How to Get Rid of the Muddy Flavor of Catfish

by Bruce Manly
(Warrenton Ore.)

Is there any way to extract or hide the muddy flavor in some catfish caught in the wild?

Bruce,

Their are several things you can do to help remove the muddy or off flavor of wild Catfish.


If your Catfish has any dark meat on it you want to remove it. Use a sharp knife and remove this meat, much like filleting.

If you notice any yellow or off colored meat remove it also. You will usually find this fatty meat at the shoulder of the Catfish just above the belly and along the top of the Catfish.

The belly part is another area that will have off flavor. If cooking them whole I just remove the belly flaps.

You have several methods for soaking your Catfish to help remove the muddy flavor.

In a quart of water, add a 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and soak for 30 minutes. Remove the fish and rinse with cold water.

Soak you Catfish in buttermilk for an hour. Then rinse with cold water.

When soaking make sure to always place your fish in the refrigerator.

I hope this helps you.

Thanks for visiting the cookingfishmonger.

Frank