# catfish soak



## rzrbak (Jul 8, 2010)

Well for my first post I have a little problem..... I have been fishing a private tank all year and have caught some really nice channel cats but they are so strong tasting ,you can't hardly eat them... I have tried the usual buttermilk,pickle juice,and salt....Anyone have a recipe ???


Bobby


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## Sweat (Jun 1, 2010)

Do you trim off all the skin or greyish area left on meat before soaking it? Also.. any red lines in the meat should be cut out as well... this will sometimes take care of that fishy taste...


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## rzrbak (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks Sweat for the reply..... Yeah these are clean fillets i'm talking about. The fishy taste i can handle, these fish taste like grass. The tank these fish came out of is choked down with grass and something similar to hydrilla. I thought about putting them in a trough and feeding them out for about two weeks just to see if they clean up any. I may even try blackend catfish with these...... Thanks.


Bobby


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## SV_DuckBuster (Sep 18, 2007)

Soak in buttermilk for 12 hours in a ziplock bag in the fridge. Remove from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Coat fillets in mustard and then dip in your normal fish fry mix (corn meal/flour/spices) and fry. Comes out perfect and no more gamey taste. Try it, I bet you like it.


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## wwind3 (Sep 30, 2009)

hard to get rid of the grassy mossy taste---good luck..


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## rzrbak (Jul 8, 2010)

SV_DuckBuster said:


> Soak in buttermilk for 12 hours in a ziplock bag in the fridge. Remove from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Coat fillets in mustard and then dip in your normal fish fry mix (corn meal/flour/spices) and fry. Comes out perfect and no more gamey taste. Try it, I bet you like it.


I will try a longer soak in the buttermilk.... I will try the mustard too... I haven't tried the mustard on these fish yet.... maybe that will work. Thanks for the advise Duckbuster.

Bobby


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## mustangeric (May 22, 2010)

i have used the mustard before and it worked well for me.


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## Jeff G (May 18, 2010)

We were having the same problem with these tilapia last year that we were catching in a shallow creek near my subdivision . I removed all of the red meat but they still had a strong taste. 

I soaked them in milk over night and it helped . I think that the buttermilk will be better . I'll have to try that next time. I also found some good sauces at Heb that I would pour over it or dip it in that were really good like a mango pepper pinapple type sauce.


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## DMC (Apr 2, 2006)

The problem with trying to change the taste of the meat is that they spent a lifetime getting that way, you aren't really going to change it in a few hours. It's like trying to make a Jack Crevalle taste like a Wahoo by soaking it in Sprite. It's not because they were around it, but because they digested it for years, kinda like scrub bucks tasting horrible.


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## The Last Mango (Jan 31, 2010)

phooey...........catfish farmers use Die-U-Ron, yeah the spelling is not correct, but that's what they dump in a pond where the fish are "off" flavored.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Try a different approach. Use the boneless fillets in Cajun recipes.
We make lots of gumbos and e'touffee' using mouth size chunks of various fish to replace crab meat. The spicy sauces completely mask the mossy taste.
Google "Cajun recipes" and you will find hundred of good and easy dishes. The trick with the fish is the same for crab meat. Only add to pot on the last 5 minutes of simmering. Do not stir since the cooked fish will break up.


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## mauiredneck (Feb 2, 2006)

mustard


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## cduff (Apr 4, 2007)

Mustard is definately the way to go. My daughter(14) would never eat fish and she doesnt like mustard(so she thought). One day I had thawed the fillets and soaked them in mustard for a couple of hours before I cooked them and just happened to get her to try the fish(just one more time). Now she stays on me all the time about having a fish fry. That is deffinately her meal of choice for her birthday now, mustard and all.

She tells me she will not eat anyone elses fish. I would bet you would be satisfied as well. Good luck and let us know how it comes out.:cheers:


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## Kid Rodelo (Jun 4, 2010)

My hunting buddy does the buttermilk thing and it is very good but I do have the patience. I mix equal amounts of beer, pickle juice, and water then stir in enough yellow mustard (mix it well with a whisp)to make the liquid nice and yellow. Be sure the fish is in small pieces to get a lot of batter (prepared commercial fish fry batter with flour and seasoning to taste added) on each piece. A quick dip into the liquid (short soak less than a minute) then into the batter shaker and into the 350 degree fryer. Never have any complaints, y usually because they can't talk with their mouth full.


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## JPO (Oct 15, 2005)

soak the fillets in saltwater in the fridge over nite. next day rinse each fillet until the slimy feeling is gone. the key is rinsing them real good.


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