How to Prepare Large Blue Catfish
As one of the largest freshwater sportfish, the blue catfish can weigh up to 50 pounds on average. Record-holding blue catfish weigh as much as 115 to 121 pounds. Considered one of the best eating catfish, the blue catfish must be cleaned and scaled before cooking. Frying is a popular method of cooking a blue catfish, although they can be baked or grilled as well. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Clean the fish thoroughly by inserting the tip of a knife into the fish's belly near the end of the fish and move it along the belly up to the head. The knife blade should be shallow, only barely through the skin so that the intestines are not punctured.
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Open up the body of the fish and pull out the entrails. Cut a notch where the anus is and throw it away.
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Rinse out the cavity under the faucet and wash off the skin. Cut the head off, and then bury all of the innards and the head immediately to prevent animals from being interested in them.
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Snip the spine off the catfish and then skin it by holding its head on a flat surface. Gently slice through the skin and then use pliers to remove it from the body, pulling from the head toward the tail.
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Fillet the fish by cutting the fish with a filleting knife behind its gills and then slicing to the backbone, but not through it.
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Turn the blade, without removing the knife from the fish, and cut down towards the tail using the backbone as a guide for the tip of the knife.
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Remove the resulting fillet and place it on a plate. Turn the fish over and repeat the above filleting steps. Wash each fillet in cold water and pat dry with a clean paper towel.
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Dredge your catfish in flour or cornmeal and any other seasonings you like and then fry it on medium high heat for 5 minutes on each side, or choose a specific recipe for cooking your catfish.
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References
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