Delta freshwater fish larger and meatier than catfish. Generations of Black families in Arkansas and Mississippi ate this fish and called it home.
Buffalo fish is a Delta food that rarely travels north or into mainstream cookbooks, but it fed Black families in Mississippi and Arkansas for generations. It was caught from the same rivers that defined the geography of Black life in the Delta — rivers that also carried the weight of that history. Eating buffalo fish is eating Delta culture without the tourist version.
Buffalo fish is a large, firm freshwater fish with good protein density and a moderate omega-3 profile. Similar nutritional value to catfish but with a richer, fattier flesh that holds up to smoking and slow cooking. Wild-caught from Delta waterways means minimal exposure to aquaculture additives.
Buffalo fish is often sold whole or as large steaks at Delta fish markets. Fry steaks in seasoned cornmeal the same as catfish. The fish is also excellent smoked whole or used in a fish stew with tomatoes, okra, and onions. Score the flesh before frying to help heat penetrate the thick steaks.
Free, no account needed to ask.