DIY Network

Prepare Fabulous Fish Cooking fresh fish is easier than you think. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-115

Learn the secrets of making fabulous fish.

Thousands of us love fishing; millions of us love eating fish. But it's easy to be intimidated by everything that happens in between.

Not Michele Beschen: The B. Original host learned the art of cooking and even cleaning fish while growing up in a fishing family. She shares insider tips on cleaning fish from her dad, commercial fisherman Ron Brown, as well as her mom’s primer on grilling and frying a fresh catch.

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Cleaning is Key

Cleaning a fish properly makes a big difference in the final taste. If you catch your own—or just buy a whole fish at the market—remember these tips:

• Clean your fresh-caught fish as soon as possible.

• Make sure to keep fresh fish iced down. Use a mix of half ice, half clean water.

• Use a very sharp knife and keep all your cleaning tools in good condition.

• To reduce fishy taste, remove fins or at least scrub them down thoroughly.

• The dark part of the meat also can carry a fishy taste, especially if the fish is frozen.

	Figure A
	Figure B

Grilling the Perfect Catfish

• Once the fish are clean, rinse well and drain on a paper towel.

• If you're cooking catfish whole, score the meat so it will cook evenly all the way through (figure A).

• Season the cavity with salt and pepper.

• To cook on a grill, lay your whole catfish on aluminum foil and top with a few pats of butter, some lemon pepper and coarse salt. Add a few slices of fresh lemon and 2-3 springs of fresh dill (figure B).

• Wrap tightly in foil to keep in heat and moisture.

• Grill at 350 degrees for an hour. (Adjust the time depending on the size of the fish.) The fish is done when the meat is fork tender and flaky.

Fantastic Fish Fry

Ingredients:

fish fillets
2 cups coating mix (such as Fryin' Magic)
½ cup flour
1 tsp. coarse salt
2 tsp. pepper
canola oil

	Figure C
	Figure D

• Combine coating mix, flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag.

• Add fish fillets and shake. Place coated fish on a platter (figure C).

• Heat canola oil in a large, shallow pan; you want enough oil to just cover the fish. Test the oil's temperature by sprinkling flour in the pan—if it splatters, the oil is hot enough. You also can test the temperature by placing one piece of fish in the pan to see if it crackles.

• Brown fish on one side, then turn (figure D). Once both sides are browned, check with a fork to see if the fish is fork tender and flaky. If so, the fish is done.

• As fillets are done, place on a paper towel to drain excess oil.

• You can put the fillets in an oven to keep warm as you continue to cook. Do not put fillets on a paper towel in the oven: They will get soggy.