My wife wants me to cook tilapia. I've never had it. First off, is it a "fishy"
tasting fish or nice and clean tasting like flounder, cod, halibut, etc? I don't
like fishy tasting. And does anyone have a nice, simple oven baked recipe for
it? I have yellow corn meal, flour, Old Bay seasoning and some other spices.
Also, anyone here do fried flounder? Have a simple recipe for that too/ Thanks.
And yes, I know there's Google, but I like to pick the brains of people who
actually do the cooking.

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:44:51 -0400, wrote:

>My wife wants me to cook tilapia. I've never had it. First off, is it a "fishy"
>tasting fish or nice and clean tasting like flounder, cod, halibut, etc? I don't
>like fishy tasting. And does anyone have a nice, simple oven baked recipe for
>it? I have yellow corn meal, flour, Old Bay seasoning and some other spices.
>Also, anyone here do fried flounder? Have a simple recipe for that too/ Thanks.
>And yes, I know there's Google, but I like to pick the brains of people who
>actually do the cooking.

Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor to
flounder.

It's so mild tasting that you probably want to stay away from the
stronger tasting seasonings like Old Bay unless you use a very, very
tiny bit of it.

My favorite method of cooking both Tilapia and Flounder is to sauté
them in butter and green onion slices, turning only once, very gently.

They both cook very fast, flake easily and are perfect with only the
melted butter on them with a prettying up of parsley flakes.

On Mar 30, 3:58*pm, Landon > wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:44:51 -0400, wrote:
> >My wife wants me to cook tilapia. I've never had it. First off, is it a "fishy"
> >tasting fish or nice and clean tasting like flounder, cod, halibut, etc? I don't
> >like fishy tasting. And does anyone have a nice, simple oven baked recipe for
> >it? I have yellow corn meal, flour, Old Bay seasoning and some other spices.
> >Also, anyone here do fried flounder? Have a simple recipe for that too/ Thanks.
> >And yes, I know there's Google, but I like to pick the brains of people who
> >actually do the cooking.
>
> Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor to
> flounder.
>
> It's so mild tasting that you probably want to stay away from the
> stronger tasting seasonings like Old Bay unless you use a very, very
> tiny bit of it.
>
> My favorite method of cooking both Tilapia and Flounder is to sauté
> them in butter and green onion slices, turning only once, very gently.
>
> They both cook very fast, flake easily and are perfect with only the
> melted butter on them with a prettying up of parsley flakes.

They are also great in fish tacos!

On 2011-03-30, > wrote:

> it? I have yellow corn meal, flour, Old Bay seasoning and some other spices.

Use 'em. Fry like cat fish, in bacon grease. If you don't like
"blackened" fish with the Old Bay, coat, pan fry till browned, then
finish in oven.

nb

On 2011-03-31, Mark Thorson > wrote:

> It also has an odd texture, not like most other fish.
> As I recall, it's sort of grainy.

You got bad fish. Talapia is jes fine. Like catfish lite.

nb

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:02:34 -0800, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>Landon wrote:
>
>> Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor to
>> flounder.
>
>It also has an odd texture, not like most other fish.
>As I recall, it's sort of grainy. I think I only made it
>once.

I've never noticed any graininess to the meat, but it is, IMO, very
firm meat. Simply awesome for fried fish sandwiches. I had some just
last week.

cleaner than most, salt and pepper , use white pepper, place on cookie sheet
or baking dish, broil for five minutes, then turn and
-top with roastedgarlic and butter or
-mango salsa that has been drained or
-sprinkle with cumen and pepper of your choice, then

back into broiler until cooked, Lee
> wrote in message
...
> My wife wants me to cook tilapia. I've never had it. First off, is it a
> "fishy"
> tasting fish or nice and clean tasting like flounder, cod, halibut, etc? I
> don't
> like fishy tasting. And does anyone have a nice, simple oven baked recipe
> for
> it? I have yellow corn meal, flour, Old Bay seasoning and some other
> spices.
> Also, anyone here do fried flounder? Have a simple recipe for that too/
> Thanks.
> And yes, I know there's Google, but I like to pick the brains of people
> who
> actually do the cooking.

never noticed that
"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> Landon wrote:
>
>> Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor to
>> flounder.
>
> It also has an odd texture, not like most other fish.
> As I recall, it's sort of grainy. I think I only made it
> once.
>
>

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:44:51 -0400, wrote:

> My wife wants me to cook tilapia. I've never had it. First off, is it a "fishy"
> tasting fish or nice and clean tasting like flounder, cod, halibut, etc? I don't
> like fishy tasting. And does anyone have a nice, simple oven baked recipe for
> it? I have yellow corn meal, flour, Old Bay seasoning and some other spices.
> Also, anyone here do fried flounder? Have a simple recipe for that too/ Thanks.
> And yes, I know there's Google, but I like to pick the brains of people who
> actually do the cooking.

