8 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cooking Catfish

You can't have a conversation about Southern cooking without mentioning catfish. Whether it's Cornmeal Crusted Catfish, Catfish Nuggets, or traditional Fried Catfish, this meaty fish cooks up moist and tender no matter how you serve it. It's no surprise that catfish is associated with southern food as many of the country's top states for catfishing are in the southeast United States. Catfish get their name from their barbels, tendrils on the fish's jaw that help them find food and resemble a cat's whiskers. They also make a purring sound when caught. Catfish are bottom feeders known to burrow in mud, which can give them a somewhat muddy taste. They plant themselves in mud as protection against predators and female catfish burrow in order to lay their eggs safely. Many of my personal chef clients were hesitant to add catfish to their menus for this reason.

Most catfish you find in grocery stores are farm-raised. The difference between farmed and wild catfish is their living environment. Farm-raised fish typically don't have the muddy taste because they are raised in clay ponds filled with fresh water with closely-monitored diets. Frying is the most common method of preparing catfish and you can follow the standard order for breading—flour, egg, breadcrumbs—for great results. As straightforward as the process may seem, it's surprisingly easy to mess up cooking catfish if you don't avoid these common mistakes.

The easiest way to wind up with a less-than-stellar plate of catfish is to choose fish lacking in quality. Whether you're buying the whole catfish or fillets, there are certain standards your fish should meet before you take it home. Choosing the best catfish may not be as easy as you might think. Here's what to look for. If you're buying a whole fish, start by examining the fish's eyes. If they're dark, dull or flat, that's not the catfish for you. Fresh fish will have eyes that are clear and bright. The skin should also be vibrant and glossy and be sure to check the fish's gills. If the fish is fresh, they should be a vivid red color.

When it comes to fillets, choose frozen over fresh. Frozen catfish fillets can go from the water to frozen in a manner of minutes, which ensures that the fish is still at peak quality when you cook it. Avoid catfish imported from Southeast Asia where there are few regulations, and polluted water, antibiotics, and chemical use are common.

One of the reasons we love fish is because of its versatility when it comes to cooking it. You can bake salmon, poach branzino, or grill swordfish with delicious results. While it's common practice to use a variety of cooking techniques with most fish, catfish has been typecast. When most people think of cooking catfish, they immediately think fried. Fried catfish may be the most common cooking method and you can't deny its deliciousness, but other techniques can produce a mouthwatering result, as well.

While frying catfish may be the gold standard — you can't deny the appeal of that moist, flaky fish encased in a crispy, golden-brown crust—catfish is equally delicious when it's cooked in other ways. You can skip the mess and inconvenience of frying and still enjoy the tastiest catfish. Like other fish, it can be grilled, broiled, baked or pan-fried. These methods are not only easier than frying, but they're faster, too. Baked catfish can be on your table in under 20 minutes and grilling catfish only takes about 10 minutes.

When you hear the word steak, you most likely think immediately of beef, but cows aren't the only animal that steaks come from. If you haven't already, consider picking up a few fish steaks the next time you find yourself in front of the fish counter at your grocery store. Varieties like tuna steaks, swordfish steaks, and salmon steaks are relatively common, but catfish steaks are also available and worth a try. Filets may be the standard when it comes to cooking catfish, but for a real treat look for catfish steaks.

What are catfish steaks? Fish steaks are created when the fish is cut crosswise through the bone, instead of slicing it lengthwise away from the bone as you would for a fillet. Like with other proteins, catfish cooked with the skin and bone is often more moist and the steaks are typically sturdier than filets, making them easier to cook without them falling apart.

Whether you're deep frying or pan frying your catfish steaks or filets, there's one step in the cooking process that it's imperative that you get right. No matter what fish you're cooking, it's important to give both the pan and the oil enough time to reach the appropriate temperature. What makes fried catfish so tasty is the perfectly crisp coating that surrounds the tender, flaky fish. It's near impossible to achieve this if your pan and oil aren't at exactly the right temperature.

