channel cat flesh Q'

[Boar]

I recently caught a coupl of channels to eat, its been a long time since the last time i ate catsfish so was please at pulling in a couple nice tablefare from our local river. as i cut into an remove the filletes, from the back down around the ribscage an then off the tail, I noticed that some of the meat on the dorsal fin regeon is tarnished yellow while most of the meat was white. i didnt even puncture organ cavity that might have hit some pee bladder area or something. didnt touch any organs that might have caused the yellow staining. Yet it dosent look right. What is this? is it spoiled or still consumable. Anyone else have this experience. Thanks, boar

[pushbutton]

Think I read one time that the yellowing occurs in cats that have more of an insect diet than minnow/meat. It is result of some buildup of a substance in the fat cells that are more prevalent up near the dorsal fin. It is the same substance that makes a yellow carrot yellow or yukon potatoes gold, so trim or not, really does not matter....would trim out the mud line and the reddish belly meat though. Enjoy those hippie kitties!!!

[Boar]

Thanks pushbutton, nice to know wat it is, Thanks for the reminder of the mudd line, Yuckapoo!

[Brad B]

like pushbutton said the yellowing will be in the fatty areas. I personally lightly trim this off the fillet. I did leave some one time and it did add a taste to the meat (which I didn't care for). the thing I find helps also besides removing the mud line/ reddish meat is to soak the fillet in water over night in the fridge. this draws out the fishy taste plus firms it up. if I plan to smoke it I add salt to the water. you can add a little salt to the water even if you don't smoke it this helps with the taste also.

[goblueM]

did it look like this?

Or was the flesh just a general yellow color?

[Boar]

Nope not like that, just yellowish tint to the flesh, I put the cat on its belly an cut down from the spine an trim ove r the ribcage, the yellow tint is right near the top of the fillet on the top/back of the fish.

[goblueM]

Just curious. The yellow discoloration in the picture I posted is from ruptured organs, not fat. But in your case, it sounds like what others said, its fatty portions, channel catfish tend to get that yellow discoloration more than flatheads for some reason.

[Gordie]

Soaking in vinegar water will also draw out the blood and fishy taste as well.

I was always taught to cut the yellow out of the fillet along with the red meat and the blood line.

Another thing that I was told by a old timer(River Rat)was never puncture the bladder of a catfish it will taint the meat if it does happen clean the meat immediately

[JIvers]

Yeah, like others have said channel cat often have a yellow fatty deposit at the top of the filet near the dorsal fin; I'm pretty sure it's completely normal. I just trim it off.

As for the Northern photo, that yellow stain comes from puncturing some internal organ in the stomach area. I've done it fairly often on Northern. I just wash it off and everything is fine.

Wait until you clean a walleye with five half-digested shad in his stomach...

[CANOPY SAM]

I think the yellow goo on the pike is Bile from the liver, gall bladder, or common bile duct. Nasty stuff, ugly, and must be cleaned off the flesh quickly.

Boar. Glad to hear you're back into cattin' a little. There are SO many nice cats in our rivers up here it's an amazing resource, and delicious table fare if prepared carefully.

Yes, the yellowing near the dorsal fin is just fatty tissue. Trim it out, along with any of the mushy, clear fatty tissue along the back, lateral line, and/or belly, and of course the reddish mud line.

I've learned over the years to fillet cats just like walleyes. It's really quick, and boneless. With the fish laying on it's side, just work the blade around and over that spike of bone that juts straight back from the gills, angle the blade toward the spine, and flush with the rib cage, then zip back toward the tail just brushing lightly along the rib cage. Doing this you avoid virtually all the fatty belly meat, which is where much of the toxins are found in our fresh water fish.

If you plan to throw a few on the smoker, which you should cause they're delicious smoked, just leave the skin on, and perforate the heck out of the lateral line, or just cut a couple very shallow slits in the skin along the lateral line to allow the grease, and fat to drip out of the skin side while smoking.

Here's a little tip you'll enjoy. Mix in equal parts Shore Lunch "Cajun" style seasoning, and Fryin' Magic breading (1/2 to 1/2), then toss in about a tablespoon of Lemon Pepper. Thoroughly dust the fillets in smaller, thinner pieces, and deep fry to golden brown with hot Crisco. Add a couple drops of Louisiana Hot sauce, and BOY HOWDY!!!

Best of luck to ya'. We sure had some fun catfishing trips back in the day!