Outdoor Adventures
Phil Taunton
Originally published 01:37 p.m., June 27, 2008
Updated 01:37 p.m., June 27, 2008
To say Eric Priest of Emporia knows a little something about catfishing and our outdoor heritage and traditions would be an understatement.
I met Eric this past week and feel privileged to make the acquaintance of a person who cares so much about hunting, fishing, bird watching and wildlife appreciation.
You might remember him from a story The Gazette did concerning his passion for making his own archery equipment and Indian drums.
And Eric knew the secret to preparing great-tasting catfish I’m going to mention in this week’s article.
In last week’s story, I had just been goose hunting and was treated to dinner by our host. The fish dinner he served was the best I’ve had for a long time, and boy was I surprised when he told me it was catfish. When I asked him how he prepared such a good tasting filet, the “rat” clammed up and wouldn’t share his recipe, saying it was an old family secret.
We all know there is more than one way to “skin a cat.” My next trip out west pheasant hunting; I took a little something I call “Chick on a Stick” and invited the fellow over to dine with us after the hunt. He ate the grilled, mouth-watering morsels and made the statement they were the best-tasting upland game birds he ever had the pleasure to eat. They were so good he thought his lips fell in love and wanted the recipe to share with his clients.
Well, I told him it was quail, wrapped in bacon, but the marinade was (you guessed it) an old family secret I just couldn’t divulge unless he saw fit to share his family’s secret recipe. If you won’t eat catfish because you think they have a strong, fishy taste, what can I say? They’re fish and have an oilier type of flesh than, say, walleye or crappie. And that alone will make them a bit stronger tasting.
The secret that makes catfish, white bass or even carp better-tasting is to double filet the fish as my new “recipe-sharing partner” out West would say. By double filleting, he would simply lift his knife up off the skin when he separated the filet from the skin, thus leaving some of the red, stronger-tasting oily flesh on the skin and free from the filet.
Monday morning, I got a call from Eric and he invited me over to his house for a fish-cleaning lesson. He had just returned from checking his lines set in the Cottonwood River and, goodness gracious, did he have a mess of catfish. The catch included channel cats up to 10 pounds, several flatheads in the 20-pound range and one 40-pounder. These fish were caught on perch or green sunfish that his wife sometimes helps him catch.
Eric’s fish-cleaning technique takes the double filet method a step further. Once the fish is filleted from the bone and separated from the skin, he turns the filet over and trims any remaining red meat out. Any fat should also be discarded. The end result will be a better-tasting fish filet, whether it is catfish or one of the stronger-tasting species having a red “blood” line.
I mentioned I don’t keep flatheads that weigh over 7 pounds and hope I wasn’t misleading readers into thinking fish any bigger are not good to eat. That’s far from the truth. Big ones are good. I personally choose to let big ones go because they are such a thrill to catch — a pleasure all fishermen should experience at least once in their lives. The main thing is, please don’t waste, and use what you take.
Bill Brown of Lebo also sent me several tips via e-mail I would like to share. He suggests filets should be immediately placed in ice water. Place them in bags once they are rinsed clean along with a little ice water and a tablespoon of either red wine or malt vinegar. Seal, and be sure to squeeze all the air out before you freeze them.
For immediate cooking and not freezing, place filet in vinegar of choice and let sit for an hour or more. Bill’s golden rule is to keep the filets below 40 degrees as much as possible.
To cook, he lets the filets drain in the refrigerator and then cuts into bite size pieces. He then breads with Andy’s Red Fish breading. Pieces that are not being fried are kept in an aluminum pan sitting on top of ice. Bill likes to use peanut oil heated between 350 and 375 degrees. All fish he catches are prepared this way, except walleye doesn’t need the vinegar.
Thanks, Eric and Bill, for sharing your secrets with the readers. I’m fish hungry now, I garontee you, and heading to the lake.