Thread: Catfish/muddy Taste

I think the water temp has effect on the taste of catfish here in southern IL. The fish from cold water such as early spring tasts alot better then ones caught in the summer.

Originally Posted by CrappieClint

I think the water temp has effect on the taste of catfish here in southern IL. The fish from cold water such as early spring tasts alot better then ones caught in the summer.

Your are correct. Fish have a mild flavor but pick up bad taste from water sometimes. During hot weather is the worst , even pond raised fish. It can be caused by algae in the water.

To give any fish a cleaner taste (even Crappie) I usually unload em after a day of catching, in an ice chest of ice & clean water, enough to cover the fish and keep for at least 24 hrs. After a day or 2 on ice water I clean them. Just keep an eye on the ice. I noticed a differance in taste many years ago. Also as one said before, most waters (fish) are better in the cold of winter.

Cut the yellow strip off that will fix it.

There is a guy here that takes all the fillets and puts in a cooler and pours dawn dishsoap in and wash them, he said it takes all the muddy flavor out by seperating the oils in the meat. And it worked...I wouldn't have beleived at first but the dawn says it gets rid of oils and grease.

stick em in the dishwasher

Soak em for 2 hours in a mudpuddle. The mud puddle will draw out the muddy taste! Then cook em in the microwave on high for 1 hour. Transfer them to a cedar plank, toss em in the woodstove and go to Captain D's for a flounder dinner.

Originally Posted by Cracker68

Cut the yellow strip off that will fix it.

There is a guy here that takes all the fillets and puts in a cooler and pours dawn dishsoap in and wash them, he said it takes all the muddy flavor out by seperating the oils in the meat. And it worked...I wouldn't have beleived at first but the dawn says it gets rid of oils and grease.

Try warm water with salt and vinegar, wash good. Then rinse in fresh ice water to cool back down quickly. Most people cut Catfish too thick. Even fillets should be trimmed of all yellow or dark meat or fat. Cut into slices less than 1/2'' thick. Nothing beat good fish from clean cold water. Also try to avoid larger fish as they tend to carry more fat and containants in the flesh.
I ain't putting soap on my food.

Originally Posted by slimecoat

This is a lot of work but here is how I do it. Take a sharp fillet knife and slit the gills where they connect to the top of the head. Hold the fish in a net until it bleeds out. I then gut them and toss the guts. Pack in ice. When home skin with a knife rather than pliers. Leave a eighth inch of meat on the skin. Next remove the lateral line area. Remove all yellow tissue. Next rinse the fillets in a container until all fat is skimmed off. At this point the fillet should smell like clean pure air. The muddy taste is probably coming from a chemical produced by a type of cyanobacteria The chemical is called methylisoborneol. It’s a big problem on commercial fish farms. They actually have a professional taste tester come in and sample the fish before the lot is sold to a buyer. Muddy flavor in fish is seasonal and will probably lesson later in the year!

Right on Slimecoat!! That is how we do our catfish when we run our trotlines. We gill cut them on the stringer and let them bleed out. By having them bleed out, it minimizes the blood mess when you fillet them. We don't gut the fish right away because we are only minutes from the reservoir.

Here's a video that is similar to how we clean our catfish: Cleaning Catfish Under A Minute

I have experienced the muddy taste from Crappies as well if they are taken from a lake that has a large algae bloom.

Originally Posted by shocker037

I Have Cought Some Catfish In The Past And Fried Them Up And They Tasted Muddy How Do You Go About Getting Rid Of The Taste Other Than Drowing Them In Some Kinda Sauce

i find that the bigger cats usually have a stronger muddy taste i usually wont keep one larger than 2 - 2&1/2 feet long ill just snap a picture and throw it back

The quickest way to rid the fillet of the fat and any bad taste is to remove all red meat then drop the fillets in boiling water for 2 minutes. Pull the fillets after 2 minutes and cook. You do not waste the yellow meat and the bad taste is gone