: "jmcquown" > wrote in message
: .. .
:> elaine wrote:
:> > I'm cooking this fish tonight for the first time (on sale at my
: local
:> > foodmarket) - the recipe I'm working with (lime butter - below)
: calls
:> > for fresh thai or serrano chile - don't have that although I do
: have
:> > red pepper flakes, tai curry, cayenne pepper. Would any of those
: be
:> > a decent substitute?
:> (snippage)
:> > Thanks,
:> >
:> > Elaine
:>
:> I don't keep fresh Thai chili's or serrano around; I'd go with the
: red
:> pepper flakes. However, I love the mild taste of tilapia and it
: seems to me
:> this would overwhelm it. But you're after something spicy, so go
: for it.

: I agree about being cautious in using anything hot with the tilapia.
: Otherwise it is very easy to overpower the delicate flavor of the
: fish. That is true for most fish. And I say that as a person who
: usually loves heat from chiles in my food.


This thread sounds like it's written by a bunch of chile-newbies!
Heat isn't a flavor!!! It doesn't matter how hot something is, it
won't overpower the flavor of any food. Thinking that it can
is in your mind - your mind is processing the hot sensation, and since
you're not used to it (a wimp) you're not paying attention to the
flavor. The flavor is still there, you're just ignoring it.