Don't. Not worth it. Buy it already filleted.

--Bryan

"Bobo Bonobo®" > wrote in message
...
> Don't. Not worth it. Buy it already filleted.
>
> --Bryan



I've never bought anything but already filleted tilapia. In fact, always
buy fish that someone else has filleted for me. Why do you think you're
making a profound pronoucement?

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
> "Bobo Bonobo®" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Don't. Not worth it. Buy it already filleted.
>>
>> --Bryan
>
>
>
> I've never bought anything but already filleted tilapia. In fact,
> always buy fish that someone else has filleted for me. Why do you think
> you're making a profound pronoucement?
>
> Jill

Why do you? You don't have to be confrontational all of the time.

-dk

Bobo Bonobo® wrote:
> Don't. Not worth it. Buy it already filleted.
>

Actually, I have purchased the whole tilapia. Down here we can't get the
"usual" types of fish to make gefilte fish. I have used tilapia. I need
the bones to make the fish broth in which the balls of ground fish are
poached. Add enough onions and carrots and it's pretty tasty. Better
than the crud in the jar for which they want a small fortune.


--
Janet Wilder
way-the-heck-south Texas
spelling doesn't count
but cooking does

On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:44:53 -0700 (PDT) in rec.food.cooking, Bobo
Bonobo® > wrote,
>Don't. Not worth it. Buy it already filleted.

I haven't tried tilapia.

Mark Bittman says, "To me, tilapia is bland tasting (or worse: muddy)
with a mealy texture that disintegrates into shreds within a few minutes
of cooking."

Is he doing it wrong? Should I try it?

David Harmon wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:44:53 -0700 (PDT) in rec.food.cooking, Bobo
> Bonobo® > wrote,
>> Don't. Not worth it. Buy it already filleted.
>
> I haven't tried tilapia.
>
> Mark Bittman says, "To me, tilapia is bland tasting (or worse: muddy)
> with a mealy texture that disintegrates into shreds within a few minutes
> of cooking."
>
> Is he doing it wrong? Should I try it?
>

I recently tried it and there were hints in the taste of scummy catfish.
I was on the lookout for that and I suppose it ain't too bad considering.

The flesh did indeed have a mealy and unpleasant texture - sorta like
minced fish. To tell the truth, I'd rather have minced fish sticks than
the frozen battered tilapia fillets we ate. The flavor and texture might
hold up better eaten raw with lots of shoyu and wasabi. It may work fine
as gefilte fish.

It seems obvious to me that we'll be seeing tilapia grow into being an
important food item. I'm guessing it's gonna be dominant in a few years.
However, it's likely that I'll opt for other fish choices.

"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> David Harmon wrote:
>> On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:44:53 -0700 (PDT) in rec.food.cooking, Bobo
>> Bonobo® > wrote,
>>> Don't. Not worth it. Buy it already filleted.
>>
>> I haven't tried tilapia.
>>
>> Mark Bittman says, "To me, tilapia is bland tasting (or worse: muddy)
>> with a mealy texture that disintegrates into shreds within a few minutes
>> of cooking."
>>
>> Is he doing it wrong? Should I try it?
>>
>
> I recently tried it and there were hints in the taste of scummy catfish. I
> was on the lookout for that and I suppose it ain't too bad considering.
>
> The flesh did indeed have a mealy and unpleasant texture - sorta like
> minced fish. To tell the truth, I'd rather have minced fish sticks than
> the frozen battered tilapia fillets we ate. The flavor and texture might
> hold up better eaten raw with lots of shoyu and wasabi. It may work fine
> as gefilte fish.
>
> It seems obvious to me that we'll be seeing tilapia grow into being an
> important food item. I'm guessing it's gonna be dominant in a few years.
> However, it's likely that I'll opt for other fish choices.




When I worked the fish market, there was a customer whose son wouldn't eat
fish unless it had a truly 'disgusting' back story. Did a little research
and found that whenever you are at the zoo and see fish swimming in the
hippopotamus enclosures, they are tilapia. Tilapia, it seems, have a
fondness for eating hippo poop. Told this to the kid, and he went bonzo
over the stuff. Sorta put me off it. I know that farmed tilapia are not
fed a diet of poop, but it would explain the slightly 'scummy' flavor.

