There is simply nothing more inviting to my eyes, my stomach, and my taste buds than the site of thin crisp catfish filets on my plate. The way they pop when you break them and the little wisp of steam escapes the golden fried crust between the flaky bits of white flesh.

Man, catfish is good eating. I can eat it fried all day long. I can eat it broiled all day long. I can eat it grilled all day long. I can even eat it in a courtboullion all day long. I really like catfish a lot.

Today Is Catfish Day: It's a day to celebrate the over the top deliciousness of one of America's and the South's greatest gifts to the culinary world, the catfish. The reason we celebrate catfish day has more to do with politics than it does with cooking. It was on this day in 1987 President Ronald Regan opened a speech he was making extolling the virtues of eating catfish. The President was speaking in particular of farm raised catfish.

In my home state of Mississippi some of the first and most successful catfish farm operations began not that long ago. From a lot of the information catfish farmers learned, other kinds of fish farming took off. In particular tilapia a favorite fish of many South Louisiana recipes.

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