Peanut Oil Catfish

[Fishin Fool]

This is probably old news to a lot of you but the other day I had purchased some cat fish fillets at Sams and decided to fry them up. I'm really simple when it comes to cooking cat fish. I wash the fillets good, slice each fillet "along the line" into long strips and roll them in salted cornmeal. Nothing fancy. This time however I had run out of Wesson Oil and didn't know it. As I rummaged around for cooking oil I happened to spot the peanut oil that I normally use to fry turkeys. I poured some in the pan, fried up my cat fish and WOW! They were some of the best fish I have ever had. The oil gave them a very delicate taste. It was amazing! Like I said this is probably old news to a lot of you but it was something new for me in 30 some odd years of frying fish. Give it a try, you'll love it!

 

[Jmax]

I can't seem to get past the part where you said you bought fish????? Huh???? You actually paid for fish????? You do need to go out fishing and catch a few don't you?I don't think I have ever done that.emoScratch Jmax

 

[Fishin Fool]

Well I'll tell you what Jmax, the next time you have a big ole batch of catfish you aren't gonna use you let me know!emoPoke I didn't know you were a cat fisherman other than the ones you accidentally caught!emoScratch I seldom fish for cats and I don't keep the ones I catch. You've never bought fish? Dang it must be hard driving to the ocean to catch all that seafood and then bringing it back to Tennessee! You the man Jmax!emoThumbsup emoWorthy You know we love you man! emoGrouphug

 

[Jmax]

emoLaugh I hear ya Fishnfool, just to clarify what I said, I said "FISH". Not seafood. I love seafood and when I lived in Key West FL I used to go Lobster netting and shrimp netting for those guys right out of the water but since moving inland I have to buy them. I very seldom ever buy "Fish" unless it is part of a seafood plater at a resturaunt.emoSmile I really do not know of a time ever that I bought fish at a store to cook at home. I love the crappie but if a cat gets my minner when I am crappie fishing he is going home with the crappie. I usually do catch a couple cats when I go crappie fishing. You are right though, it is not that I am going for them. Those little cats are easy to catch in that river so I would just boat a few of them instead of buy them.emoEvil Jmax

 

[Fishin Fool]

Well give them a try in the peanut oil sometime. They taste great, bought or not!emoGeezer

 

[Jmax]

I would, but to tell you the truth my wife might box my ears. She may look potite and pretty as can be but that lady is not one I want to set off, if you know what I mean.emoRolleyes She is on a eating habit that she has been on for a long time and she lost a lot of weight. She has gotten back to where she was years ago. One thing I have to do is cook with the right stuff. I am allowedemoRedface to cook with Canola oil or Olive oil. It does a fine job as well and is suppose to be better for ya.emoThumbsup Thanks for the information all the same but I had better pass on that one myself.emoCool Jmax

 

[Buoy-Master]

I'm the same Jmax. I stay away from most general purpose oils and use Virgin Olive Oil to fry my fish now. The Virgin oil has a differant taste. Sweeter tasting. </p>

I havent tried peanut oil yet but health wise, I'm not so sure I would want to use it all the time. I may have to try it though just to see what it taste like. </p>

 

[Bprice]

Chick-fil-a fries everything in peanut oil. So imagine a chick-fil-a fried catfish... mmmm

 

[Liveliner]

Peanut oil is what I have been using for Fish.. It does make a very noticable improved differance.

"FF, You bought Catfish?"

Let me share a tip for cooking fish filets, thin steaks, deer tenderloin in peanut oil that you may like.

You must have a thick castiron skillet or Blackening tray. Get it hot, hot to the point that the Peanut oil is ready to smoke. That is hot. (Vege oil and shortening can not take that much heat so do not use it.) Place spice in the hot oil, not on the meat. The spice for fish is something like Cajun spice or Lowerys seasoning salt or simular. The spice for red meat is McCormick's Montery steak spice. Place the fish or red meat in the hot skillet and turn them every few seconds until done to your taste. The meat cooks very fast, less than one minute. So do not leave it. The hot spices are obsorbed into the meat from the oil for a perfect taste. For red meat saute' a few onions in the oil first. The onion oils in the peanut oil will cause your red meat to glaze.

"FF, You bought Catfish?"

 

[Fishin Fool]

Thanks for the tips LL. Honestly one of the reasons I prefer to buy catfish is the fact that they are grain fed in ponds for the most part. With the pollutants in the river I prefer to eat just a few a year. Cats are about the only thing I really worry about, and that is just because of their feeding habits. I catch a bunch of them during the year but I hardly ever clean them because of that. Besides, cleaning cats is a JOB! Add to that most of the cats I caught this year were 15lbs and up and I much prefer the smaller, less strong tasting fish fillets. Thanks again for the recipes!

 

[Liveliner]

Terry, you mentioned olive oil for cooking and got me to thinking about a meat snack. I usually always use Feanut only. I had some thin sliced deer tenderloin so I thought I would try deer in Exrta Virgin Oil.. Got the castiron very hot, added a very small amount of EVO and McCormicks Monteray Steak spice. I put the thin tenderloins in the very hot skillet and flipped them untill done. "Oh my Lord" I ate them all and the EVO and spice made that deer meat heavenly.

 

[Fishin Fool]

Dang David, I was sitting here with my mouth watering when I read that! Olive oil is a wonderful addition to meats! I'm hooked on it. Have you ever fried deer burgers in it? That will make the best tasting burgers you have ever had.

 

[drumking]

Fishin Fool - 1/16/2007 11:31 PM

Thanks for the tips LL. Honestly one of the reasons I prefer to buy catfish is the fact that they are grain fed in ponds for the most part. With the pollutants in the river I prefer to eat just a few a year.

Terry, the chemicals that the fish absorb from the feed at the fish ponds is worse than anything from Chickamauga lake which has no warning about eating catfish. Cleaned properly, you can't beat Chickamauga blue catfish. I wouldn't ever touch the pond raised stuff. emoGeezer

 

[Bass Hunter]

had a catfishfry on the 4th and used the peanut oil. Man were they goooooood.

 

[Cathooker]

My wife has a business selling funnel cakes, curly fries and corn dogs at weekend festivals. She uses nothing but peanut oil in her business, so here at home we have lots of the peanut oil to use when we fry something. Her grandmother worked for Sessions peanut processing company in South Alabama. She used peanut oil to fry everything and she fried a LOT...lol... She cooked some of the best fish and chicken I have ever tasted. I can't say if the peanut oil is healthy or not but she lived to be 87.