WHISKER BUSINESS Celebrating National Catfish Month around town
is just nature doing what it does.”
How best to eat catfish? “Fry it! Hands down!” says Johnson. “People ask us all the time to grill and broil … and we’ll do it, but honestly, I think God put it on this earth to be fried.”
That’s how they do it at Washington Shores Seafood in Orlando, a supremely modest, cash-only joint — little more than a shack, really — where you can walk- or drive up.
Pro-tip: Calling ahead, about 15-20 minutes, is the move. Order at the counter and it could take 15 minutes. If there’s a line, even longer.
They do up a range of fish here. Prices are reasonable for generous portions. They had to tape the boxes shut the last time I popped in; for about $9, the container was bursting with hot, fresh catfish filets, hush puppies and fries. You’re going to want to pull over and sample in the car. Which we did. Three spongy slabs of white bread are perfect wraps for the filets. Hot sauce optional.
At The Catfish Place, which even now is down 50 percent due to COVID-19 despite fierce local support, furloughs have been necessary.
“Folks who have worked here for 30 years,” says Johnson. “And I’ve got to get ‘em back. As soon as we can bring them back, we will.”
Maybe the new liquor license will help. After decades of serving just beer and wine, the Apopka store has added a tiny, four-seat bar.
“We don’t want to be a bar or have a bar crowd, but people have asked us forever to add liquor because they like to have a drink with dinner.”
Now, they can and are. Hopefully, it will make up for pandemic-related losses in the long run. Due to COVID-related capacity restrictions, this 150-seat restaurant has experienced customer waits when there are just 19 guests in the dining room.
Heartbreaking, but a testament to how ingrained the place is in its community, which Johnson says has been unfailingly supportive. He relates innumerable stories of birthdays, engagement rings hidden in oyster platters, first dates that led to forever unions — couples who now celebrate anniversaries over catfish and coleslaw.
“They come in and order $100 of food and tell us they just want to make sure we’re still here when this is all over,” he says. “And we are incredibly grateful.”