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How To Clean Catfish

Ask most fishermen what their favorite fish to eat is and they will tell you catfish. Ask them what their least favorite fish to clean is and they will tell you catfish!

There is an easy method for cleaning catfish, that will change the way fishermen feel about cleaning them.

The old way to clean a catfish taught you to "gut" the fish and then nail it to a board to skin it using pliers to pull the tough skin off. What a CHORE!!

To clean a catfish:
  1. Wipe the whole fish dry with a paper towel.
  2. With a sharp knife remove the dorsal adipose, and pectoral fins.
  3. Fillet both sides of the fish with a sharp knife. (the skin is still on the fish at this point)
  4. Place one of the fillets skin side down onto a cutting board.
  5. Make a cut through the meat only (not the skin) about ¼ inch up from the tail.
  6. If you are right handed press down on the fillet with your left hand right behind the cut you just made.
  7. Place the blade of the knife into the cut at a 45° angle (towards the head of the fish) against the skin.
  8. Push the knife forward, seperating the skin from the meat.
  9. Repeat this with the other fillet.
  10. You now have two boneless, skinless catfish fillets.