Catfish Blogger: Quantity And Quality At The Fish Creel

Salad bars and catfish restaurants make strange bedfellows.  Most catfish restaurants either eschew the salad bar altogether or keep a small sneeze-guarded buffet table tucked away in a corner, dejectedly sheltering a few whisps of lettuce and a handful of stale crutons, silently crying out that people who eat at catfish restaurants are there for the main attraction and are not interested in salads.

That’s not the case in tiny Anderson, Alabama.  This small village about 45 minutes northeast of Florence in eastern Lauderdale County boasts a restaurant that is almost as well-known for its salad bar as it is for its hot catfish.  The Fish Creel is located at 7810 Highway 207 in Anderson, in a neatly-kept and homey building.  And far from being tucked away in a corner, the salad bar is the first thing you see when you walk through the doors. 

So it’s only fitting that most platter meals at the Fish Creel include the salad bar in the price. I went there to celebrate my birthday in February, and I was not dissappointed. 

I have patronized the Fish Creel sporadically for several years.  I’ve sampled both their chicken and their fish, but on my most recent visit, I was jonesing for some catfish.  It was a Friday night, and that guaranteed that the Fish Creel would be the busiest spot in Anderson.   When Alisha and I entered the restaurant, we immediately took a seat in the sprawling southern end of the building and set to work digesting the menu.  I opted for the large catfish platter with fries, and Alisha chose a grilled chicken dish, both of which included the salad bar.

Unlike salad bars in other restaurants, the Fish Creel’s salad bar was intended to give you a meal.  Mountains of vegetables and fixins lurk beneath the sneeze guard to waylay you with an ambush of flavor.  Not being much of a salad man, my salad relied heavily on honey mustard, crutons, and bacon bits.  But regardless of your taste in salads, the Fish Creel’s bar is a deep well of food, inviting you to pile your plate high. 

   

Piled-high plates seem to be the Fish Creel’s calling, and the catfish did not dissappoint.  With six truly large fillets, three tasty hushpuppies, and a golden explosion of french fries, the large platter lived up to its name.  The flavor of the fish was reminiscent of backyard fish fries after a day at the lake; slightly rivery, but thouroughly-breaded, well-cooked and crispy.  It was hot, good, and somewhat greasy.

The huspuppies were light and fluffy, with just a slight and crispy shell.  The fries were similarly crispy and hot.

Quantity is indeed the byword at this little restaurant.  If you don’t get full at the Fish Creel, it’s your own fault.  For perhaps the third or fourth time in my life, I had to get a doggy bag for my remaining fish.  After my salad, fries, hushpuppies, and half of my fish, I simply could not find room for another bite.  Luckily, catfish is just as delicious for breakfast as it is for any other meal.

The price for a large catfish platter with fries at the Fish Creel is $12.29, including tax.  When I first saw the price for this platter on the menu, I was shocked.  I expected to pay $12.00 for steaks and Italian food, but I had yet to encounter a plate of catfish for such a price.

But when I realized the untapped possibilities of the salad bar and continued to lose count of the number of steaming fillets passing my table on servers’ trays, I realized that I would most definitely get my money’s worth with a large platter from the Fish Creel.  And, like the other aspects of the restaurant, I was not dissappointed with my investment at the Fish Creel. 

And what birthday celebration is complete without something sweet?  The Fish Creel had that covered, too.  With a few words from Alisha, our waitress and another lady brought a slice of the restaurant’s delicious pecan pie to our table, sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me, and watched as I blew the single candle out–all on the house. 

If you ever find yourself passing through Anderson, be sure to stop by the Fish Creel.  You probably won’t clean your plate, but they’ll understand–and they keep a healthy stock of to-go boxes on hand to prove it!

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