Tails of Flavorless Tilapia

For some inexplicable reason, I find myself buying tilapia after I've vowed I'm done with it. I think it's the "fish is good for you" combined with "the price is right," that keeps bringing me back. Well, that and the fact that I'm apparently a glutton for punishment. I don't think I've once found a way to make a worthwhile dish out of it. The only way I can think to do so, would be to do some serious damage to it and my arteries. Last night I dredged and sauteed it in olive oil, deglazed with Newcastle Nut Brown Ale (didn't feel like using wine or stock, and this seemed somewhat novel), shallots and garlic, and added some sauteed spinach. The resounding result -- "meh."

Is there any way to make this even fish remotely exciting in a way that won't bring on an emergency visit to the cardiologist?

Fish tacos! Unfortunately, most of your flavor will come from everything else surrounding the fish (chipotle mayo, fresh lime).


Tilapia being the tofu-of-the-sea (only more boring) we usually just make a quick meal of plain rice with a tilapia fillet on top and covered in some jarred sauce (TJ's creole simmer sauce is good). Costco sells a decent frozen tortilla-crusted tilapia, which is about the most flavor you can get without adding butter & cream.

spinynorman99 wrote:Tilapia being the tofu-of-the-sea (only more boring) ...

I'm not a big fan of L20, but one think I'm very glad to have learned from Chef Gras is that tofu does not have to be anything close to boring. The stuff he makes has a unique, nutty flavor that is accented by accompanying ingredients, but the tofu itself is the star.

I always cook tilapia whole, either steamed with a light soy-ginger sauce or in a filipino-style escabeche (sweet and sour).

As for filets, I'd pan-fry in butter and use some sort of vinaigrette, but that's not what you're looking for.

is the thread title an intentional play on words?

Kennyz wrote:

spinynorman99 wrote:Tilapia being the tofu-of-the-sea (only more boring) ...

I'm not a big fan of L20, but one think I'm very glad to have learned from Chef Gras is that tofu does not have to be anything close to boring. The stuff he makes has a unique, nutty flavor that is accented by accompanying ingredients, but the tofu itself is the star.

Not to mention the pocket tofu at Double Li. That still doesn't help the factory extruded tilapia taste like anything besides compressed building materials, though.

I have a version that's healthy and tasty. Sprinkle fillets with Spanish Smoked Paprika, salt and pepper. Top with julienned bell peppers and thinly sliced onions, then pour some olive oil mixed with fresh minced garlic over the top. Bake at 350 until flaky, about 10-15 minutes.

spinynorman99 wrote:Tilapia being the tofu-of-the-sea (only more boring)...

Part of the problem is that Tilapia isn't anything "of the sea" -- it's a lake, or more properly, aquaculture pond fish. Farm raised, commercial feed, cheap to grow (my brother had looked into farming them, they grow by more than you feed them).

It's also a close relative of tropical aquarium cichlids.
Overall, unless it's crispy fried with Thai sauce on it, I've got no urge to eat it.

JoelF wrote:Overall, unless it's crispy fried with Thai sauce on it, I've got no urge to eat it.

Egg, panko, fried in olive oil, doused in lemon juice and/or Portuguese hot pepper sauce... eaten alongside fried potatoes... it's cheap and you get what you pay for... for frying and spicing up with a hot sauce, it's fine... that's about it...

Antonius

Buy a more flavorful fish, and then write tilapia on the package.
If you don't like it, stop wasting your hard earned $ on it. There are plenty of other fishes. Stop it. I vowed to be done with it after the third try. I don't care if it's 99cents / lb anymore. I can pass right by, and not look back anymore. F that stuff. Maybe if I have that once a year hankerin to bust out the fry daddy contraption, but even then, it's gotta be on super duper sale for me to entertain the thought.

Clearly, we all need some remininding of JeffB's most wise solution:

JeffB wrote:Can we all agree not to eat tilapia anymore?

dudefella wrote:is the thread title an intentional play on words?

yes. but having to address it takes a little of the fun out of it.

seebee wrote:Buy a more flavorful fish, and then write tilapia on the package.
If you don't like it, stop wasting your hard earned $ on it. There are plenty of other fishes. Stop it. I vowed to be done with it after the third try. I don't care if it's 99cents / lb anymore. I can pass right by, and not look back anymore. F that stuff. Maybe if I have that once a year hankerin to bust out the fry daddy contraption, but even then, it's gotta be on super duper sale for me to entertain the thought.

