The Catfish Capital of the World, Right Here in Tennessee
I was surprised when a couple of our newest neighbors confessed they didn’t care for fried catfish. I couldn’t imagine how anyone could resist the satisfying crunch of crisp, hot catfish fillets and melt-in-your-mouth buttermilk hush puppies with sweet onions in every delicious bite.
Maybe it’s a cultural thing. One neighbor is from Portugal. The other moved from the NASA shuttle program in Houston. So I guess they led interesting, well-traveled but catfish-deprived lives before making their way to Leipers Fork.
Looks like it’s up to me to introduce them to the fine southern traditions of fried catfish.
The first part of my plan involves a summer trip to the Tennessee River to catch fresh catfish, perfect for frying whole. So we’ll head to Pickwick Landing State Park (www.tn.gov/environment/parks/PickwickLanding) to stay in a pet-friendly cabin.
The park is on Pickwick Lake and just south of the dam so I’ll have easy access to the lake and river. The lake is famous for its smallmouth but I’m after catfish this trip so I’ll go below the dam with a can of worms. The trick is not to catch the big blue cats. I’ve hauled in 30-pounders but those weighing five pounds or less taste better.
While Jake, my wonder dog, and I go catfishing, the rest of the group will enjoy the inn’s indoor and outdoor pools and the hiking trail that follows the shoreline. Too bad there’s not a golfer among us to enjoy the 18-hole par 72 golf course, but one of our small group is a dedicated historian who will enjoy a visit to the Tennessee River Museum on Main Street in Savannah, about 12 miles north.
Savannah grew from a ferry and riverboat landing on the Tennessee River, the interstate highway of its day during the early 1820s. Legend says about 60 years ago a Savannah businessman wanted a distinction between his home town and that other Savannah. Since folks here were serious about catfish – catching them and eating them – the nickname “Catfish Capital of the World” was born.
Tennessee River Museum exhibits include steamboat transportation; routes through Savannah used during the Trail of Tears; and the Civil War on the river, including the Battle of Shiloh which took place up-river on the western shore
The Tennessee River Museum’s collections include hundreds of fossils from the Paleozoic and Cretaceous periods, numerous arrowheads, bone needles and awls and a rare eight-inch stone effigy pipe of a kneeling man that was unearthed in 1898 at the Shiloh Mounds complex, now a part of the 4,000-acre Shiloh National Military Park (www.nps.gov/shil).
Centuries before General U.S. Grant arrived in Savannah, prehistoric mound builders created a mile-long line of mounds on the eastern shore. Most of those mounds have long since disappeared from view. The Cherry Mansion remains on top of one of the 14 mounds that made up this complex.
If the catfish aren’t biting, we’ll head over to Hagy’s Catfish Hotel (www.catfishhotel.com) which is about a mile from Shiloh National Military Park. The original Catfish Hotel was more of a catfish shack, known for the fried catfish and Southern hospitality shared with fishing buddies and family. Three generations of Hagys continue the tradition of serving finger-lickin’ fiddlers. Their menu has expanded to include critters served fried, grilled and chilled that never saw the likes of the Tennessee River but thankfully, catfish is still king.
We’ll be ready to hit the hay after a big plate of fried catfish and hushpuppies, but there’s no lodging at this “hotel.” Good thing it’s only a 20-minute drive back to our cabin at Pickwick Landing.
Love catfish? Share your favorite recipe in the comments if you dare!