The taste of catfish really depends on where they come from. Some lake fish taste muddy. Some don't. Most all stream catfish are delicious, but not that big. Well, the big ones are harder to get. River catfish taste, as stated with lakes, depends on the river and how clean it is.
Over here in N. Arkansas, and most of the U.S., we catfish lovers eat pond raised catfish from catfish farms where they are grown commercially. These fish have a very neutral taste. I prefer the wild ones, personally. But, the big lakes around here are mostly man made and have clear water, making the fish caught in them pretty good! Thank you U.S. Army Corp of Engineers!
They also need to be prepared correctly. The Deep South recipe for catfish varies greatly from family to family, but the standard is the following recipe, though many leave out the lemon pepper:
Deep Fried Catfish
8 (6 to 8 oz) fillets catfish
3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
3 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon salt or salt substitute
16 to 20 oz of cooking oil
1> Combine flour, cornmeal, lemon pepper spice and salt and set aside.
2> In a separate container lightly beat eggs.
3> Heat cooking oil to auto ignition temperature of a match head.
4> Prepare a receiving tray by covering a large plate with paper towels.
5> One at a time, dip fillets into egg, then dredge in flour mixture until well coated and drop into hot cooking oil. Cook until lightly browned and floating nicely. This will not take long. Do not over cook. Fish should retain moisture inside.
5> Stack finished fillets on paper towel covered plate.
6> Serve and enjoy!
Usually served with coleslaw, hushpuppies (a deep fried ball of battered cornbread), french fried potatoes, onions and tarter sauce. And of course your favorite beverage. Here, that would be lightly sweetened ice tea with lemon. Catfish will make you thirsty!
