Our annual survey of seafood in Southeast Louisiana this year counts down the 33 best seafood species enjoyed most in restaurants, rather than at home. In the case of catfish, there's been a tremendous advance in the quality of the fish being used.
But then we got lucky. Wholesalers, and one fish purveyor in particular, started selling genuine wild-caught catfish from Des Allemands. This historically has set the standard for catfish in this part of the world. Now it's back to be served on at least a dozen restaurants. All you need to do is ask, and usually the answer is yes.
<h2><strong>#12: Wild-Caught Catfish</strong></h2>
The best catfish--small, wild-caught specimens from the freshwater bayous around Louisiana--are among the best eating fish we have. It's finest quality is its uniqueness. There's no other flavor or texture quite like it. It's best when rolled n cornmeal and fried, although it's not bad when blackened. That's one of the reasons catfish has become the default frying fish on seafood platters around town. The other reason is that it saves a restaurateur one of his many headaches. He can place a standing order for so many pounds of catfish to be delivered once or twice a week, secure in the knowledge that it will show up. And, in its own way, it's as fine as specked trout, red snapper, tuna, or anything else. When you're in the mood for catfish, no other fish will substitute. Here are some of the restaurants that reliably serve wild-caught local catfish: Bistrol Orleans, Zea, Mr. Ed's Oyster Bar And Fish House, Spahr's (in Des Allemands and Thibodaux), K-Gee's (Mandeville), Middendorf's (most of the time).It seems to be expanding its reach throughout the area. Taste wild-caught catfish, and you understand why catfish was held in such high regard thirty years and longer ago. Inferior Alternative. We came through the decades of farm-raised but local catfish, which never was as good as wild-caught catfish, but good enough. But then we went through times when most catfish was coming in frozen from Southeast Asia. The species was radically different from what we were used to. Although it was usually of decent quality, once again it can't match the wild-caught local product. This isn't all the restaurants' fault. Most customers have eaten nothing but farm-raised catfish. And they prefer the big plate-filling fillets to the better small ones. The allure of large portions is irresistible. But big catfish don't cook right. The coating gets too dark, or the inside is undercooked. The latter condition is offputting, at best.