Cleaning Catfish
Cleaning Catfish Made Easy: 7 Steps To A Pan Ready Cat
For many, the most intimidating thing about fishing is the part where cleaning catfish comes in, and this is mainly because of the poisonous fins that seem to scare people off from enjoying this tasty morsel. There are a few ways that you can make the most of your catfish yield without spending too much time or effort. The tools that you will need for cleaning catfish are rather simplistic, but you may need to visit a sporting goods store for a skinner tool before setting off on your adventure. You may also benefit from the use of a cutting glove, which is usually comprised of metal or hard plastic mesh. You don’t have to have this, but it can come in rather handy for both protection and for grip. An extra sharp knife, a cutting board or flat slab of wood, and some water for your hands and utensils should complete your must haves list.
When you are ready to begin cleaning catfish be sure that they are dead, as this is not only merciful but prevents flopping and flipping that could cause injury to you. If he is still alive, you can sever the spinal cord, just don’t cut it all the way through or you won’t have anything to hold onto when you are skinning it. With your protected hand, hold the cat by his head, placing the pointer finger firmly just behind the gill. With your sharp knife, begin slicing shallowly from under the gill at the belly to the back bone or spine. Turn your fish over and repeat this cut on the other side.
Your next step to cleaning catfish will be to make this same cut along the backbone just behind the head. Just continue it from the end points of your other cuts so that all of the skin is cut through. Now, you can take your skinning tool, which should have a rubber grip on the pincher end, and get a firm hold just under the skin at the cut. Pull the skin back toward the tail, and this should skin the entire side. Turn your cat and repeat this step, skinning the other side in the same fashion. You will need to do this along the backbone of the catfish as well.
You are now ready for the final steps of cleaning catfish, which include the removal of the head and the entails. Bend the head all the way back to the tail over the back, and then bend it the other way until it touches the tail. This should break the spine, and the head will be easy to remove from there. Cut the belly open with your knife all the way back to the anus and remove all of the innards cleanly.