So for the first fish I eat this year I want to show you guys how I personally turn

This
Into
Thisb

But first, two things I want to note. 1. This is just the way I've always done it since I was a kid. It is NOT the only way and whatever way ur grandpa or mammy used to is probably fine too.

2. Doing this, hunting, foraging, and growing your own food are spiritual endeavours above all else. Treat the food with the respect it deserves. You are responsible for the death of a living thing, own up to it and understand it's more moral than paying Pedro 2 bash a cows brain

Okay. So u have your dead catfish in the sink. What now?

Take your *sharp* fillet knife and make a verticle incision directly behind the fin to the spine and down to the belly

Turn your knife and cut your way in a very light sawing motion down to a few inches behind the dorsal fin so that you can be sure youve cleared the ribcage

Once you're past the ribcage, poke your knife through vertically, staying as close to the vertebra as you can

Slice your way down to the end of the tail, keeping as close to the spine as possible to get the most meat you can. Take your knife and then cut the fillet from the ribcage so you can separate the meat entirely from the body

Rinse and repeat so you have two fillets from either side (taking the belly meat is optional). Then rinse the fillets and pat dry with a paper towel

Some people remove the skin, some don't, I don't like the skin for the way I cook catfish so if you wanna remove it, then do so. Cut the meat tightly away from the skin or if you can, just pull it apart

Rinse and pat dry again, you should have all your meat ready for preparation

Slice to size depending on your pot

What happened to the rest of my thread

Fuck it I'll write the rest out again

Wash the chunks in two eggs and make a batter with flour, salt, bread crumbs and buttermilk if you have it

Throw them shits in hot oil till golden brown. Always remember: ALWAYS OLIVE OR AVOCADO OIL!! NEVER USE ANY CANOLA, VEGETABLE, SEED, OR NUT OILS. PUFAS MAKE YOU A BUGMAN!!

Pat dry with paper towel and douse in hot sauce. I like mango scotch bonnet. This fish was swimming around a little less than an hour ago. Doesn't get much fresher than this.

Now, I caught two catfish today. Why did I take the smaller one home to eat?

1. I respect the bigger fish and I couldn't kill a fish that I had such a good time catching and was happy to see. I respect a good fish too much for that.

2. Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification. The smaller a fish is the less shit accumulates in its flesh, so you want a fish big enough to get a good amount of food but not so big they're packed full of Mercury and PCBs