Swamp John’s makes Top Four for catfish

CONTRIBUTED Alabama Catfish Producers Chairman Sid Nelson and Bama’s Best Catfish Restaurant Challenge judges Townsend Kyser, Hale County catfish farmer and Catfish Farmers of America president; Alabama Farmers Cooperative’s Jim Allen; and host of the TV show “Absolutely Alabama” Fred Hunter recognize Swamp John’s for being one of the Top Four catfish restaurants in the state.

PHOTOS BY ALISON JAMES John Shewbart, owner of Swamp John’s, prepares full catfish plates for the panel of judges, including fish, hushpuppies and all the fixins’.

PHOTO BY ALISON JAMES The judges taste Shewbart’s catfish and question him about his recipe and restaurant.

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The finalists in the contest for best restaurant serving U.S. farm-raised catfish included Swamp John’s in Red Bay.

“It’s quite an honor to be nominated. That means a lot to us,” said Swamp John’s owner John Shewbart. “We try to use quality fish, and we try to take pride in what we do and make sure it is as good as it can be.”

Shewbart’s mother opened the restaurant about 20 years ago, and that’s when Shewbart went from working in timber to working in the kitchen.

Swamp John’s serves up 150-200 plates of catfish on Fish Day – Thursday – Shewbart estimated. At three 5-7-ounce split fillets per plate, that adds up to quite a lot of catfish.

More than 250 nominations were received in the Bama’s Best Catfish Restaurant Challenge, and a panel of three judges visited finalist restaurants – Orrville Farmer’s Market in Orrville, Catfish N Que in Cullman and David’s Catfish House in Atmore, in addition to Swamp John’s – last week.

Alabama Farmers Federation publications director Debra Davis said the contest was designed to recognize the restaurants that serve U.S. farm-raised catfish, as a gesture of appreciation from the catfish producers whose success is contingent on being able to sell those farm-raised catfish to the restaurants.

“One of the biggest obstacles catfish farmers face is that they developed the market years ago,” Davis said. “As they did, the foreign imports began to flood in and undercut their market … Our farmers are very conscientious and required to have excellent quality; their fish receive a diet of pelleted grain, a floating catfish feed; they are harvested under strict rules from the USDA. So they want people to know that their fish is superior to fish that is imported, which is not grown under those circumstances.

“So this is a way to thank not only the people who eat it but the people who serve it.”

This is the second year for the contest.

Swamp John’s was not selected as the statewide winner, but Davis said the judges were highly complimentary of the restaurant. The restaurant came in second in the People’s Choice contest based on Facebook likes.