Cleaning and freezing catfish?

[BuckSutherland]

Does anyone freeze raw catfish fillets for later consumption? Any tips on best methods to make sure it’s not fishy and gross when cleaning?


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I would bleed a stinky catfish. Then fillet the fish. Cut off anything undesirable looking especially the blood line (red or yellow). Wash the fish and then soak them in the fridge with water, ice and salt for 24 hours. The cold salt water will help remove the scum and will also firm up the fillet. Then freeze them in zip locks and cover the fillets completely with water. If you're filling your freezer with a bunch of fillets you aren't fishing enough.

 

[SD51555]

I would bleed a stinky catfish. Then fillet the fish. Cut off anything undesirable looking especially the blood line (red or yellow). Wash the fish and then soak them in the fridge with water, ice and salt for 24 hours. The cold salt water will help remove the scum and will also firm up the fillet. Then freeze them in zip locks and cover the fillets completely with water. If you're filling your freezer with a bunch of fillets you aren't fishing enough.

I had thought about fishing by the dam this weekend. The water is roaring thru there and completely above the dam.


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[letemgrow]

Do it all the time with flatheads.

I vacuum seal them and sometimes put them on the smoker.

They're bled out on the ride home a lot of times to be processed in the garage promptly. No ice or anything like that for me....straight from the water to the freezer.

 

[Angus 1895]

Catfish don’t stink……

I think they have a sweet smell!

King of fish!

That 16.5 pounder outta the crow river was delicious!

Cut out the red meat….( it’s on the skin side of the filet)

Marinate in milk/ plain yogurt mixture. Or plain keifer, or buttermilk and yogurt.

You don’t need an egg wash for breading…..the marinade is very sticky.

Never bled em, I ice em and whack em in the head before I filet them.

I would worry bleeding them may get them warm and decomposing, so never did it.

I freeze them in water.

Like I said

King of fish!

 

[Angus 1895]

Do it all the time with flatheads.

I vacuum seal them and sometimes put them on the smoker.

They're bled out on the ride home a lot of times to be processed in the garage promptly. No ice or anything like that for me....straight from the water to the freezer.

View attachment 65271

The flat head I ate outta the Minnesota River was awful!



But I didn’t bleed it or remove the red meat…….

So maybe I will try again if I gut hook one bad


I like channel cat!

 

[drycreek]

One of my favorite fish !

 

[Angus 1895]

I have been putting the cut away red meat filets in the used marinade and steaming them in a sauce pan and water.

Makes great dog food!

 

[letemgrow]

The flat head I ate outta the Minnesota River was awful!



But I didn’t bleed it or remove the red meat…….

So maybe I will try again if I gut hook one bad


I like channel cat!

I’d rate it with walleye and crappie.

Never had a bad one yet no matter how it was cooked. I trim out any of the skin and red meat and am left with white meat deliciousness.

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[letemgrow]

Trimmed meat looks something like this….no red or skin left on it.

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[Catscratch]

Do you guys think the belly flap on a big flathead tastes the same as the rest of it?

And do any of ya keep the cheeks?

 

[letemgrow]

Do you guys think the belly flap on a big flathead tastes the same as the rest of it?

And do any of ya keep the cheeks?

The belly flap is excellent IMO. I can't tell a difference in the taste from the flap and the steaks if they're skinned/cleaned properly.

It takes some extra trimming to get the skin off both sides of it.

 

[sandbur]

I have only tried two channel cats in my lifetime and I was not impressed. I did not bleed them and the second one I did remove the red meat. Salt water in the fridge and eaten while fresh.

I caught two on a trip to the Mississippi this week. Fun to catch, but I will eat walleye and crappie first.

I need to learn more. My wife doesn’t even want to try another one.

One person said he just smokes them.

 

[letemgrow]

The amount of steaks and belly meat off a big flat is truly incredible. This 44 should have been in the 60’s…way too gaunt.

What I typically do with the belly meat is cut in strips/large cubes and then slice off the white skin from both sides.

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[letemgrow]

This 52 was as good as any other catfish I’ve ever had…and I’m not a big fish guy.

Loin and belly mostly trimmed…still a bit more to clean off the loin.

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[Angus 1895]

This 52 was as good as any other catfish I’ve ever had…and I’m not a big fish guy.

Loin and belly mostly trimmed…still a bit more to clean off the loin.

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WOW!

 

[Catscratch]

The amount of steaks and belly meat off a big flat is truly incredible. This 44 should have been in the 60’s…way too gaunt.

What I typically do with the belly meat is cut in strips/large cubes and then slice off the white skin from both sides.

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I see a Warrior Dash shirt! I used to love that race until they quit keeping results. Then I switch to the Hard Charge, as well as just about any other obstacle race I could find.

 

[letemgrow]

I see a Warrior Dash shirt! I used to love that race until they quit keeping results. Then I switch to the Hard Charge, as well as just about any other obstacle race I could find.

It was a good time. Conquer the Gauntlet or Tough Mudder had the best obstacles IMO.

Only problem with TM was the 8+ miles you go to get to the obstacles. Watched a dude fall down in the electroshock therapy obstacle and get knocked out by the shock...they had to shut it down and get him out for us to finish the race.

 

[H20fwler]

We have a couple really good flathead rivers close by and enjoy catching the big ones.
For eating we like the smaller 5-10 pound ones best.








We also have a big reservoir about twenty miles away that is 40’ deep and loaded with nice 5-7 pound channel cats. It’s like going to the grocery store when we go there. I load up a big xtra large cooler with ice and throw them right in it as soon as we catch them.
Take them right home and skin them, then trim off all the red meat and chunk them.
Usually keep a nice pile out to cornmeal up and fry in peanut oil next day. Invite some friends over and it’s a party.

Our favorite are the channels out of deep clean cold water around 5 pounds.
We do same as others put chunks or fillets in heavy ziplock gallon freezer bags with water and freeze solid. They never last more than a couple months here…everyone loves a good catfish fry.

 

[Kooch]

I live near the MN/SD border and just rigged an old medium/heavy ugly stick spinning rod up the other day. I’ve got the bits for Carolina rigging and some #4 and #6 treble hooks. Today I picked up a container of chicken livers. I plan to garlic them up and go hunting the Minnesota river for channel cats soon.

When I was a kid out West I went to the canal system in the Imperial Valley and caught them with cut mackerel for bait using the same basic Carolina rig.


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