AFAIC, tilapia is a rather bland fish. I especially like it
(uncoated) in soft shell fish tacos.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On 2011-03-30, Ranée at Arabian Knits > wrote:

> muddy tasting and a little too soft for my palate. I prefer cod for
> basic white fish.

You had poorly processed fish. Yes, soft. More so than other fish.

Everyone prefers cod. Much firmer fish. That's why they're being
fished to extinction.

nb

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:21:06 -0500, "Storrmmee"
> wrote:

> never noticed that
> "Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Landon wrote:
> >
> >> Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor to
> >> flounder.
> >
> > It also has an odd texture, not like most other fish.
> > As I recall, it's sort of grainy. I think I only made it
> > once.
> >
> >
It used to be that way, not lately though. Maybe it was not
previously frozen properly. I dunno, but I had enough so-so
experiences with it that it's pretty much at the bottom of my list
although I do like it in a taco.


--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

>> Landon wrote:
>>> Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor
>>> to flounder.

Ranee wrote:
>> It may be another of my quirks, but I found tilapia to be kind of
>> muddy tasting and a little too soft for my palate. I prefer cod for
>> basic white fish.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Ranee @ Arabian Knits
>>
merryb wrote:
> I'm with you...

As am I.

Landon wrote:

> Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor to
> flounder.

It also has an odd texture, not like most other fish.
As I recall, it's sort of grainy. I think I only made it
once.

> wrote in message
...
> My wife wants me to cook tilapia. I've never had it. First off, is it a
> "fishy"
> tasting fish or nice and clean tasting like flounder, cod, halibut, etc? I
> don't
> like fishy tasting. And does anyone have a nice, simple oven baked recipe
> for
> it? I have yellow corn meal, flour, Old Bay seasoning and some other
> spices.
> Also, anyone here do fried flounder? Have a simple recipe for that too/
> Thanks.
> And yes, I know there's Google, but I like to pick the brains of people
> who
> actually do the cooking.
>
>
It's a fresh water fish farmed in salt water. I agree with the indifferent
posters. Is it fish?

Kent

On Mar 30, 6:10*pm, Landon > wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:02:34 -0800, Mark Thorson >
> wrote:
>
> >Landon wrote:
>
> >> Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor to
> >> flounder.
>
> >It also has an odd texture, not like most other fish.
> >As I recall, it's sort of grainy. *I think I only made it
> >once.
>
> I've never noticed any graininess to the meat, but it is, IMO, very
> firm meat. Simply awesome for fried fish sandwiches. I had some just
> last week.

We have fried tilapia about once a week. If I were a millionaire I
might choose a different fish, but I'm not, and tilapia is just fine,
salted, peppered, shaken in a bag with corn meal, fried in peanut oil
and served with halved lemons.
Tonight was taco night.

--Bryan

In article >, says...
>
> > wrote in message
> ...
> > My wife wants me to cook tilapia. I've never had it. First off, is it a
> > "fishy"
> > tasting fish or nice and clean tasting like flounder, cod, halibut, etc? I
> > don't
> > like fishy tasting. And does anyone have a nice, simple oven baked recipe
> > for
> > it? I have yellow corn meal, flour, Old Bay seasoning and some other
> > spices.
> > Also, anyone here do fried flounder? Have a simple recipe for that too/
> > Thanks.
> > And yes, I know there's Google, but I like to pick the brains of people
> > who
> > actually do the cooking.
> >
> >
> It's a fresh water fish farmed in salt water. I agree with the indifferent
> posters. Is it fish?
>
> Kent

It's a strainer fish for White Bass tanks...

In article >,
wrote:

> My wife wants me to cook tilapia. I've never had it. First off, is it a
> "fishy"
> tasting fish or nice and clean tasting like flounder, cod, halibut, etc? I
> don't
> like fishy tasting. And does anyone have a nice, simple oven baked recipe for
> it? I have yellow corn meal, flour, Old Bay seasoning and some other spices.
> Also, anyone here do fried flounder? Have a simple recipe for that too/
> Thanks.
> And yes, I know there's Google, but I like to pick the brains of people who
> actually do the cooking.

Tilapia is a farmed freshwater fish. It's pretty bland. I'd bread and
fry it if I had to eat it.

D.M.

