# Black Bullheads taste like...



## uintahiker (Jan 19, 2012)

Anyone eaten them? I'm just wondering if the black bullheads taste like catfish since the two look so similar.


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## hockey (Nov 7, 2007)

they taste like &^%#*
they are all dark meat with lots of blood, even a long soak in cold salt water does not get all the blood and nastyness out!!!


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

I like them equally as well as channel cats. I don't usually fillet them, just skin them and cut behind the dorsal and pull the innards out as I break the head end off and toss it away. Cut off the tail and they are ready for breading and frying.


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## wagdog (Jan 6, 2009)

They are a species of catfish so yes, the taste is similar. Let me rephrase that. The bullheads and channel cats I've caught out of Utah Lake taste similar. Both are great if prepared properly. I can't speak for other waters that contain both bullhead and channel cats.


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## tye dye twins (Mar 8, 2011)

NASTY! They are the only game fish that I throw back as they taste horrible. Greasy as hell! I read that muddy water caught bullheads don't taste as good as the taste of clear water caught bullheads. I got some out of Pinview last year and they tasted bad. Pineview is pretty clear water compared to Utah Lake. 

I think that maybe I just don't cook them right. I hear a LONG soak in milk then a long soak in sprite is good. Then fry them in Panko.


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## wagdog (Jan 6, 2009)

tye dye twins said:


> NASTY! They are the only game fish that I throw back as they taste horrible. Greasy as hell! I read that muddy water caught bullheads don't taste as good as the taste of clear water caught bullheads. I got some out of Pinview last year and they tasted bad. Pineview is pretty clear water compared to Utah Lake.
> 
> I think that maybe I just don't cook them right. I hear a LONG soak in milk then a long soak in sprite is good. Then fry them in Panko.


All the ones I have caught out of Utah Lake have tasted great. Here are some things I do which may help you out. When I catch any catfish, I immediately put them in my ice chest so they can cool off. If you have larger channel cats you are keeping, you may want to hit them on the head before you put them on ice. I had a big one almost knock my ice chest over (and dump out the ice) because it was still alive. Anyhow, ice them down.

I fillet bullheads like I would any bigger cat. I have yet to catch a particularly huge bullhead but I do catch quite a few that go 2 pounds. I think the state record is over 3 but I digress. Fillet them and then I will let them soak in a bowl of salted ice water. That will help draw out some of the blood that remains in the meat.

If the bullhead fillets are thick enough, I won't try to fry them whole. I'll cut them up into strips like TubeDude's Kitty Krispy recipe. They do have oily flesh and can stand more cooking than white bass, crappie, bluegill, and perch fillets. I've undercooked bullhead before and while I didn't think it tasted bad, the texture wasn't great. Maybe that is what you have run into in the past. I like frying them with a mix of seasoned cornmeal and flour. Make sure the grease is at least 350 before adding your fillets.

Instead of salted ice water, you could soak them in milk. Just keep them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

All we used to do with them out of Utah Lake was to skin and clean them, roll them in flower bones and all and fry in some lard. I never remember having a bad tasting one. Even now when I catch one I don't bother with flaying them since the meat area is so small plus you can use the bones to hold it like corn on the cob.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

I prefer channel cats myself, but an old fishing buddy of mine prefers bullheads to channels. I have met others that felt similarly. They aren't that bad if properly prepared.



wagdog said:


> you could soak them in milk. Just keep them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.


+1, This is what I do when I prepare any catfish and it does wonders IMO for the flavor.


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## uintahiker (Jan 19, 2012)

To sum it up, I'm hearing that it depends on how they're prepared...

Cool them down quick when you catch them
Fileting is optional
Soak them in milk before cooking

Anything else?


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## hatuquack (Nov 15, 2011)

I like the responses so far. I would like to add that keeping bullheads a pound or less is the only way to go. It seems that larger bullheads tend to get mushy. Catching fish from clean water like Pineview can also make a difference in taste. When I was growing up we used to take a vacation to the Lake of the Ozarks. Each evening we would sit on the dock and catch a mess of bullheads and the next day it was fish fry time. Yummmmmmmm.


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## hatuquack (Nov 15, 2011)

Oh, we soaked ours in salt water overnight.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Catherder said:


> I prefer channel cats myself, but an old fishing buddy of mine prefers bullheads to channels. I have met others that felt similarly. They aren't that bad if properly prepared.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I agree. I've ate a bunch of the little buggers, but prefer the channels.


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

I think those that catch them on Cutler in Cache Valley like them sun dried.
I have seen many hanging from the over head power lines at the bridge.


