Some fish you never think seriously of eating.
Marsh and bay fishermen feel that way about hardhead catfish. Offshore fishermen think of Bermuda chubs in the same vein.
They are common. Everyone has seen them — kind of clunky-looking and slow-swimming fish. They look like saltwater koi carp with drab longitudinal stripes rather than bright, splashy colors.
Some fishermen know what scientists have documented about the species: It eats porpoise vomit and whale poo.
Yup — that’s right.
It follows ships at sea, too, feasting on garbage the cooks throw overboard.
Knowing all that, I still made up my mind that I had to try them on the table. You never know.
Still — whale poo?
I kept a few from the trip to try them out. Of course, everyone at the fish-cleaning station looked at me as if I had lost my senses.
Worse was what happened when the fillets where cut loose and the contents of their innards was released.
It smell like — well, you know what: Really bad poo. Decayed poo.
Steeling myself, repeating that duty was calling, I rinsed the fillets off thoroughly.
Then came the color. It was just ugly. Not bloody, just ugly — a greenish gray that looked an awful lot like king mackerel meat, not the choicest fish in the sea.
I got ready to fry them with trepidation. I actually worried that it would ruin the 4 gallons of fresh peanut oil in my Pitman Fryer.
The results shocked me. What came out was so different than what went in.
The flesh was tender, flakey and snow white. The taste was incredibly mild and smooth. The texture was perfect.
You gotta try this fish: Just hold your nose when you clean it.