how to skin a catfish

It's so named for the long, cat whisker-like antennas found near its nose and mouth. Start by Placing a board on a flat level surface. This is where the flexible knife blade comes in handy. Two or three incisions are best, depending on its size. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 400,178 times. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. I once thought this was the only way to clean a catfish but that all changed a very long time ago. After ensuring that your catfish is not alive, cut a slit in the skin behind its gills. If you can , let the video load up and skip to about the middle. Does anybody know how to exactly skin a catfish? Next, you want to make sure the catfish is secured to the board that it’s lying on. Brining Catfish Improves Both Taste and Texture. No the skin is not harmful, it just is not eaten most of the time for most fish you usually only want the meat inside because the skin is not that enjoyable for most people. Put the fish on a flat surface and hold the head with a clamp. Make shallow slanted cuts behind the gills on each side that meet in the stomach. Skinning a catfish that's not dead is also inhumane. After ensuring that your catfish is not alive, cut a slit in the skin behind its gills. Once you have a dead catfish, obviously you want to proceed to prepare it for a meal. Remove Skin to Tail. These feisty creatures were named for their whiskers. To learn how to remove the catfish’s innards, keep reading! You do not want remnants of skin sticking to the flesh. If you don’t feel comfortable twisting the head off the body, use a butcher’s knife to chop the head off behind the gills. Try applying a little force so that you will be able to pull out all the slimy substance from the fish. Start by cutting just through the skin in a ring around the bottom of its head. By using our site, you agree to our. How to Gut a Catfish – And Skin It At the Same Time An acquaintance called recently, and when he said he had a fish question I thought it would be how to fish for something-or-other or where to get a fishing license. Score The Catfish Skin. Only cut between 1⁄8–1⁄4 inch (3.2–6.4 mm) deep or else it will be more difficult to remove the skin. Score The Catfish Skin. … Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. You may already have your own recipe in mind, but you can still use the Internet to research for new, scrumptious cooking styles to try. ", "Instructions were simple. This creates two or three strips. It can also result in significant injury. Common ones are white, blue and channel catfish. Start to peel off the skin with the pair of pliers. Repeat these steps a few times until you become an expert. Each person is different, so you may have unique requirements. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. It must be removed before the fish is cooked. To remove the dorsal fin completely, cut around it with your filet knife about. A truck tailgate works well. On day two we molded and … Please enter your email address. Scott Mandarich shows you how to easily skin and gut a catfish quickly. (b) A hammer Next, you want to make sure the catfish is secured to the board that it’s lying on. The procedure for skinning a catfish is easy to follow with these simple steps. A short tutorial on how I like to fillet catfish. Use a non-reactive container to brine in. You can then begin to cook your prize catch. A 3 foot long 2x6 at waist height works perfect for this, as does the tailgate of a truck.Secure The Catfish. However, if you or others are not used to eating fish with bones (many people are not, and this would pose a problem if you are cooking for other people), then remove the bones. Don’t put your fingers where you plan to poke through the fish or else you will cut yourself. Thus, you should practice more caution while handling younger catfish. It depends on the species and there are various methods. It is great! Even the most experienced anglers can have a difficult time removing its head. Every day at wikiHow, we work hard to give you access to instructions and information that will help you live a better life, whether it's keeping you safer, healthier, or improving your well-being. Never attempt to skin a catfish with a dull knife or you will be severely cut in the process. Catfish are hardy creatures, and the toughness of their skin reflects that.The easiest way to skin a catfish is; 1. Do this on both sides. Slice open the skin down the center of the fish’s belly, then make a cut on either side of the fish from the spine to the belly, right where the scales stop and the tail fin begins. Place your fish on the cutting board. You have to remove that skin, as well as the head, in the initial cleaning process, and you can’t just later slice a catfish’s skin away from a fillet. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Cut along the fish’s spine from its head to its tail, just deep enough to break the skin, cutting around the dorsal fin, rather than through it. Put the fish on a flat surface and hold the head with a clamp. A truck tailgate works well. Clean the fish as you skin it. Work your way upwards from the tail to the head, cutting across the ribs. Then place the catfish in a circle inside the rubber tire with the tails pointing outwards. 3 Tips for Skinning a Catfish ", "This article is exactly what I was looking for. Here's how: Score It: Place a 3-foot-long 2x6 board on a level, waist-high surface. Fillet the Catfish. Catfish is a tasty fish that is most commonly enjoyed by people living in the southern United States. The relatively large size of the catfish enables it to put up a tough fight for survival. We will discuss the most common methods and techniques on how to smoke catfish to help you prepare and serve a unique catfish dish after a nice fishing activity. ", "I believe I know how to clean a fish now, thanks. Once a catfish reaches the weight of 2 or more pounds, it becomes less of a liability. My grandmother used to scald the fish in boiling water and the skin came off very easy. There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. But let’s keep it simple in this post. Though this tip seems trite, it must be considered. Here's how: Score It: Place a … Remove all the bones and your fish is ready for the frying pan. 6. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. There are different strokes for different folks, but I have found filleting the quickest and easiest way to clean a catfish, getting boneless fillets. (c) A long nail Unhooking a catfish can be a messy, especially if the catfish is a species that is covered with slime instead of scales. The procedure for skinning a catfish is easy to follow with these simple. Step 2: Kill It. Eating your catfish Using them leaves you more time to enjoy the best part of your fishing trip-cooking and eating your catch. Here's how: Score It: Place a 3-foot-long 2x6 board on a level, waist-high surface. Avoid touching the barbs on the ends of the pectoral fins (on the sides of the fish) or the dorsal fin (on top of the fish). Cut the skin of the catfish with a knife, using a shallow cut to avoid slitting the flesh. Remove all the … As a reminder, use great care to avoid the catfish's sharp dorsal and pectoral fin spines throughout the skinning process. After catching them withyour fishing reel in the lake or river, you might want to try smoking catfish for your meal or to bring home to your family. Wild-caught fish should be eaten as fresh as possible. Jun 5, 2015 - Back in your grandpa's day, skinning a catfish meant nailing the sucker to a backyard pine tree and stripping the skin with pliers. (You can leave the silver skin on the meat if you wish, but as with cutting off the tail, removing it improves the flavor.) Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Thus, these large catfish should not be of much concern to you and you can handle them with no worries. Back in your grandpa's day, skinning a catfish meant nailing the sucker to a backyard pine tree and stripping the skin with pliers. There are more than 2,100 species of catfish, although most sold in the market are the farm-raised catfish. 2. or head first? Start by Placing a board on a flat level surface. (2) Take out the Skin. Skinning a catfish is a breeze with the correct tools and familiarity with the process. Crappie Fishing Tips Catfish Fishing Cat Fishing Fishing Hole Fishing Stuff Fishing Bait Healthy Baked Fish Recipes Fried Fish Recipes How To Catch Catfish. Bigger catfish have some good belly meat on them along with a smaller piece of meat, called cheek meat on each side of their heads. These awesome tips will help everyone enjoy their afternoon because of how easy it is to unhook the catfish. Nope. The pictures were great and in great detail show you exactly what to do, thanks so much! Have: Wear gloves when you hold down the catfish’s head since their whiskers could hurt your hand. Feb 26, 2017 - Back in your grandpa's day, skinning a catfish meant nailing the sucker to a backyard pine tree and stripping the skin with pliers. "Thanks for helping me clean & skin a catfish. On occasion, a catfish appears dead until you start the skinning process. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d6\/Skin-and-Clean-Catfish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Skin-and-Clean-Catfish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d6\/Skin-and-Clean-Catfish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid179020-v4-728px-Skin-and-Clean-Catfish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"