If you're deep frying catfish, the oil should stay between 350F and 375F. If your oil is too hot, your fish will burn. If it's not hot enough, your fish will absorb excess oil, which will have a negative impact on both its taste and texture. You also want to avoid frying too many pieces at one time as overcrowding the pan will cause the temperature of your oil to decrease. The best way to ensure your oil is at the ideal temperature, use a thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, look for slight movement along the bottom of the pan. When the oil is nice and hot you should see a gentle rippling along the bottom of the pan.

In culinary school and during my time working in a restaurant kitchen, I learned that building flavor is a critical part of preparing food that tastes great. I was surprised to learn that this process often begins before you even start to cook the food. With catfish, you can start shaping its flavor by soaking it in buttermilk. Buttermilk has long been used in the kitchen to make everything from fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits to buttermilk pancakes and pound cake. Buttermilk and catfish may sound like an odd pair, but soaking it in buttermilk is a surefire way to make catfish that is flavorful and moist.

One key reason why catfish tastes better when it's soaked in buttermilk is because buttermilk or an acid-based marinade can help reduce the muddy taste that catfish can sometimes have. A buttermilk marinade can also add flavor to the fish. You can soak catfish in buttermilk for as little as 30 minutes to an hour, or up to eight hours before you cook it. If you opt for the longer soaking time, be sure to marinate your catfish in the fridge. Don't have buttermilk on hand? Don't worry. You can mix up an acceptable buttermilk substitute by mixing regular milk with lemon juice or vinegar.

Buying fish fillets from your local fishmonger or grocery store makes it easy to enjoy a fish dinner without the extra labor of breaking down a whole fish, but there's something to be said about cooking and serving fish whole. Sea bass, red snapper, and branzino aren't the only fish that are delicious when they're not filleted and cooked whole. Catfish fillets and nuggets may be commonplace, but if you haven't tried cooking a whole catfish, you are missing out. As with other proteins, cooking fish whole with the bones produces a much more flavorful fish. Catfish is a firm fish, so it's better able to maintain its shape and not fall apart when it's cooked as more delicate fish can do.

For best results, choose smaller catfish for cooking whole, 2 pounds or less. You should also use a sharp knife to make several cuts along the skin to keep the skin from curving as it cooks. Dig into your spice rack and season your whole catfish well, rubbing the spices directly onto the fish.

Water is always going to be a factor when you're buying fish. If it's frozen, you'll have to make a plan to deal with the water that it will release when it thaws. Fresh fish may be packed on ice when you purchase it. While water literally keeps fish alive before they're caught, it can ruin the fish when it's cooked. All fish, catfish included, should be moist when you purchase it, but knowing the difference between moist and soaking wet can make or break your catfish recipe. No matter how you're cooking it, the simple way to ensure your fried fish comes out as crispy as possible is to make sure the surface is completely dry before you cook it.

If your goal with your catfish is to fry it up so that it's golden brown and deliciously crisp on the outside and still moist inside, getting rid of any excess moisture is key. If the surface of your fish is wet, your breaking or batter won't stick to it. It will also keep the surface of your fish from crisping properly and it will be near impossible to achieve the golden brown color you're looking for. Safety is another reason you should dry your catfish thoroughly. When that water hits the hot oil it will cause the oil to spatter, making it easy to burn yourself.

The step that's perhaps the easiest way to ruin catfish is the last one — cooking it too long. Overcooking is the simplest way to wreck any fish. Instead of crisp, moist and tender, it ends up tough and dry. The main reason people often overcook fish is because raw fish is not always safe to eat and in their efforts to avoid this, they overcompensate by cooking it for too long.

You can minimize the risk of overcooking your catfish by using a meat thermometer to help determine when the fish reaches the proper temperature. For best results and safety, catfish, no matter how you prepare it, should be cooked until it reaches 145F. You can actually remove the fish from the heat when the thermometer reaches 140F when inserted in the thickest portion of the fish. Those last five degrees will come as the fish rests, thanks to the residual heat the fish holds after it's removed from the cooking surface. If you don't have a thermometer, you can check the texture of the fish for doneness. When fully cooked, the fish should flake easily when gently scraped or pierced with a fork.