Savannah River Catfish Stew
The Savannah River is one of Georgia’s longest and largest rivers and defines most of the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina. I’ve seen photos of my grandfather and his brother with catfish almost as big as a man that they caught in the Savannah River. Wild catfish that live in rivers, lakes, and ponds are bottom dwellers, and the flesh picks up a distinctively earthy flavor. For years, there were catfish in our pond even though the pond was solely stocked with bass and bream. Dede explained to me when I was young that the catfish eggs would be transported on the wings and feet of the water birds. So, it was something special when we would catch them. We’d catch these monsters, and they terrified me, with their flat black mouths and whiskers popping as they flailed on the shore. The whiskers are scary, but they are not what hurts. Dede had a few special tools in his tackle box to deal with catfish. The fish have sharp spines on their fins, and he would fearlessly grab them behind the head and clip off the fins with pliers. Catfish also differ in that they don’t have scales. But their skin is tough and they have to be skinned before they are eaten. He’d hammer a nail through their head into the tree and, using the same pliers, peel the skin off the fish like taking off a sock from your foot. If you are not catching your own, make a point to buy American farm-raised catfish, which are fed a diet of high-protein pellets made from soybean meal, corn, and rice that give the flesh a consistent, sweet, mild flavor. You just don’t know what you are getting if you buy imported fish.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Line a plate with paper towels. In a saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to the prepared plate to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the grease (reserve the excess fat for another use or dispose). Add the onion and potatoes to the saucepan and cook, stirring often, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle over the flour and stir to coat and combine. Stir in the water and milk. Add the thyme, bay leaf, and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes.
Step 2
Add the catfish and simmer, uncovered, until the fish is falling apart, an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the thyme and bay leaf and discard. Add the parsley and stir to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with the reserved bacon.