Also I think, it's a fresh water fish!!!

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:58:42 -0400, Landon > wrote:

>On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:44:51 -0400, wrote:
>
>>My wife wants me to cook tilapia. I've never had it. First off, is it a "fishy"
>>tasting fish or nice and clean tasting like flounder, cod, halibut, etc? I don't
>>like fishy tasting. And does anyone have a nice, simple oven baked recipe for
>>it? I have yellow corn meal, flour, Old Bay seasoning and some other spices.
>>Also, anyone here do fried flounder? Have a simple recipe for that too/ Thanks.
>>And yes, I know there's Google, but I like to pick the brains of people who
>>actually do the cooking.
>
>Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor to
>flounder.
>
>It's so mild tasting that you probably want to stay away from the
>stronger tasting seasonings like Old Bay unless you use a very, very
>tiny bit of it.
>
>My favorite method of cooking both Tilapia and Flounder is to sauté
>them in butter and green onion slices, turning only once, very gently.
>
>They both cook very fast, flake easily and are perfect with only the
>melted butter on them with a prettying up of parsley flakes.

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:57:01 -0400, Leon Manfredi >
wrote:

> Also I think, it's a fresh water fish!!!

That certainly explains why I think it tastes bland. I didn't like
fish until I tasted salt water fish. Salt water fish also have
thicker fillets (in general)... unless it's a catfish - I *do* like
catfish. It's probably my favorite freshwater fish.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On 30/03/2011 9:10 PM, sf wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:57:01 -0400, Leon >
> wrote:
>
>> Also I think, it's a fresh water fish!!!
>
> That certainly explains why I think it tastes bland. I didn't like
> fish until I tasted salt water fish. Salt water fish also have
> thicker fillets (in general)... unless it's a catfish - I *do* like
> catfish. It's probably my favorite freshwater fish.
>



I tried it a couple times. I was not impressed. It reminds me of cat
fish, which I am also not fond of. I don't think is is a picky fish
thing. I like fish. I eat fish for dinner at least twice a week.

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:16:26 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:20:39 -0700, Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> Landon > wrote:
>>
>>> Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor to
>>> flounder.
>>
>> It may be another of my quirks, but I found tilapia to be kind of
>> muddy tasting and a little too soft for my palate. I prefer cod for
>> basic white fish.
>
>If people saw how tilapia (and pangasius) were farmed they'd never eat
>them again. Some of them are good when raised well, but most of them
>are pretty ugly in all respects. Find a good brand and stick with it.
>
>Pangasius are then released into dead and fermenting Tilapia ponds to
>clean the bottoms. Then they sell those pangasius, throw in some
>chemicals, and start another batch of Tilapia. That is the typical SE
>Asian cycle for Walmart Fish.
>
>-sw

But, who eats fish from Asia?
Janet

On 3/30/2011 2:57 PM, Leon Manfredi wrote:
>
> Also I think, it's a fresh water fish!!!
>

The ones around Hawaii thrive in brackish stink water. They can be seen
taking an occasional breath of air. As far as I know, they don't have
any lungs so I can't say what the oxygen exchange mechanism is for an
air-gulping fish. All I know is that they can survive in low flow, low
oxygen water. It's the reason for their great success in these waters.

They can also survive in salt water for a period of time and can be seen
at water drainage areas in the sea where the storm drainage systems to
empty into the sea. They can also be seen in the ocean near land too.
They are a very hardy fish.

The Filipinos and Samoans will to eat these fish but the locals and
Hawaiian fishermen will cast a suspicious eye on such activities.

Leon Manfredi wrote:

> Also I think, it's a fresh water fish!!!

Yes, and it's a farmed fish.

On Mar 30, 6:26*pm, Janet Bostwick > wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:16:26 -0500, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:20:39 -0700, Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
>
> >> In article >,
> >> *Landon > wrote:
>
> >>> Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor to
> >>> flounder.
>
> >> * *It may be another of my quirks, but I found tilapia to be kind of
> >> muddy tasting and a little too soft for my palate. *I prefer cod for
> >> basic white fish.
>
> >If people saw how tilapia (and pangasius) were farmed they'd never eat
> >them again. *Some of them are good when raised well, but most of them
> >are pretty ugly in all respects. Find a good brand and stick with it.
>
> >Pangasius are then released into dead and fermenting Tilapia ponds to
> >clean the bottoms. *Then they sell those pangasius, throw in some
> >chemicals, and start another batch of Tilapia. *That is the typical SE
> >Asian cycle for Walmart Fish.
>
> >-sw
>
> But, who eats fish from Asia?

