Tilapia. How can I make it taste better?!
Answers: I've tried tilapia a few times, once I made it myself and a couple of times at restaurants. I thought that because I made it, it didn't taste right (I'm not a big cook). But when I tried it at restaurants it wasn't that good either. It has the taste of dirty sea water. I want to like it because it is an inexpensive fish that my husband likes. Does it always taste that way? How do you prepare yours?
tilapia is a fresh to brackish water fish so if it tastes like sea water its not fresh enough, make sure you trust the source of your fish and a little lime or lemon juice in the marinade helps a lot. this is my kids' favorite way of fixing tilapia:
1 tilapia fillet
1 tsp basil paste from tube or dash dried basil
1 tsp oregano paste from tube or dash dried oregano
1 tsp minced garlic
1 wedge lime squeezed
wrap in foil and bake at 350F for 15 min
or if you like it spicy
dredge in blackening seasoning(I like Durkee's) and grill in foil HOT for 10 min or spray Foreman grill or inside grill with grilling spray (Pam) and cook till opaque foreman usually only takes 7-8 min on med high, stove grill only 4 min per side squeeze lime or lemon wedge on just before eating
Dirty sea water? That's strange because Tilapia is a mild fish. I love cooking with it because it is sturdy and very reliable. Sometimes I will simply dredge it in flour with S&P and pan fry it and serve it over sauteed radicchio with white beans and wine reduction. I also love baking it in the oven with a topping of cracker crumbs, mustard, dab of mayonaisse, minced onion and garlic. You can go to www.allrecipes.com and do a search for Tilapia recipes. There are tons out there and the best thing about that site is that you can see viewers feedback about what works and doesn't work. I am sure if you get a high rated recipe you will end up liking the fish, it is quite delicious!
If your tilapia tastes like dirty sea water then chances are you are buying some really old fish. Are you buying frozen? Tilapia, on it's own, is very bland. Try buying fresh fillets and also add loads of seasoning. I don't care for tilapia myself as it is very bland. Lemon or lime, salt, pepper will usually help. I prefer buying cod, pollock, etc. I really think they are pushing tilapia these days as it is a cheap fish. Look for pollock on sale. Even frozen it taste better than tilapia.
First get it as fresh as possible. I have it weekly and usually bake it with herbs like parsley and garlic and some lemon. If you aren't concerned with calories, then while the talipia is baking, mix a little mayo with some minced garlic, some parsley and some lemon or lime or orange juice till the mayo mixture is like a sauce. Put the sauce on a plate and top with the talapia. One other thing, don't overcook it. I bake mine at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, that's it.
I never had it but it sounds good.