I know, I know, I know. See it's this thick skull I've got.

Thanks to others who've offered suggestions.

Actually, there IS something which can be done. At the Peruvian resto down the block on r. St-Dominique, they do this with tilapia. Not at all a bad application.

Geo

Restaurant La Melchorita
7901 Rue St-Dominique
Montréal, QC

Geo wrote:Actually, there IS something which can be done. At the Peruvian resto down the block on r. St-Dominique, they do this with tilapia. Not at all a bad application.

Geo

Restaurant La Melchorita
7901 Rue St-Dominique
Montréal, QC

Geo,

Before I clicked on your link, I was picturing a whole tilapia dipped in kerosene and impaled on a stick; used as a torch.

I strongly encourage people who don't like fish to go on eating tilapia and save real fish for me.

If tilapia are not available, try Wonder Bread dipped in clam juice.

Mike G wrote:If tilapia are not available, try Wonder Bread dipped in clam juice.

No, no, no, that would taste much too strong. Wonder Bread dipped in skim milk would better fit the bill. Those with dairy intolerance can substitute milk with that water that pre-packaged tofu comes floating in. Squeeze out the excess, dip in batter, fry it up, and eat with a hefty squeeze of lemon & copious amounts of tartar sauce...now that's good eatin'. And since it's seafood, it's good for you to boot!

Can't say I've ever cooked tilapia, but it works very well for ceviche (see, e.g., Geo's link above). I actually never considered using it until Dirk himself told me to stop using halibut for ceviche and start using tilapia.

Dirk is *right* Marla's husband! Save the halibut for purer applications. Like fish 'n chips!

Geo

I am really interested in this thread since I bought a bag of tilapia from Costco and am trying to figure out what to do with it. I also find the fish bland. I bought it for my husband who does not like fish.

Shorty, tell him it's tofu. Or, maybe, chicken breast from battery chickens!

Geo

JoelF wrote:Part of the problem is that Tilapia isn't anything "of the sea" -- it's a lake, or more properly, aquaculture pond fish. Farm raised, commercial feed, cheap to grow (my brother had looked into farming them, they grow by more than you feed them).

Just saw a Gorton's commercial in which burly Gloucesterman extols his fresh catch of...guess what?

I think you are lucky if your tilapia is bland. There is room in cooking for flavorless ingredients. Some foods just form a base for the rest of the dish or indeed a vehicle for other ingredients. My problem with tilapia is the weird flavor it often has. People have told me this taste has to do with the feeding cycle; some type of algae the fish eat? Anyway it's worse than muddy like you get with other freshwater fish; it's kind of soapy. The first time I noticed it I thought I had failed to rinse my dishes properly. The second time, I decided never to buy the stuff again.

bibi rose wrote:I think you are lucky if your tilapia is bland. There is room in cooking for flavorless ingredients. Some foods just form a base for the rest of the dish or indeed a vehicle for other ingredients. My problem with tilapia is the weird flavor it often has. People have told me this taste has to do with the feeding cycle; some type of algae the fish eat? Anyway it's worse than muddy like you get with other freshwater fish; it's kind of soapy. The first time I noticed it I thought I had failed to rinse my dishes properly. The second time, I decided never to buy the stuff again.

bibi -

I haven't bought tilapia many times but one time it did have an odd sort of a flavour - not 'off' but just odd...

Antonius

shorty wrote:I am really interested in this thread since I bought a bag of tilapia from Costco and am trying to figure out what to do with it. I also find the fish bland. I bought it for my husband who does not like fish.

If you purchased the frozen loins, they do indeed make a very good ceviche. The Panamanian mother of a friend makes it for me every time we come over. If you purchased the "unfrozen" ones in the fish section, then not so much.

The flavor and texture of tilapia improve greatly when it is cooked slowly over charcoal.

bnowell724 wrote:The flavor and texture of tilapia improve greatly when it is cooked slowly over charcoal.

The flavor of everything improves greatly when it is cooked slowly over charcoal.

I don't cook it that frequently, but when I do I usually think of it as a medium to carry something tastier. A lot times I bread it with a mix of bread crumbs, crushed walnuts, chili powder and fresh herbs. Then I just fry it up. The breading tastes great!

Well, yeah, but that's why God gave us tofu. Why mess with a flavorless fish that sometimes exceeds expectation by actually tasting bad?