# Catfish & Fries. (Air Fryer)



## Bearcarver (Dec 1, 2019)

*Catfish & Fries* (Air Fryer)


Time to try my AirFryer on some Catfish, and I’ll throw some Fries in too.

First I had to find a big enough flat container to put it in, so I could thaw it in the Fridge.
I still had to bust a little end off & put the Fillet in from corner to corner.
So anyway I got it thawed, then rinsed & dried it & cut in into 2 pieces.
I planned ahead on this, and cut it into uneven pieces, so I could fit the Fries into an area of their own in my Fry Basket.
Then I had Mrs Bear (The human Breading Machine) Bread the fish for me, and into the fridge to firm up.

Meanwhile I got out my Fry Cutter & cut up a nice Tater, and put it in cold water & into the fridge.


I rinsed them a few times & kept them in the Fridge until it was time to start the Fryer.
Then I plugged in my AirFryer & set it @ 400° for 30 minutes, so it won’t shut off by itself.
Then I spread my Fries out on paper towels, and patted them dry, and coated them with olive oil.
Then I arranged the two pieces of Catty, so I had the one corner empty for the Fries to have room in the wire Basket.
I ran the fan, and checked the Temp after 18 minutes. Nothing was quite done yet, so I gave it another 3 minutes.
I checked it at 21 minutes, and everything was between 155° and 165°, so I shut it down & pulled it all.

I plated this stuff up & used a little “Kraft Sandwich Spread” with my Fish, as Tartar Sauce.
I often use Sandwich Spread as my Tartar Sauce. Been eating that stuff since I was just a Little Cub.

BTW: This Stuff was Awesome, especially the Fried Catfish!!


Enjoy the Pics,

Bear


One Big Catfish Fillet---I had to find a big enough container to Thaw it in, and I still had to bust a corner off, and put it in corner to corner:







Thawed, Rinsed, and Patted Dry:






Cut in 2 pieces uneven (planning ahead):






Cut some French Fries with my "El Cheapo"? Fry Cutter:






Mrs Bear did a nice Breading Job for Me again:






Fries Dried & Sprayed with Olive Oil:






Here's why I cut the Fillets uneven---To make a nice corner area for My Fries, in the Wire Basket:






Fish & Chips A la Air Fryer (Sandwich Spread for Tartar Sauce):






Closer look at the Bear's Supper:


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## jcam222 (Dec 1, 2019)

Looks great!! That was a nice big filet! Had to have been fun to catch too.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Dec 1, 2019)

Ohhh  Yeah!

Those catty filets look to die for scrumptious. 

As luck would have it, there is a couple filets hanging out in the deep freezer right now.  

You're giving me ideas Bear!


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## Smokin' in AZ (Dec 1, 2019)

Yep, that there looks tasty!

Nice job again Bear.

LIKE!

My wife and I were just talking about doing some fish this friday and making fish tacos.....

John


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## 6GRILLZNTN (Dec 1, 2019)

Once again Bear, that looks awesome.  Love me some catfish!


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## crazzycajun (Dec 1, 2019)

Not to hijack this thread, but samsclub members has this on sale dec 14th in store and online. Sku# 980215420 $119.98 regularly $159.98 with free shipping


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## HalfSmoked (Dec 1, 2019)

Looks awesome Bear. What did you feed the wife as she doesn't eat seafood?

Warren


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## SmokinAl (Dec 1, 2019)

Love catfish to death!
Can't beat a good fried catfish, but we like them whole not filleted. 
We think they are more juicy & tender, but you do have to look at the head & eyes on your plate!
Still I bet yours were fantastic!!
Al


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## xray (Dec 1, 2019)

Looks tasty Bear! Nice size fillet too!

Like!


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## gary s (Dec 1, 2019)

Air Fryer King strikes again, I can't get over how good that fish looks

Gary


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## chopsaw (Dec 1, 2019)

Nice prep work . Makes a big difference . Nice meal there .


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## pushok2018 (Dec 1, 2019)

Mmmm... Nice looking breaded fish and fries! I am sure it's very tasty too...


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## Bearcarver (Dec 1, 2019)

jcam222 said:


> Looks great!! That was a nice big filet! Had to have been fun to catch too.



Thank You Jcam!!!
We didn't catch this one!
We don't have Catties that big around here.
My favorite are the ones between 10" and 16" long.
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear




SecondHandSmoker said:


> Ohhh  Yeah!
> Those catty filets look to die for scrumptious.
> As luck would have it, there is a couple filets hanging out in the deep freezer right now.
> 
> You're giving me ideas Bear!




Thank You "S" !!
You're right--They're Great!! Always been my Favorite Fish. Go for it!!!
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


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## smokerjim (Dec 1, 2019)

another great looking meal bear,


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## Hawging It (Dec 1, 2019)

Being a life long Southerner I have eaten many, many, MANY pounds of fried catfish, fries, coleslaw and hush puppies in my life.  Nothing can beat a good fried catfish dinner. Your looks really good. Gonna try your method soon.


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## Bearcarver (Dec 2, 2019)

5GRILLZNTN said:


> Once again Bear, that looks awesome.  Love me some catfish!



Thank You 5G !!

Bear




Smokin' in AZ said:


> Yep, that there looks tasty!
> 
> Nice job again Bear.
> 
> ...




