One Way to Skin a Cat

As the title suggests, this article describes one way to skin a cat, as in cat-fish. :) It’s not the only way, but it's the way my Dad and Father in Law always told me how to do it.I’ll also explain how to clean panfish a little later on, and again, I acknowledge up front it’s not the only way or the best way, but it’s the way I was taught.

Catfish can survive a long time out of water. As a result, the first thing I recommend if you’re planning to keep some for eating is to immediately clip their gills to bleed them or strike them sharply between the eyes when done fishing for the day. This dispatches the fish humanely and some say it can also improve their flavor. Afterwards, get them on ice as soon as possible to keep them fresh prior to cleaning.

To efficiently skin and clean a catfish you need a sharp fillet knife and ideally a set of catfish pliers. However, a regular pair of pliers, channel locks, or needle nose will work in a pinch. To start, first cut off the tail and anal fin (the long one on the bottom that runs to the tail), and then make a shallow slice all the way around the fish, just behind the gills, to expose an edge of skin. This makes skinning much easier for those without catfish pliers, and if you have a pair of skinning pliers you can skip it. Next, using your pliers pinch the skin tightly just behind the gill and above the pectoral fin. There is a bony projection just underneath the skin that helps provide good purchase on the slippery hide. Holding the head in one hand, with a couple fingers tucked behind the opposite pectoral fin for leverage, pull sharply to free the skin and then steadily pull towards the tail. With the tail already removed, the strip of skin should pull right off. If you slip off, just grab the “roll” of skin and give it another pull. Depending on the size of the fish, it could take several attempts to get all the skin pulled off, and make sure not to forget the belly.

With the fish fully skinned, anglers have a couple choices. For smaller cats that fit in a skillet, I like to cut underneath and then remove the dorsal fin. Next, I cut deeply all the way around the fish behind the gills. Grasping the middle of the body and head, I sharply snap them down simultaneously to break the spine, just like breaking a small limb for kindling. With the back broken, twist and pull to remove the head and allow removal of the entrails. Some cutting may be necessary to separate any stubborn bits from the skinned carcasse. Next, open up the body cavity by running your knife from the vent towards the head. Thoroughly rinse the body cavity with cold water making sure all organs and intestines are removed and you’re left with two “bone-in” fillets for the frying pan.  

For larger catfish, I butcher the skinned carcasses “over the ribs” to produce bone-free fillets. Start by laying the fish on one side and with a sharp fillet knife carefully slice into the center of the meat horizontally on the “whisker” end, using the spine as your guide. Slice flat or flush with the backbone towards the belly until you feel resistance from the ribs. Turn your knife blade up and gently follow the contour of the rib bones, keeping the cutting edge under the flesh and against the bones until exiting under the belly meat. Grasp the loose meat with one hand and pull slightly as you guide the blade over the remaining ribs. After you clear the last rib, lay the fillet knife flat and flush against the spine and slice all the way out the end, removing the slab from the spine. When executed correctly, all that will remain is the exposed ribs and backbone and one meaty fillet. Rinse and repeat this process to remove the fillet from the opposite side. Depending on how you like catfish prepared, you can leave the fillets whole or cut them into regular sized strips or nuggets to ensure even cooking.  

Filleting panfish more or less follows the same process as catfish. However, there are some key differences. For example, because bluegills, crappies, perch, and walleyes have scales, they aren’t skinned prior to butchering. In addition, since we’re not leaving panfish fillets on the bone, I never girdle a panfish. Doing so can inadvertently cut the head off, and for me this makes cleaning panfish more difficult.

To efficiently fillet a mess of slabs you’re going to need a sharp and flexible fillet knife. In my cleaning shed we actually have a couple different knives of different lengths and stiffness for different tasks. For removing scales-on fillets from the fish, or “cutting”, I prefer a shorter blade with a stiffer spine. For taking the meat off the skin I like a long, flexible blade that I can lean on to flatten it against the skin and cutting board. This helps to minimize meat loss and produces wonderfully symmetrical fillets.

To start, lay the fish on one side and with a sharp fillet knife make a deep crescent-shaped incision from the “hump”, above and slightly in front of the eyes, to the back of the gills, to the belly. Take care not to cut too deeply as you can easily slice through the spine and remove the head. For beginners it may take several dozen fish to get a feel for how deep to cut.  

After the first incision is made, I fillet panfish “over the ribs” to reduce the number of bones in the meat and preserve the cutting edge of my knife. Following the catfish example above, slice into the center of the meat horizontally, closest to the head, using the spine as your guide. Slice flat or flush with the backbone towards the belly until you feel resistance from the ribs. Turn your knife blade up and gently follow the contour of the rib bones, keeping the cutting edge under the flesh and against the bones until exiting under the belly meat. Grasp the loose meat with one hand and pull slightly as you guide the blade over the remaining ribs. After you clear the last rib, lay the fillet knife flat and flush against the spine and slice all the way out the end, removing the slab from the spine.

The next step is to remove the fillet from the skin. From the tail end, pin the fillet to the cutting board, skin side down, with your index and middle fingers. With your other hand, lay the fillet knife flat and slice into the flesh, away from your fingers, applying pressure along the way to keep the cutting edge against the skin and under the flesh. Continue slicing towards the “shoulder” and out the far edge. When executed correctly you are left with a perfectly flat skin with no meat remaining and a beautiful fillet.  

Finally, to ensure all of the fine bones are removed, closely inspect the midline of the fillet. Very often there is a strip of tiny bones or a rib here and there that were left during cutting. To remove these without wasting meat, insert the tip of your fillet knife just above the midline from the tail end of the fillet and run it against the edge of the bones and out the end. Repeat this slice just below the midline and then “pinch” the strip of meat and bones from the fillet. When done correctly you’ll have perfect V-shaped fillets, including the belly meat, that are ready for hot grease.  

Please remember to always respect and handle fish humanely, whether keeping some for the table or practicing catch and release. Doing so helps conserve the resource and maximizes the quality of your catch.  

When you’re ready to host the next fish fry, make sure to stop by whiskerseeker.com to get your hands on a few bags of WST fish breading. The original flavor is my family’s favorite, and if you like a little heat I encourage you to try the cajun blend. Your friends and family won’t believe that fish can taste this good!