-ginny

On 2009-03-21, Virginia Tadrzynski > wrote:

> fed a diet of poop, but it would explain the slightly 'scummy' flavor.

This is all crap ...literally! Fish do not taste like their diet. If they
did, catfish would taste terrible, and there are millions upon millions of
catfish eaters who will tell you they do not. The very first talapia I ever
ate was a whole deep-fried fish. It was excellent! If your talapia tastes
"scummy", someone is a bad cook.

nb

"notbob" wrote

> This is all crap ...literally! Fish do not taste like their diet. If
> they
> did, catfish would taste terrible, and there are millions upon millions of
> catfish eaters who will tell you they do not. The very first talapia I
> ever
> ate was a whole deep-fried fish. It was excellent! If your talapia
> tastes
> "scummy", someone is a bad cook.

Hehe or just not aware of how to cook that particular type correctly. It's
very different from say, mahi mahi or swordfish. It's closer in cooking
tactics to sole or cod with a bit more firmness.

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:

> When I worked the fish market, there was a customer whose son wouldn't eat
> fish unless it had a truly 'disgusting' back story. Did a little research
> and found that whenever you are at the zoo and see fish swimming in the
> hippopotamus enclosures, they are tilapia. Tilapia, it seems, have a
> fondness for eating hippo poop. Told this to the kid, and he went bonzo
> over the stuff. Sorta put me off it. I know that farmed tilapia are not
> fed a diet of poop, but it would explain the slightly 'scummy' flavor.

A lot of the folks here consider it a rubbish fish that chokes our
streams and canals although I think that the Vietnamese, Filipino and
South Pacific islanders have a cultural history of eating the stuff.
Generally speaking, you wouldn't want to swim in the water that these
fish live including the water of the farm raised tilapia.

I have read the articles on this fish. They say it's a neutral flavored
fish. Some complain that it lacks any taste of it's own. My experience
is that this is not true - unfortunately.

The writing is pretty much on the wall, this is the future of fish. The
ability of this very hardy fish to be raised in high densities cheaply
and people's perception of it as a acceptable food source makes it
almost a sure thing.


>
> -ginny
>
>

In article >,
"Virginia Tadrzynski" > wrote:


> and found that whenever you are at the zoo and see fish swimming in the
> hippopotamus enclosures, they are tilapia. Tilapia, it seems, have a
> fondness for eating hippo poop. Told this to the kid, and he went bonzo
> over the stuff. Sorta put me off it. I know that farmed tilapia are not
> fed a diet of poop, but it would explain the slightly 'scummy' flavor.

Don't know about commercial stuff, but directions for making a fish pond
on your property include a healthy dose of poop. This makes plants and
algae grow, which is what the fish (and I believe that tilapia are
recommended) eat.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Mar 20, 8:38*pm, David Harmon > wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:44:53 -0700 (PDT) in rec.food.cooking, Bobo
> Bonobo® > wrote,
>
> >Don't. *Not worth it. *Buy it already filleted.
>
> I haven't tried tilapia.
>
> Mark Bittman says, "To me, tilapia is bland tasting (or worse: muddy)
> with a mealy texture that disintegrates into shreds within a few minutes
> of cooking."
>
> Is he doing it wrong? *Should I try it?

Thaw the filets and salt and pepper them. Coat with corn meal and fry
in peanut oil. Serve with plenty of fresh lemons, and maybe limes as
well. It has more structural integrity than pollock, and IMO it also
tastes better.

--Bryan

"Bobo Bonobo®" wrote

> Don't. Not worth it. Buy it already filleted.

Kinda depends on what you want to cook it up as ;-)

I happen to like them whole and stuffed with a rice, calamansi, and spinach
base. I then save the bones, head, tail, and fins for a fish broth.

Other times though, I want a fillet so buy them filleted.