Skinning and Filleting a Catfish

How to Clean Catfish

1. Step 1

   The first thing you want to do is locate the Adipose Fin on your catfish. This fin is located on top of the catfish, at the back of the fish, near where the tail begins. There are only two fins on top of the catfish, so as long as it’s not the one by the head, then you probably have the correct fin.

2. Step 2

   Using your fillet knife, begin an incision behind the Adipose Fin, and continue to cut one long, continuous strip that goes under the Adipose Fin and along the back towards the head of the fish. Just continue one long cut until you are under the dorsal fin. This is the other fin on top of the catfish, being just behind the catfish's head.

3. Step 3

   Once your fillet knife is positioned under the dorsal fin, change the angle of your cut to begin slicing downward. You want to cut deep into the fish, just behind the head. Continue cutting all the way down to the backbone, then slide your fillet knife out of the catfish.

4. Step 4

   Holding the body of the catfish with one hand, grab the head of the fish with the other hand and bend the head down so that the backbone of the catfish breaks. Be careful to not apply so much force that you rip the head completely off. The idea here is to just break the backbone so that it will not be in your way.

5. Step 5

   Using the hand the is holding the body of the fish, insert your index finger into the fish. You should be able to reach right over the end of the backbone, getting your finger firmly into the rib cage so that you have a very firm grip on the body of the catfish.

6. Step 6

   With your grip on the body of the fish strengthened, use your other hand to pull the head of the fish towards the tail. The skin, still firmly attached to the head, will pull behind it, pulling away from the meat of the fish. It is almost like peeling a banana. If you peel slowly and carefully, you should be able to remove all of the skin with one even pull.

7. Step 7

   Lay the fish on it's side and make a fillet cut to separate the meet on that side of the catfish from the bone. You basically just want to lay your fillet knife almost flat against the point where you will begin the cut. Just raise the blade to give it a slight angle, and begin slicing into the catfish flesh. When you get to the bone, level off your cut and slice straight across, to hopefully end up with one big piece of boneless catfish meat.

8. Step 8

   Flip the catfish over and make another fillet cut on the other side of the fish. Afterwards, be sure to inspect both pieces very carefully for bones. Catfish bones are very thin and very pointy, and are something you do not want to find it's way into an unsuspecting mouth.

9. Step 9

   Everything except the two fillets is waste and should be disposed of. If you have cleaned your catfish while you are still fishing, then you can throw the remains into the water for other fish to feed on.

Easy Fish Cleaning Tips for Walleye, Perch, Crappie and other Panfish

The fish cleaning techniques described here are nothing new, and is mainly intended for beginners. This process

takes about a minute for each fish, depending on experience. This works all the same on perch, crappies and

bluegills. On those crappies, you DO NOT need to scale it first. I hope this increases your ability at cleaning

fish.

Slice fish behind the gills all the way to the backbone but don’t sever. You’ll want to angle the knife towards the

head so you don’t waste part of the Fish fillet.
Now work the knife along backbone being careful not to cut through it. You’ll want to run the knife all the way to

the tail, but leave the skin still attached (don’t cut through).
Now lay the fish out, skin side down. Take your sharp fillet knife and run the knife all the way down the fillet.

Keep the knife along the skin so you don’t waste any of the fillet.
You will cut away the fillet from the skin, so you’ll only see a fillet remain.
Take your fillet knife and go under the rib bones from the top to the bottom, cutting rib bones free. You will want

to keep the knife RIGHT UNDER the bones, so you can conserve most of the fillet. It is very important to have a

clean knife for this step.
After that you’re pretty much done. You can see what’s left is the final product, you can throw the rest away.

Rinse off the fillet, stick it in a plastic Ziploc bag and fill with water until submerged (will eliminate freezer

burn). Now it’s ready for the freezer if not the grill or frying pan. Also you can cut out the cheeks of the fish.

This is the best part of the fish, and it’s worth it!

How to fillet Crappie

Healthy Poached Crappie

• 2 Cloves of Garlic (or more)
• 2 medium onions (or more)
• 2/3 Cup of low-sodium chicken broth
• Lemon juice of 3 lemons
• Lemon zest of 3 lemons
• 1 small jar of Capers
• 12-24 Crappie fillets
• 4 cups (or more) sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a skillet saute the garlic and onion in olive oil until tender. Add broth, lemon juice and zest; bring to a boil. Add fish fillets and simmer gently until fish flakes with a fork. Remove fillets to shallow baking dish; keep warm. Simmer cooking liquids until somewhat reduced. Add mushrooms and capers and cook until tender to your liking. Stir in salt, paprika and pepper. Pour mushroom mixture over fillets. Sprinkle with cheese and lightly brown under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Top with parsley. Serve with ample amounts of sticky, Asian rice.

Crappie Chowder

• 4 cups boneless crappie
• 8 cups water
• 2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
• 4 cups potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 can Cream of Celery Soup
• 2-3 cups of milk

Steep the 4-cups boneless crappie fillets in about 8-cups of water seasoned with 1 – 2 Tablespoons of Old Bay Seasoning for about 15-minutes, drain and chop/flake into small pieces.

While fillets are cooking, saute about 4-cups of cubed style frozen hash-brown potatoes, ½-cup finely chopped onion, ½-cup finely chopped celery in about ¼-cup butter in a large skillet just until potatoes are tender but not mushy.

Add 1-can Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1-can of Cream of Celery Soup and 2 to 3-cups milk depending on how thick you want your chowder. Bring to a slow simmer, stir in fish, salt and pepper to taste (optional) and simmer about 20-minutes. Serve with Ritz or Oyster Crackers.

Stir-fry Crappie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound Crappie Fillets
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 1/2 cups Celery, diagonally cut
• 1 Green Pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1/4 cup Green Onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh Mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 2 teaspoons instant Chicken Bouillon*
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock or Water

Heat oil in heavy skillet. Cut crappie fillets into 1 1/2-inch strips. Sauté the crappie fillets and vegetables for 3 minutes. Add cornstarch, mixed with seasonings, soy sauce and liquid. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes, until thickened and hot. Serve over hot cooked rice.

*If you use chicken bouillon dissolve it in 1 1/2 cups water. If you use chicken stock omit the bouillon.