Thread: Catfish are biting in 20 FOW

The Best Way To Freeze Catfish

Once you clean the catfish and thoroughly wash the fillets you can always cook them fresh but that’s not always an option so you may have to freeze them. There’s tons of options that are complicated and not necessary.
Here’s how to freeze your catfish fillets:

• Put the cleaned and washed fillets into Ziplock bags.
• Fill the bags with water 1″ over the top of the fish.
• Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and mix well.
• Remove the air from the bag (by squeezing it)
• Seal the bag well
• Place in the freezer and freeze your catfish fillets

The fish will keep for a VERY long time frozen like this and will not get freezer burn. I’ve kept fillets for well over a year without problems.

Don't know about the lemon juice part but covering with plain water will keep them from getting freezer burnt. The lemon might flavor the fish. But then a lot of people like lemon on fish and chicken. I am just not one of them. I like lemon but not on meat.

Don't forget the belly meat

Team Catfish as the one of the best you tube on how to clean a cat as anyone.

I've seen worse cleaning jobs, but I agree with that the meat just above the ribs is worthwhile, all the way forward to the pectoral fins, and truman13 is right on with the belly meat. nice thick piece of meat that goes way up under the rib cage. but be sure to trim all the fat.
a big flathead will have a hunk of meat Between the eye and nostril that is big enough to dig out.

Good catch and thanks for the report. Your a better man than me to brave the heat and yeah there is a lot of meat left on those cats.

Check out this video by Jeff Faulkenberry of Endless Season Guide Service. He shows how to fillet a bluecat. There is a bunch of good meat on the belly that a lot of folks through away. Some say its the best meat on the fish. I don't know if the link works (I'm not sure how to do it) but you can copy and paste it or just search Jeff Faulkenberry on utube, How to clean a catfish and not waste any meat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYeCutjUXHo

Saw a guy really struggling to clean small cats several years ago. He was skinning them. Well trying. The problem was he was starting at the tail and trying to pull skin to head. The tail was impossible to hang onto. It just slid out of his hand.