Did you know B.B. King’s favorite food was catfish? He even had two songs featuring the dish; “Saturday Night Fish Fry” and “Catfish Blues (Fishin’ After Me).” Some have asked the question, “How long have people been eating catfish?”

In the past, scientists thought that Stone Age people depended mainly on land mammals for food. However, although these people did eat some mammals, new research finds that more than half of their diet was fish. But except for the bones of two catfish dated to about 1.8 million years ago at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, there has been scant evidence of catfish eating this early in human evolution.

Fossil records now reveal that about 1.95 million years ago, a group of early human ancestors assembled on the shores of an ancient lake or river in Kenya and gathered catfish and other aquatic animals from the shore and shallow water. Using stone tools, they deboned a catfish, eviscerated a turtle, and de-fleshed the foot of a crocodile.

So, it is safe to say that catfish has been part of the human diet for nearly as long as there have been people. The Mississippi Encyclopedia shares that Native Americans were the first to incorporate catfish in their diets in the South. When Americans of African and European descent migrated to North America, they also adopted the habit of eating catfish.

West Africa was the homeland of most Africans who were enslaved, and they brought their culinary traditions to America with them. During this time, people who were enslaved ate a variety of fish, but catfish was preferred because it was so easily found in Southern lakes and rivers. These enslaved people are credited as the inventors of fried catfish.

There are nearly 3,000 different species of catfish and over 30 just in the United States alone. The most commonly eaten species in the United States are the channel catfish and the blue catfish, both of which are common in the wild as well as farm raised.

 

Fun Facts about Catfish

• They can be found on all continents except Antarctica.
• Channel catfish can live up to forty years.
• The common length for channel catfish is 22 inches with the longest maximum reported length at 52 inches.
• The Mekong giant catfish is the official freshwater heavyweight champion of the world. According to the Guinness Book of Records, a nine-foot-long individual caught in northern Thailand in 2005 weighted an astounding 646 pounds, making it the largest exclusively freshwater fish ever recorded.
• The greatest concentration of sensory organs on a catfish is located on their whiskers, also known as barbels.
• Catfish develop up to four pairs of whiskers.
• Some of the smallest species of catfish reach sexual maturity at only 1 cm (0.39 in) in length.

 

Catfish can be cooked in any number of ways, however, the most common cooking method for catfish is deep-frying. Catfish has a mild, sweet flavor and is less flaky and denser than other whitefish, allowing for a variety of cooking choices.

 

Traditional Southern Recipe for Fried Catfish

Ingredients

6 catfish filets

1 cup cornmeal

1½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning (we like Lawry’s brand)

1½ teaspoons garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

6 tablespoons butter

 

Instructions

1. In a flat dish (Like a baking dish or cake pan), combine cornmeal, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk together to combine.
2. Coat catfish in cornmeal mixture. Remove to a large plate or tray.
3. Heat half of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. When butter is hot, fry 2-3 fillets at a time for about 3 minutes on each side, or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
5. Repeat with remaining butter and catfish.
6. Serve immediately.

 

Because enslaved people in America liked to eat fried catfish, many people think catfish is the “poor man’s fish,”. These people are completely wrong. Catfish is actually a delicious and healthy food item, enjoyed by all social classes. With one exception. All segments of Judaism consider catfish a non-kosher fish, as the Torah explicitly proscribes fish that do not have both fins and scales. Bummer.

Catfish is low in fat and high in protein, making it a great choice for a healthy meal, assuming you are not a practicing Jew. Let us know in the comments your favorite catfish memory if you have one.