Catfish filleting question

[CTS Tactical]

I cut the tails off, skin them then cut the meat off the bones. Very little wasted meat and quicker to me than trying to filet the skin off the meat like I do other fish. If you cut out all the red from the meat it will get rid of any of the strong taste that many complain about. This is pretty much the method I use for large cats:

 

[Timber Cruiser]

Reason tilapia is so popular is:

(a) it's cheap, but it;s really not a lot cheaper than other fish that isn't raised in Asian sewers.

and

(b) it has no inherent flavor, and so takes on the flavor of whatever or however it's cooked. This aspect is actually mentioned in several cookbooks. So restaurants like it because they can flavor it how ever they want, and no one has any expectations of how it should taste.

Not sure what this has to do with the conversation but agreed. I’ll eat tilapia that I take locally but not from the store or restaurant because of the above mentioned. Won’t eat swai either.

 

[Timber Cruiser]

I cut the tails off, skin them then cut the meat off the bones. Very little wasted meat and quicker to me than trying to filet the skin off the meat like I do other fish. If you cut out all the red from the meat it will get rid of any of the strong taste that many complain about. This is pretty much the method I use for large cats:

Guess I assumed people just know to cut the red meat out. I shouldn’t have. Good call. Went noodlin once. It was fun! Kinda scary but fun.

 

[gh1950]

Not sure what this has to do with the conversation but agreed. I’ll eat tilapia that I take locally but not from the store or restaurant because of the above mentioned. Won’t eat swai either.

Just an extended comment about we now have about 2 generations of people who don't think fish should taste fishy.

For sure, none of them having ever eaten smoked mullet right out of the smoker, with a good supply of adult beverages

 

[USMC6542]

I just boil them whole!

 

[Jamescg]

My uncle Clifford had 2 pay catfish ponds for 50 years, he would charge extra to skin the catfish, he had a big restaurant sink full of water, he could skin the catfish so fast he would throw them in the sink and they would swim around with no skin, people would freak out, he would just laugh. It was kind of creepy.

 

[nws]

Deep fried cats especially the small ones are great just cleaned skinned and fried whole. DON’T throw the tails on those small cats away. They are delicious!!!

 

[Coach]

It's a good idea to bleed fish if they are going straight to ice. But you don't cut their tail off, you cut their throat at the gills.