How do you “butterfly” a catfish?

PraiseBob: How do you “butterfly” a catfish?
Ok, so I had this catfish in a restaraunt several years back that was served whole (don’t remember if the head and tail were actually attached, but I believe they were), breaded in cornmeal and fried. It was cut in such a way that the flesh in cross section formed an “X”. It made for a really nice presentation. However, I am unsure of how to dress a fish so it will do this and subsequently keep it from colapsing on itself in the fryer.

Can any of you accomplished chefs out there help me out?

Answers and Views:

Answer by edward b
butterflying is very difficult and will take practice so unless you have an abundance of fish it will be best to ask the monger to do it for you.

What you are going to attempt to do is remove all the bones while keeping the flesh and general structure of the fish in tact.

The head should be removed as a catfish head is not very appealing. I would also remove the skin as catfish skin is not very tender and is usually removed with pliers when the fish is whole.
God is very kind in that every catfish is exactly the same so once you get it down you will be able to do it forever

here is a step by step link for doing it to a salmon with pics general idea is the same good luck.

https://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/resourcecenter/fillet.htm

Answer by Captain
That sounds kinky….