Thank You John!!
Sounds like a Plan!!
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Dec 2, 2019)

crazzycajun said:


> Not to hijack this thread, but samsclub members has this on sale dec 14th in store and online. Sku# 980215420 $119.98 regularly $159.98 with free shipping



Thank You Cajun!!
That's a Great Price!!
I think I paid about $160.

Bear




HalfSmoked said:


> Looks awesome Bear. What did you feed the wife as she doesn't eat seafood?
> 
> Warren



Thank You Warren!!
She's good at fending for herself. She always finds something, but it doesn't take much.
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Dec 2, 2019)

SmokinAl said:


> Love catfish to death!
> Can't beat a good fried catfish, but we like them whole not filleted.
> We think they are more juicy & tender, but you do have to look at the head & eyes on your plate!
> Still I bet yours were fantastic!!
> Al



Thank You Al !!
All the ones we ever caught, we fried whole, but these were store bought, and much bigger than the ones we catch around here, and already filleted. Ours were always between 10" and 17", and we'd just skin them, then cut around the head behind the gills, and pull the head off, wile the guts followed the head. into the bucket.
Best eating fish in the universe!!
And Thanks for the Like, Al.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Dec 2, 2019)

xray said:


> Looks tasty Bear! Nice size fillet too!
> 
> Like!




Thank You Xray!!
It's a Store Bought, and it was the biggest (slightly) of about 5 in the Pack, Individually frozen.
Darn good fillet though---Hardly any fat at all.
I can't believe how good they are, running them through this AirFryer.
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Dec 3, 2019)

gary s said:


> Air Fryer King strikes again, I can't get over how good that fish looks
> 
> Gary



Thank You Gary!!
I'm getting to love this thing!!
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear




chopsaw said:


> Nice prep work . Makes a big difference . Nice meal there .



Thank You Rich!!
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Dec 3, 2019)

pushok2018 said:


> Mmmm... Nice looking breaded fish and fries! I am sure it's very tasty too...




Thank You Much!!
Yes it was Great !!
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Dec 3, 2019)

smokerjim said:


> another great looking meal bear,




Thank You Jim!!
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Dec 3, 2019)

Hawging It said:


> Being a life long Southerner I have eaten many, many, MANY pounds of fried catfish, fries, coleslaw and hush puppies in my life.  Nothing can beat a good fried catfish dinner. Your looks really good. Gonna try your method soon.




Thank You Hawging It !!!
When I was a Kid in PA, I was shunned about my diet:
My Dad was a Hunting & Fishing Machine, and he taught me just about everything he knew.
And My Sisters, Brother & I all ate the Heck out of every Catfish that followed us home.
My Dad & I used to Night fish the Delaware River, all night if needed. The catfish limit was 50 per day, and we often filled our limits of 50 each, with 10" to 16" Catties. which IMHO are the best eating size.
My Dad had it down to a science:
2 rods out----Catch one----cut the skin around the neck behind the gills, and pull with a Needle Nose. Then throw it in the bucket of water (elapsed time under 30 seconds). Then bait up, cast & wait, unless there was already one on the other line. Then when we got home, all that was needed was to remove the heads, and most of the guts came right out with the tugging of the head.
Then when we fried them like that, we just held onto the head end of the backbone, and scraped the meat right off with a fork, and flipped it over & did the same thing on that side, and we were left with the whole backbone, with the Ribcage attached, all in one piece, and a pile of boneless Catfish meat in another pile.

Here's where the shunning came from:
When I told my friends we had Catfish for Supper, most of them went "Eeewwww", You eat Carfish??"  Yes as a matter of fact---Catfish have always been my favorite eating fish, just above the "American Eel".  Now those same people are paying $17  to $22 for a Catfish Dinner in a Restaurant.  I don't know if I shoulda been born in the South, but I know I shoulda been born closer to some Souther Restaurants!!!

Bear


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## Hawging It (Dec 3, 2019)

Bearcarver said:


> Thank You Hawging It !!!
> When I was a Kid in PA, I was shunned about my diet:
> My Dad was a Hunting & Fishing Machine, and he taught me just about everything he knew.
> And My Sisters, Brother & I all ate the Heck out of every Catfish that followed us home.
> ...


Hey great story. Guess I have skinned hundreds of them.  There are tons of catfish restaurants around us down here. We call them Fish Camps. That's what folks down our way have always called them.


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## Bearcarver (Dec 4, 2019)

foamheart
 ---Thanks for the Like.

Bear


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## Hawging It (Dec 4, 2019)

Bearcarver said:


> *Catfish & Fries* (Air Fryer)
> 
> 
> Time to try my AirFryer on some Catfish, and I’ll throw some Fries in too.
> ...


It appears you and others do a lot of air frying.  I have one but really only use it for fries and onion rings. I need to step up my game and gather air frying recipes. As I stated in my previous post, the catfish looks great!!!


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## Bearcarver (Dec 4, 2019)

Hawging It said:


> It appears you and others do a lot of air frying.  I have one but really only use it for fries and onion rings. I need to step up my game and gather air frying recipes. As I stated in my previous post, the catfish looks great!!!




Which Air Fryer do you hav?
When all I had was my round black 3.4 Quart Fryer, I couldn't do much more than Fries & Onion Rings. This #360 really expands the Abilities.
And Thanks again for the Compliments on my Catties.
Wish we had "Fish Camps" up here.

Bear


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