SC - Fish at Feasts

[Phil & Susan Troy]

Anne-Marie Rousseau wrote:
> 
> Catfishes look like a carp type fish to me (those whiskery things, and big
> flat heads. ugh). Now, catfish is tasty. Carp is nasty I'm told, so I dont
> know as I would sub.

Carp are different from catfish; it would be hard to say which is more of a
prehistoric life form, but they would be neck-and-neck in that regard except
they don't really have necks. Carp (basically giant goldfish) have scales and
a totally different bone structure (kinda like a shad or a pike), while
catfish have no scales, have to be skinned, as a rule, for eating, but have a
fairly ordinary skeleton as freshwater fish go. Carp meat is flaky but firm,
while catfish is firm but slightly rubbery in comparison. Both are good when
properly prepared and cooked. 

Carp actually is a bit more of a mud-dweller, in the classic sense, than a
catfish, so it can have a tendency to pick up gamy flavors, since it isn't too
careful about what it eats. This can be solved by bleeding the carp well while
cleaning it (which is why they are generally sold alive, you want that heart
beating to eliminate the blood), and a marinade helps too. They also have a
peculiar bone structure, with multiple rows of spiny y-shaped floating ribs in
odd places. They can be filleted and boned, though, or cooked whole using
various methods to soften or even dissolve the bones. Deep-frying until
somewhat well-done in comparison to other fish-cooking methods is one way to
do this, and another is a vinegary marinade or sauce. Real sweet-and-sour fish
(any one of several Chinese dishes) is often made from carp, using both
methods simultaneously.

Catfish is good for just about anything, but is best for dishes calling for
skinless fillets. 

Adamantius  
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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