The Catfish Institute (TCI) is giving away free copies of its cookbook, Fresh Ideas for U.S. Catfish, to celebrate the month of August as National Catfish Month and to showcase just how versatile U.S. farm-raised catfish can be. The book contains 28 recipes, from catfish chowder to catfish artichoke dip, giving home cooks the freedom to experiment with virtually any flavor.

“Our cookbook allows consumers to prepare U.S. catfish in many different arrangements, featuring the flexibility of the mild-flavored fish,” said Roger Barlow, TCI president. “With 28 recipes, there is great room to explore and find variations of recipes for everyone’s taste. It’s also important that consumers remember when they eat U.S. catfish, they are getting a great-tasting, enjoyable fish, as well as supporting the local farmers and the American economy.” Alabama has nearly 200 catfish farmers who grow fish in 19,200 acres of water. The state ranks second in the nation in catfish production, and in 2010 produced 137 million pounds of catfish valued at $106 million.Will Pearce of Dallas County is chairman of the Alabama Catfish Producers, a division of the Alabama Farmers Federation. He said many people limit their consumption of catfish to the popular fried filets or whole catfish. The free cookbooks provide lots of new ideas to eat a product that he and other American farmers like him take pride in producing.”We take extra care to make sure our fish are raised in clean, fresh water and we feed them a specialized grain-based diet,” Pearce said. For a free copy of Fresh Ideas for U.S. Catfish, visit UScatfish.com during the month of August. Supplies are limited! Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.