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## neverdraws (Nov 24, 2008)

My family and I like them. I fillet and handle them just like channels. Like said before, if you handle them well from the time you catch them until time to cook, they will turn out great. Would you throw a trout up on the bank for several hours on a warm day and expect it to taste good? Same with bullheads. I've fried, broiled, baked and smoked them. All have turned out great. I don't soak my fillets, never have, probably never will. I do rinse the fillets well in cold water, making sure there is no blood or anything else left on them. I like them nice and clean before I cook or store them in the refridgerator. My wife is very particular about fish taste and has said that they are really mild.


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## fordkustom (Jan 27, 2011)

a good brine soak works wonders on mudders


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

They were everywhere where I came from, but we seldom purposely fished for bullheads. I can take them or leave them. I have caught quite a few out of Pineview, some nice ones too. They tasted OK.


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## Narient (Jan 9, 2011)

Never having caught a BLACK bullhead, I can't say one way or the other as to the flavor. Back home, I cut my teeth on yellow bullheads and can say they taste pretty good.


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## perdiz (Jun 15, 2012)

I don't know why anyone in their right mind would ever eat anything caught in Utah Lake. All fish there are contaminated with pollutants-namely PCB's and mercury. If the taste alone won't deter you, the knowledge that what you are eating is harming your body should be bad enough to do the job. Utah Lake has been a cess pool for years. Plenty of game fish and trash fish too but the pollutants in the Lake will not be overcome in that fishery for years. Those grubby little bull heads are the nastiest thing God ever created. They burp nicely though. Kinda reminds me of my cat throwing up a fur ball.


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

I used to catch black bullheads out of Cutler reservoir and below Cutler dam. I found them quite tasty.

By the way, I learned a trick for gutting and skinning them without a knife. It's kind of hard to explain though.


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## 71nova (Jan 9, 2008)

I won't eat any catfish without skinning completely! No silver or nothing left of the skin! Makes it taste like mud. That being said mud cats are better when paired with bass or other panfish, not so good with channel cats. Now that being said I fish utah lake a lot, but prefer the cats caught at my secret spots along a certain river, both for flavor and texture. Texture being the biggest difference, lake caught fish seem to be softer no matter how I cook em.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I had eel sushi last week. It reminded me of the "earthy" taste bullheads have.


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

wyogoob said:


> I had eel sushi last week. It reminded me of the "earthy" taste bullheads have.


Interesting comment... I read somewhere else that eel tastes a bit like bullhead.


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## Golfish (Oct 14, 2007)

If I have to go through soaking them in all kinds of buttermilk, saltwater, freshwater, ect. (which I have tried), then it's too much of a hassle.
The only thing I have put on them to get rid of that nasty algae swamp flavor, is Soy sauce, but since I know I am only covering it up, no thanks. Still not worth it to me. Bleh!-O,-


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

Years ago I used to catch them out of Cutler reservoir as well as below Cutler dam. I would also catch channel cats out of the river below Cutler dam. 

The bullheads tasted good. I preferred them to rainbow trout, though I did not prefer them to a brookie. All the bullheads I caught were small. I would gut and skin them and then pan fry them.

The bullheads and channel cats were fairly similar in flavor. To my taste the bullhead flavor was slightly finer, but the channel cat flesh was firmer. Overall, it was about a tossup in table quality.

I don't know how they would taste caught out of other waters.

By the way, I agree with the comment about similarity to eel.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

massmanute said:


> Interesting comment... I read somewhere else that eel tastes a bit like bullhead.


Funny, growing up freshwater eels were a nuisance, a trash fish, now they're a delicacy at Sushi Bars.


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## bigred (Mar 5, 2012)

perhaps my taste buds are off? I have eaten tons of bullheads out of the Bear River near Corinne and they all tasted totally fine to me, nothing nasty about them at all. and no special preparation needed, cleaned and cooked just as I would anything else. Expand your horizons and accept that not everything tastes the same and learn to appreciate the differences.


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## brookieguy1 (Oct 14, 2008)

uintahiker said:


> Anyone eaten them? I'm just wondering if the black bullheads taste like catfish since the two look so similar.


Tastes like the wet end of a cheap cigar.


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## bigred (Mar 5, 2012)

brookieguy1 said:


> Tastes like the wet end of a cheap cigar.


hmmmm, maybe you're on to something, I have no beef with cheap cigars either.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I don't know, I have ate a lot of bullheads out of Utah Lake and other places and have enjoyed every one of them. Perhaps you shouldn't flick the ashes off of that cigar into the frying pan when you are cooking them.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

As kids we use to pee in our can of worms when bullhead fishing. Really improved our catch rate.

Used cane poles, not rod and reel.

Those were the days.






I found the bullheads from Pineview Res. to be OK.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

wyogoob said:


> As kids we use to pee in our can of worms when bullhead fishing. Really improved our catch rate.
> 
> :brushteeth: Sorry Goob, had a bad taste in my mouth after reading that.


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