Cleaning and freezing catfish?
- Thread starter SD51555
- Start date
We used to run trot lines specifically for catfish when I grew up before we switched to black crappie (for taste) and striped/white bass (for the fun). We learned a few tricks along the way for best cleaning and storage practices.
First order of business is species selection.
Down here in north Texas we have 4 main catfish… Flathead, Channel, Blue, and Bullhead.
My order of preference is Blues first, then Channel, and then flatheads/bullheads. The blues and channels are far and above the taste of all other species in my opinion, but I can make any of the above quality table fare.
1. While alive, bleed the catfish out by snipping the gills with scissors or a sharp set of snips. If you don’t do this, there is no way to get excess blood out of the meat tissue later.
2. As the bleed-out finishes you want to quickly get the fish on ice. Like most meats, temperature management before processing is vital. Leave them on ice long enough for the rigor mortis to relax so the filet doesn’t firm up too much when cooked.
3. When cleaning, cut away any yellow portions of the filets. These have a higher fat content and can cause an off flavor. You want white flaky slabs of meat.
4. Larger fish will have multiple muscle groups that are each large enough to be used as individual pieces in the fryer. There is sometimes a thin darker seam between them, and this needs to be cut out and discarded as well.
5. Storage is like any other white fish. Either vacuum sealed in good storage bags, or frozen in water. I prefer the frozen in water method, because vacuum bags inevitably fail and the fillets get freezer burnt.
I usually package in the same quantity of fillets that we use as a family. For our family of 3, that is usually about 10 decent fillets (or 4 large ones) per bag.
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First order of business is species selection.
Down here in north Texas we have 4 main catfish… Flathead, Channel, Blue, and Bullhead.
My order of preference is Blues first, then Channel, and then flatheads/bullheads. The blues and channels are far and above the taste of all other species in my opinion, but I can make any of the above quality table fare.
1. While alive, bleed the catfish out by snipping the gills with scissors or a sharp set of snips. If you don’t do this, there is no way to get excess blood out of the meat tissue later.
2. As the bleed-out finishes you want to quickly get the fish on ice. Like most meats, temperature management before processing is vital. Leave them on ice long enough for the rigor mortis to relax so the filet doesn’t firm up too much when cooked.
3. When cleaning, cut away any yellow portions of the filets. These have a higher fat content and can cause an off flavor. You want white flaky slabs of meat.
4. Larger fish will have multiple muscle groups that are each large enough to be used as individual pieces in the fryer. There is sometimes a thin darker seam between them, and this needs to be cut out and discarded as well.
5. Storage is like any other white fish. Either vacuum sealed in good storage bags, or frozen in water. I prefer the frozen in water method, because vacuum bags inevitably fail and the fillets get freezer burnt.
I usually package in the same quantity of fillets that we use as a family. For our family of 3, that is usually about 10 decent fillets (or 4 large ones) per bag.
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SD51555
5 year old buck +
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
I bleed them by hanging from their lip then cutting the tail off. Gravity helps drain put what the heart doesn't pump out.
Trim ALL red meat out.
Wash fillets several times.
Put in bowl of salt water in fridge ASAP.
Freeze the next day in water filled ziplock bags.
Trim ALL red meat out.
Wash fillets several times.
Put in bowl of salt water in fridge ASAP.
Freeze the next day in water filled ziplock bags.
Depends on the size. You can only bleed them when they’re alive, so it becomes obvious when the blood flow basically stops. When running trot lines, we would let them bleed in the bottom of the boat until we got to the end of the line, then we would toss them all into an ice chest full of ice.
We used to have a very large shark hook mounted to a pole on the dock to hang them from, and would hang them from it to clean. If they were still alive on the hook, the tail method catscratch mentioned above worked fantastically.
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The cold saltwater is a VITAL step for the fillets. I can’t believe I forgot to add that!
We even do this with crappie fillets.
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Telemark
5 year old buck +
Same.
It's VERY important that air does not get in contact with the fish. Even if the meat is frozen, the air will oxidize the fat and make it rancid. This applies to all meat, actually. Unfortunately, vacuum bags have a tendency to get damaged and lose their vacuum. This lets air in, which ruins whatever is in the bag. It is essential to keep any air from contacting your frozen food.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Ikeman and I think a lot alike!
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
What size ya expecting sd? I don't fillet the smaller channels but leave them on the spine instead.
Gravel Road
5 year old buck +
We hit the mother load of catfish today. We were casting a slip bobber with a minnow into shallow water next to cattails, and as soon as it hit the water, the bobber would go down. It was crazy fast. We didn't keep any and most were small; but some were eating size of maybe 2 lbs. We were after walleye.
SD51555
5 year old buck +
I'm hoping for Missouri River big'uns. Don't know what to expect. Is there an upper limit where they start tasting cruddy because they're big and old?
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
I've had people tell me that they don't like the big ones, then turn around and tell me the 50lb flathead I just fed them was the best crappie they've ever eaten. I think if prep'd well and cooked right they ate all good.
Just cut any red meat or darker seams out as you clean and no one will ever know how big it was.
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bwoods11
5 year old buck +
The absolute most creative name for a TV show is Catfish on MTV. For those that have never seen it, it’s people getting “catfished” online by people who are usually not who they say they are (fake pics, names) etc..
So fitting, because when you are fishing and think you have a big walleye on, then up comes an ugly catfish! No offense to catfish, they can be tasty !
So fitting, because when you are fishing and think you have a big walleye on, then up comes an ugly catfish! No offense to catfish, they can be tasty !
I prefer to keep the smaller catfish, like fish under 3-4 pounds. I freeze them just like any other fish - covered completely by water and in a ziploc bag. They will last years in the freezer that way.
I've never done anything special with the fish other than filleting them like any other fish and then cut off any red sections in the meat. I place the fillets in fresh cold water and then I change the water a couple times over the next hour before freezing them.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Lol, I pretty much NEVER think I have a big walleye on!!!
So the story goes that grandpa pulled a catfish out of the freezer, sat it on the counter to thaw, and when picked it up later it bit him and grandma had to use pliers to get it off his finger.
However, I don't know of any waters that hold catfish within a few hundred miles, so its probably just a fish tale.
However, I don't know of any waters that hold catfish within a few hundred miles, so its probably just a fish tale.
