The catfish is a hardy creature and its tough skin reflects this trait. However, its meat is excellent and the work of skinning it is worth the effort. There are many techniques for cleaning a catfish, but the one shown here is the simplest.
Steps
Step 1. Gather everything you need
Get a piece of rope, pliers (normal, not fine-tipped ones), a fillet knife, and some kind of large butcher's knives.
Step 2. Make sure the fish is dead
Not only would it be inhuman, it could also hurt you. If in doubt, cut off the tail.
Step 3. Carefully score the skin around the body behind the gills
Then gut the fish without breaking the internal organs. To remove the fins at their base, grab them with pliers.
Step 4. Hang the fish from a tree branch by tucking it into a gill
If you don't have a tree available, use something similar. Score the skin along the back of the fish.
Step 5. Pull the skin from the head down using the forceps
It will take some practice to do a perfect job, but over time you will improve.
Step 6. Pull it up to the tail
If you haven't already done so, cut off the tail with a large knife.
Step 7. Fillet the fish starting from the tail
Cut along the spine until you reach the "ribs", then proceed from top to bottom, always along the spine. Let the edge follow the line of the "ribs".
Step 8. Prepare the catfish for cooking
When you have extracted both fillets, you can indulge yourself in an endless myriad of recipes.
Advice
- Keep your knives sharp, a blunt blade is much more dangerous.
- Catfish have no scales and can also be eaten with their skin on.
- If you are able to prepare the fillets, you can do it without the need to gut the fish.
- Catfish tastes best when caught in clear water.
- To avoid itchy wounds when handling fish, cut off the fins first. Medical scissors are great for this purpose and you will not have to use the knife and risk damaging the edge of the blade.
- There are special tongs for skinning catfish. You can buy them in fishing shops for a reasonable price.
Warnings
- Watch out for the catfish spurs, they are located on the side fins, behind the gills. They are very sharp in young fish and can cut you causing painful wounds and infections.
- Be careful when handling the knives, always direct them away from you, use pliers to hold the fish if necessary.
- Some catfish species release poison from their spines and it can be dangerous. Make sure you know which fish you are catching and take precautions.
