The Blue Cat Apocalpyse

Blue Catfish. They are the prototypical invasive species with an all too common origin story. The fish  were introduced into local waterways back in the 1970s. The waterways included the James River, York River and Rappahannock Rivers.  The introduction was meant to create a sports fishing scene for anglers who wanted a good fight when they fished. They achieved their objective, but at a devastating cost that is still unfolding to this day.

Blue catfish are apex predators, and, they quickly took over the local ecosystems. However, unlike most catfish, which are bottom feeders, blue catfish pursue prey at all levels of the water column. That "prey" includes just about anything and everything.  The fish eat vegetation, but they also go after blue crabs, clams, mussels, and other fish (like perch, menhaden, and striped bass). Blue catfish also hunt and eat turtles, muskrats and, as reported on one occasion, and entire wood duck. These catfish also eat between 8% and 9% of their mass everyday. The result is that blue catfish populations have eclipsed the populations of other species.

This has taken place not just in the original three Virginian waterways, but elsewhere across the Chesapeake Bay. The blue catfish have made their ways into Maryland waterways, where, in some areas, they comprise nearly 70% of the biomass in those waters.  And, the blue catfish are wreaking havoc on native species, including, as noted above, the iconic blue crab and the striped bass.

To make matters worse, as an apex predator, the blue catfish has a very high perch on the food chain. Only raptors, like bald eagles and ospreys, constitute predators of blue catfish. And, then of course, there are humans. In recent years, people have started initiatives to curb the blue catfish population. One such way has been through promoting the consumption of blue catfish caught in the Chesapeake Bay. This got me to thinking about my favorite catfish dishes that I have prepared. While some of these involve regular catfish, all of them can be made with blue catfish. 

MY FAVORITE CATFISH RECIPE (AS OF RIGHT NOW): 

CAMBODIAN GINGER FISH

Recipe from AllRecipes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 pound peeled, matchstick-cut fresh ginger

4 catfish fillets (about 4 ounces each)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 large yellow onion, sliced

1/4 red bell pepper, cut in thin matchsticks

1/2 bunch green onions, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

Directions:

1. Prepare the fish. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook and stir ginger in the hot oil until slightly softened and brown, 5 to 7 minutes.  Add catfish fillets, cook until firm, about 3 minutes per side.  Remove fillets from the skillet to a plate and set aside.  

2.  Finish the dish.  Stir fish sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce together in the skillet.  Add onion and red bell pepper.  Cook and stir until softened, about 4 minutes.  Return catfish fillets to the skillet and spoon sauce and vegetables over the fillets.  Continue cooking until the flesh of the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 3 minutes more.  Garnish with green onions and serve immediately. 

OTHER GREAT RECIPES TO TRY

If you are looking for other ways to taken down an apex predator like the blue catfish, I would suggest the following recipes: 

Catfish Curry: This recipe is a Chef Bolek original. I began buying "catfish nuggets" at my local grocery store because they were cheap and I like catfish (nuggets are the pieces left over after the fish has been filleted). This recipe draws inspiration from the southeastern Asian curries that I have made over the years. 

Catfish Milanese: A classic Milanese is made with veal, but there are versions that use chicken. Why not use catfish, which not only has a texture that works well with the recipe but a long history of being fried and served on its own. This recipe dates back to 2015, when I first noted the problem of blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay.

Blackened Catfish with Maque Choux: This is a very close second to my most favorite catfish dish. I strongly prefer blackened catfish over fried catfish and the maque choux - a dish that incorporates corn, green peppers, onions and tomatoes - is a great accompaniment to this dish. 

General Tso's Catfish: If I have said it once, I have said it many times, "a general cannot live on chicken alone." This dish substitutes the catfish for the fowl that it would most certainly eat if it had the chance. The texture of blue catfish would work even better than regular catfish in this recipe.

There you have it ... a few ways that you can help cull the blue catfish population wherever it is taking over the waterways. 

One last note: if you happen to have blue catfish to prepare, just keep in mind that there may be some advisories with respect to consumption of the fish. Those advisories depend upon where the fish was caught. For example, if the fish is caught in a river such as the Potomac, or even in the Chesapeake Bay, the fish have been found to possess elevated levels of PCBs. For that reason, authorities suggest that, at most, you limit your consumption of such fish to no more than four times a month, and to fish that measure between 15 inches and 24 inches. These limits are stricter for certain populations like children. 

Until next time ...

PEACE.