinner pieces and fry faster than a hunk of big catfish.Same general method . I cut the cat fish into smaller pieces and trim off any fatty pieces if they are big cats. Don't over crowd the pan ,wait until one batch is completely done and out before dropping in a new batch.

 

[mike243]

If you can get some nice fillets from them cut into fingers instead of whole fillets,easier to get done correctly & kids like the finger foods better lol

 

[brmaster]

cut into dollar size slices leaving the back bone (like a tbone stake look) , once fried the meat will fall off the bone, just dont cut to thin or they will end up being hard, i have done it many times at 3/4 to 1" thick and they work great.

 

[diamond hunter]

I havent tried laying them on their belly and making slices..Now,what batter or dipping before frying??

 

[mike243]

http://www.yodersmart.com/catalog/index ... ts_id=8120
Im not sure if mine is this maker or not but i get it local in a 35lbs box,great stuff

 

[mike243]

http://www.walnutcreekfoods.com/Runion- ... 761560.htm
Id guess this is what i buy local,about $30 a box,great stuff

 

[KANATI McD]

Use corn meal. Add salt and mix well. Taste test with wet finger tip. If you cant taste salt add more until you do. Rinse fillets thoroughly with water and pat dry with paper towels. ( wet fish equals soggy breading)
Fry at 300-310� until golden brown and fish is floating

If your frying alot, you will need to strain your grease every 2-3 cycles

 

[elkman]

batter mix of 2/3 yellow corn meal and 1/3 flour
soak in water
take out of water and allow to drain for ten min or so
salt each side of fillet
roll in mixture
drop in grease at 325
Take out when floating and golden brown

 

[beechnut]

The problem I have is getting the meal to stick.

 

[Chaneylake]

The problem I have is getting the meal to stick.

ours seem to stick better, the dryer the fish is, does not sound right does it

 

[Crosshairy]

You want the fillets damp, not wet. Breading will cling to the surface until it gets saturated with moisture - once saturated, it falls off easily. You want the breading to get a taste of moisture, but stay thirsty

Catfish have a problem of being relatively fatty and not cooking to the point of being crispy. This is a real problem if you are cooking them in large pieces and they are bigger than about 2 lbs.

Cutting into strips like others have said works well. Or do the "steak" method as a previous poster stated.

My dad used to steak the fish vertically until he got past the ribs, then fillet the part from the tail back. This left very manageable pieces of fish. The added bonus was that he made completely boneless pieces out of every fish, which is easier when dealing with kids.

I do this same method today and find it works well.

 

[jb3]

....in an iron skillet

 

[Nimrod777]

I've always kept it simple, with good success.

I fillet my cats. I don't mess with any old school catfish crucifixion methods, and I don't mess with bones.

My favorite breading is a dip in buttermilk, and then a dredge into white cornmeal. No fancy or expensive mixes, or you hide the flavors inherent in the buttermilk, meal, salt and pepper.

One tip on the breading, that I learned from an old KFC employee: press down hard on the fillets to set the breading in solid. Knuckle down hard on it. And if you have a lot of fish, you can set them out on a cookie sheet after you bread them and set them in the freezer. Once solid, you can bag them up for later use. Might even put a little wax paper between the fillets.

Season lightly in the cooking, then add what flavors you want by using dips, sauces, or shakers at the dinner table. I'm betting you'll enjoy the simplicity of just the fish.