Asians, and people who eat in Asian restaurants.

Vietnamese basa is sold around the world these days, often as a sort
of catfish.

On Mar 30, 7:21*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:26:36 -0600, Janet Bostwick wrote:
> > On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:16:26 -0500, Sqwertz >
> > wrote:
>
> >>If people saw how tilapia (and pangasius) were farmed they'd never eat
> >>them again. *Some of them are good when raised well, but most of them
> >>are pretty ugly in all respects. Find a good brand and stick with it.
>
> >>Pangasius are then released into dead and fermenting Tilapia ponds to
> >>clean the bottoms. *Then they sell those pangasius, throw in some
> >>chemicals, and start another batch of Tilapia. *That is the typical SE
> >>Asian cycle for Walmart Fish.
>
> > But, who eats fish from Asia?
>
> Find a tilapia or pangasius that ISN'T from Asian and then call me
> again.

In California tilapia might well come from the Imperial Valley.

Janet Bostwick wrote:

> But, who eats fish from Asia?

Anybody who eats fried fish from a fast food place,
such as fish-and-chips.

Many people who eat fish at a sit-down restaurant.

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 21:21:40 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:26:36 -0600, Janet Bostwick wrote:


>> But, who eats fish from Asia?
>
>Find a tilapia or pangasius that ISN'T from Asian and then call me
>again.
>
>

>-sw

My Costco sells tilapia from Honduras and US.
Janet

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 21:48:41 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:


Imperial Valley.
>
>It might come from a Motel 6 bathtub, too. Find me a label that says
>the source is the Imperial Valley in the supermarket.
>
>99.5% of the Tilapia comes from Asia.
>


>-sw

My Costco labels country of origin. Honduras or US
Janet

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:08:17 -0800, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>Janet Bostwick wrote:
>
>> But, who eats fish from Asia?
>
>Anybody who eats fried fish from a fast food place,
>such as fish-and-chips.
>
>Many people who eat fish at a sit-down restaurant.
>


Let me put it another way. I would never buy fish from Asia. Better?
I read labels at the grocery store. Don't you?
Janet

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:23:40 -0700 (PDT), Bryan
> wrote:

>On Mar 30, 6:10*pm, Landon > wrote:
>> On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:02:34 -0800, Mark Thorson >
>> wrote:
>>
>> >Landon wrote:
>>
>> >> Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish. Similar in strength of flavor to
>> >> flounder.
>>
>> >It also has an odd texture, not like most other fish.
>> >As I recall, it's sort of grainy. *I think I only made it
>> >once.
>>
>> I've never noticed any graininess to the meat, but it is, IMO, very
>> firm meat. Simply awesome for fried fish sandwiches. I had some just
>> last week.
>
>We have fried tilapia about once a week. If I were a millionaire I
>might choose a different fish, but I'm not, and tilapia is just fine,
>salted, peppered, shaken in a bag with corn meal, fried in peanut oil
>and served with halved lemons.
>Tonight was taco night.
>
>--Bryan

I use canola oil and a half-half mix of flour and corn meal with my
favorite seasonings. Tilapia is a great frying fish too. Catfish is my
favorite sandwich fish, but the prices on those two switch places
every other week here. I buy which ever one is the best deal.

Sqwertz wrote:

> On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:23:41 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888 wrote:
>
> > Vietnamese basa is sold around the world these days, often as a sort
> > of catfish.
>
> So you're agreeing with me now?
>
> Pangasius is Basa.

All basa is a species of _Pangasius_, specifically
_Pangasius_bocourti_, but it's estimated that
90% of what's sold as basa is the inferior
_Pangasius_hypophthalmus_. If it's sold as
_Pangasius_, it's unlikely to be basa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridescent_shark

Yes, that's right! There's an inferior form of
garbage fish! When you're looking for garbage fish,
only accept the best!

Sqwertz wrote:

> It's still not right. Look at the headers of your posts. I know you
> want to be the first one to see the apocalypse, but setting your clock
> ahead won't work.

This is the date portion of the header on my 7:45 PM post,
as it appears to me.

Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:45:54 -0800

Ranée wrote:

>>> muddy tasting and a little too soft for my palate. I prefer cod for
>>> basic white fish.
>>
>> You had poorly processed fish. Yes, soft. More so than other fish.
>>
>> Everyone prefers cod. Much firmer fish. That's why they're being
>> fished to extinction.
>>
>> nb
>
> And the solution is to eat questionable mediocre fish instead?

