The Gafftopsail catfish(Bagre marinus) is probably one of the last things anyone who is fishing inshore wants to catch. These catfish are covered in a thick layer of slime that snots up your fishing line and rig easily. On top of just being gross and slippery to handle, the three spines on these guys are venomous and hurt like hell if they stick you. So usually, if you are running into these “sail cats” it’s a sign to move spots and fish somewhere else. Unfortunately for me, fishing from a pier doesn’t give you the option to move onto another stretch of water. So I made the best of some slimy fish-shaped lemons and made some lemonade. Turning this snotty sail cat into delicious Sail Catfish Po Boy, because while they are a pain to clean. The meat on a gafftopsail catfish is actually good eating as long as you trim the bloodline.
Sail Catfish Po Boy – Onion Tomato Salad
- 1 tomato, sliced thin with seeds removed
- 1 small red onion, sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon horseradish
- sea salt
- black pepper
- sugar
The first thing to prep for the Sail Catfish Po Boy is an onion and tomato salad to go in the sandwich. Thinly slice up your small red onion and tomato. For the tomato you want to around the outside, kinda peeling the meat away from the seeds. Having too much of the seedy center will make the salad a sloppy mess later. Then slice the pieces of tomato thin as well.
After the veg is all prepped, throw everything else in a bowl and mix it together well. You want the tomatoes and onions well covered in the vinegar and horse radish. Add salt and sugar to your taste, just don’t over do the sugar just enough to bring out the tomato goodness. Put these in the fridge while we prep everything else so the flavors can meld well.
Now the onion and tomato salad is ready it is time to prep the sail catfish for frying. First we got to make the corn meal dredge to coat the fish.
Sail Catfish Po Boy – Cornmeal Fry Dredge
- 1 Cup Yellow Corn Meal
- 3 tbsp Corn Starch
- 1 tsp Creole Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Add all your dredge ingredients and mix it all together well. You don’t want any clumps in the dredge. Once done put it aside while we prep the catfish fillets.
Make sure there are no pin bones of rib bones left in your fillets, the last thing you want in a catfish po boy is to get stuck by a fish bone. Once the fish is checked over get a bowl of cold water and add in salt to it, enough to taste like seawater. You are gonna dip your fish in the saltwater first then into the dredge. You want the water to salty as well so both the meat and breading are well seasoned.
Once the water and dredge are prepped, using the two hand method, dip your catfish fillets into the saltwater and pull the out. Shake off the excess water then put them into the cornmeal dredge. Use your dry hand to make sure the fillet is well coated and let it sit in the cornmeal. That way it will adhere to the fish and not fall off in the oil as much. I say wait about 10 to 15 minutes. While waiting on the fish get your fry oil heated up to 375f, it also is a good time to get the other things prepped like putting your baguette in the oven to toast, making a sauce for the catfish po boy, or slicing up your iceberg lettuce.
Once all the prep work is done it’s time to make the Sail Catfish Po Boy.
Sail Catfish Po Boy
- Sail Catfish Fillets
- Cornmeal Frying Dredge
- Baguette
- Onion Tomato Salad
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Mayo
- Frying Oil
Once the oil is hot add in your dredge sail catfish fillets, gently and away from you. Raise the heat up a little as you add in more fish to keep the oil temperature from dropping too much as you fry.
The fish will honestly tell you when it is done, once the fillets have been floating for 30 seconds it is time to pull them from the oil. Place the fried sail cat fillets on a rack or paper towels to drain any excess oil. Also, another good option is put them in an air fryer on low to remove any excess oil and keep the fish warm as well.
Get your toasted baguettes slice them length-wise, while still leaving the back connected. Then give them a health slathering of mayo.
After which fill the baguettes up with everything else, starting with the catfish fillets, then piling up everything else on top. If you made a “remoulade” for the catfish po boy you can substitute that for the mayo, or use both. It’s up to you. Serve immediately, with maybe a cold beer and some Zapps chips.
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