Recently I have been eating a lot of catfish. For some reason, the front 1/4th of the fillet is extremely tough and hard to chew

[cgrodybass]

Recently I have been eating a lot of catfish. For some reason, the front 1/4th of the fillet is extremely tough and hard to chew while the rest of the fish is delicious. Any idea why this is happening or how I can prevent it? Thanks.

[99explorer]

I find that the thinner portions of the filet are more delicate, easier to cut and much more tender than the thicker portions, so I usually prefer two smaller filets rather than one large one. JMO.

[WA Mtnhunter]

Try cutting off the head first....

[Drover1]

The thicker parts need to cook a little longer – even once the fillets are cooked enough to be safe, catfish need a little more to reach the right tenderness. If you are frying, that can be a problem since the batter can burn before the meat is fully cooked. One solution is to cut the front half of the filet into thinner portions before cooking, either horizontally or vertically. I like all kinds of fish, but catfish still is one of my favorites.