Recipe: Snake River Catfish

Snake River Catfish

Prep Ingredients: med size brown paper bag

Flour

Salt and Pepper

Main Ingredient: Snake River Catfish (Fishhook Park or The Gardens variety)

Mix together the prep ingredients into the brown paper bag.

Skin the catfish using a pair of common pliers. Do this by cutting a small line around the head of the fish. Using the pliers, then strip the fish of its skin - pulling from head to tail. Cats do not have scales. Don't forget to cut off the fins. After the skin is removed, then cut the stomach from the head to tail. Now cut the head of the fish, still attached to the entrails and pull towards the tail fin. Everything should come out with one pull. Flush out the cavity of the fish with water to remove any blood.  

Now take the fish and put it inside of the brown bag and shake the bag. Insure that the fish is entirely covered with the flour mixture.  

Put up to four fish in to a well seasoned #10 iron skillet. Use just enough shortening to cover the bottom of the skillet. Do not use an electric frying pan. There is no electricity down at the Gardens. Fry fish with the lid off. You want the fish to fry, not steam. Do not cook at high heat. You want the fish to become a crispy brown, not burned black. Turn fish once or twice on each side. When they become crispy brown, they are ready to serve.

Take a fork, and starting at the center top of the fish, peel the tender white meat away from the bone and enjoy. Then proceed to do the same to the other side. The tender white mean should just fall off the bones.

This goes well with some home fried potatoes with onions, which also has to be prepared in an iron skillet. This Snake River Catfish recipe is excellent as a breakfast or an evening meal. Sometimes on the river it was our only meal.    

If it doesn't seem all that special after you have eaten it, there are three main ingredients I have left out: Grandpa Fairchild, Mack (my dad), and the Snake River. You'll have to fantasize tht you are sharing this meal with all three. That should pretty much put the taste up to par. 

This meal I have shared many times with the three of them. These were probably my favorite meals at my favorite restaurant. The three of them together. Maybe it wasn't about the fish. - Terry McIntyre

 

Summer of 1965