Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being publishedAvoid touching the barbs on the ends of the pectoral fins (on the sides of the fish) or the dorsal fin (on top of the fish). This was my first time preparing a freshwater catfish.

After you clean your catfish, you can cut it into filets so they’re ready to eat! Yes, but it is always a better idea to cook it while it is fresh as the flavor is different. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. "Thanks for helping me clean & skin a catfish." I would do some research before eating the eggs as some are not edible. The insides of the organs contain nasty stuff that will taint the meat, or in general make an all out mess that you can just avoid by not puncturing the organs. Some fish eggs are eaten raw, such as salmon eggs, and some eggs in pouches are fried and sliced and served in many dishes. "I believe I know how to clean a fish now, thanks." Can I cook and eat a catfish just after catching it? ;)"

"Very helpful. "Works very well with the scamadic, good set up " wikiHow's Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 393,486 times.

Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. When we catch catfish, we put them in ice immediately, then wait until they freeze and die. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free.

It's been so long I forgot how again." Thanks for the Wild-caught fish should be eaten as fresh as possible. Thanks for the Whether you’re preparing fish you caught or bought from the store, you can skin and clean it at home with a few common household tools. "It's been a really long time since I'd done this, so it jogged my memory a little bit." After 3-4 hours, they usually die and are ready for skinning/cutting. "This is the first time I ever caught a catfish, so I had no idea how to clean it. Yes. "I never knew how to skin a catfish, so I have always given them away or thrown it back in. Thanks for the help!" "This article is exactly what I was looking for. Clamp a pair of pliers onto the skin just below the fish’s gills and peel the skin back in one fluid motion. You can gut it before or after.