The work aims to compare the effects of high voltage electrostatic field, the salt treatment and the combined treatment of salt and HVEF on the cold storage (4 ℃) quality of channel catfish in order to provide a new method for the preservation of channel catfish fillets. Fish samples were treated with salt (salt treatment group), HVEF (electric treatment group) and the combined method (salt + electric treatment group). With the fish samples not treated as the control group, the effects of different treatments on the total bacterial count, pH value, whiteness, microstructure, shear force, centrifugal water loss rate, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) were studied. The total bacterial count, centrifugal water loss rate, TBA value and TVB-N value of channel catfish increased with the extension of cold storage time. On the 7th day of storage, the control group samples were rotten, and the total bacterial count reached 7.3 lg(CFU/g), which exceeded the maximum safety limit (7 lg(CFU/g)), while the total bacterial count of each treated group was less than 5.5 lg(CFU/g). Compared with the salt treatment group on the 7th day, the electric treatment group showed relatively high shear force, whiteness, TBA value and TVB-N value. On the 7th day, the total bacterial count, centrifugal water loss rate, TBA value and TVB-N value of the combined treatment group were lower than those of other treatment groups, and the samples in the combined treatment group showed tighter muscle fiber structure and better quality. In summary, HVEF combined with salt can effectively alleviate the quality deterioration of channel catfish during cold storage, which provides a theoretical basis for the application of HVEF in maintaining the quality of preconditioned freshwater fish.