The solution is to acquaint yourself with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's guide
to sustainable seafood, and follow its guidelines. I'm not evangelizing, but
I do feel that many fish are being irresponsibly demanded out of ignorance.
(Orange roughy, for example, is almost extinct because of rapacious
overfishing, but I still see it in the supermarket and on restaurant menus.
Why? Because people buy it, of course!)

I agree with your criticisms of tilapia, but there are some recipes which
can make it palatable. If you soak it in buttermilk you'll lessen the muddy
flavor. Tilapia works well in Vietnamese claypot recipes as well as in Thai
recipes for catfish. If you soak it in buttermilk and fry it, tilapia can
work acceptably well in fish tacos.


Bob

sf wrote:

>> Also I think, it's a fresh water fish!!!
>
> That certainly explains why I think it tastes bland. I didn't like
> fish until I tasted salt water fish. Salt water fish also have
> thicker fillets (in general)... unless it's a catfish - I *do* like
> catfish. It's probably my favorite freshwater fish.

You like tilapia better than you like trout? (I guess you've never had trout
the way *I* make it!) I think I even like catfish better than I like
tilapia, but my favorite freshwater "fish" are crawfish and freshwater eel.
Sturgeon is being farmed in fresh water now, but also can have a muddy
taste.

Bob

Steve wrote:

>> My Costco labels country of origin. Honduras or US
>
> My CostCo would never sell Tilapia. Not to mention it's illegal to
> label something with Country of Origin labeling that contains
> countries from two different continents.
>
> If it said "Hondorus or Panama", then OK (do I have my geography
> right? :-)

No, Honduras is part of North America, just as the USA is. Panama is the
dividing line between North and South America.

Bob

Janet Bostwick wrote:

> On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:08:17 -0800, Mark Thorson >
> wrote:
>
> >Janet Bostwick wrote:
> >
> >> But, who eats fish from Asia?
> >
> >Anybody who eats fried fish from a fast food place,
> >such as fish-and-chips.
> >
> >Many people who eat fish at a sit-down restaurant.
>
> Let me put it another way. I would never buy fish from Asia. Better?
> I read labels at the grocery store. Don't you?

Yes, and I sometimes contact manufacturers when
I spot errors, most recently a product that contains
undeclared black pepper.

Sqwertz wrote:

> Is Los Gatos exempt from Daylight Savings Time? Because that wa
> like... 3 weeks ago.

I disabled a feature in Windows for "Automatically adjust for Daylight
Savings Time". That should fix it. It's 9:05 PM according to the TV
and computer.

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 21:21:04 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> On 30/03/2011 9:10 PM, sf wrote:
> I *do* like
> > catfish. It's probably my favorite freshwater fish.
> >
>
>
>
> I tried it a couple times. I was not impressed. It reminds me of cat
> fish, which I am also not fond of. I don't think is is a picky fish
> thing. I like fish. I eat fish for dinner at least twice a week.

Okay, we differ about fish. I'm very picky. When it comes to fish -
mainly, I don't like it. Deciding I like tilapia in fish tacos is a
big deal for me. Catfish is just plain good. It's the fresh water
version of cod AFAIC.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Mar 30, 10:09*pm, sf > wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 21:21:04 -0400, Dave Smith
>
> > wrote:
> > On 30/03/2011 9:10 PM, sf wrote:
> > I *do* like
> > > catfish. *It's probably my favorite freshwater fish.
>
> > I tried it a couple times. I was not impressed. It reminds me of cat
> > fish, which I am also not fond of. *I don't think is is a picky fish
> > thing. I like fish. I eat fish for dinner at least twice a week.
>
> Okay, we differ about fish. *I'm very picky. *When it comes to fish -
> mainly, I don't like it. *Deciding I like tilapia in fish tacos is a
> big deal for me. *Catfish is just plain good. *It's the fresh water
> version of cod AFAIC.
>

I will tell you my catfish production story. Years ago I worked with
the son of an egg producer. Eggs being cheap then as now, they had to
produce eggs as efficiently as they could. Chicken feed being
expensive, and chickens being relatively inefficient processors of
feed, my coworker's family collected and fed their waste back to the
chickens. This produced a lovely rich yellow yolk, but some
governmental busybody forbade the practice. To avoid wasting the
waste, the business owner installed giant tubs filled with what would
be marketed as "farm-raised" catfish under the chickens.

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 23:17:50 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
> wrote:

> To avoid wasting the
> waste, the business owner installed giant tubs filled with what would
> be marketed as "farm-raised" catfish under the chickens.

I can only say that those catfish were put to work doing what they do
naturally. I wonder what they tasted like? It certainly wasn't
"mud".

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.