Catfish

[fultondalecrappie]

I caught a few catfish yesterday while bass fishing so I decided to bring them home so my kids could touch thier eyeballs. Today when I was cleaning them I noticed some yellow on the fillets. Do I need to throw them away or are they good to eat? I iced them down heavy last night so that they would not spoil and also easier to clean ice cold to me.

[speckfinder]

channels?

[fultondalecrappie]

Yes they were channels.

[horseshoer]

That is fat. I trimm it away from the fillet, it cooks up rather off-color & rubbery to my tastes but once yur fillet is nuthin but white meat you should be good to go.

[CrappiePappy]

That is fat. I trimm it away from the fillet, it cooks up rather off-color & rubbery to my tastes but once yur fillet is nuthin but white meat you should be good to go.

That yellow substance is fat, and needs to be trimmed off. Not only is it unsavory in taste, it's also where alot of the contaminants reside. If you look at your state's fishing guide booklets or fish & game websites ... you'll see a list of waters that have consumption advisories. Many of those waters may have catfish listed as "do not eat" or will have an advisory statement concerning how much & how often it is recommended that you can consume these fish.

The "sensitive" population ... ie women of child bearing age & children ... are advised to consume a lower amount & less often than the general population. It's different in each state, and from each of the waters of that state. PCB's, Mercury, Chlordane, Dioxins, and other chemicals are the problem ... and most fish that are affected store these chemicals in their fat. It is usually advised to trim all fat from the fish, fillet the fish, and not re-use the oil you cooked with. Grilling, broiling, or baking is recommended over frying. Fish eggs are also possible contaminant holders, and should not be consumed. Filleting is recommended, since the skin contains oils (fats) that may contain a higher concentration of contaminants.

... cp

[fultondalecrappie]

I trimmed all of the yellow meat away before I froze them.Thanls for the help Horseshoer and Crappiepappy.