Yes, today is National Catfish Day!
No, not the giant, man-eating catfish that was allegedly discovered in the Guangdang Reservoir or the former Kansas City Athletics star "Catfish" Hunter...but the smaller, whiskered variety that was, before the days of quick refrigerated deliveries, the closest thing Midwestern diners had to "seafood" for many years.
Once a staple on menus in the heartland, it's not so easy to find fried catfish on a lot of modern restaurant menus: it's a dish that's not so good for your cholesterol, alas -- but Kansas City still boasts some first-rate catfish dinners.
Here are just a few of my top choices for fried catfish in the metro. This is, by no means, a complete list. In fact, I'm eager to find out, from readers, the joints I'm leaving out.
(Image via Flickr: jeremiah_owyang)
Showing 1-8 of 8
Anthony's - the Italian place downtown at Admiral and Grand - has a great fried catfish. Served with pasta, not hush puppies.
Carl: there's also a Jumpin' Catfish north o' the river. The catfish is pretty good there, but I'd rather eat my catfish with biscuits -- never hush puppies. In fact, the only hush puppies I like are the kind you wear on your feet. It's one of the most disappointing fried foods ever.
Jumping Catfish restaurant in Olathe (and I think there's one in Lee's Summit) does a good deep fried catfish fillet - and an excellent smoked catfish fillet as well. They serve 'family style' with big bowls of great northern beans and cole slaw, and baskets of hush puppies.
Anything fried at Quick's is good. I loved the 1/4-pound spiral-cut deep-fried hot dog although, like many things in life, one experience was memorable enough where I'll never feel the need to repeat it.
like
dislike
