HIGHLIGHTING TILAPIA

Having discussed spring veggies last week, let’s really get into the spirit of the season and make some suggestions to round out meals that will help to get us in the mood for the coming summer.

Tilapia is becoming the work-horse of food fish, and gaining fans. I was at dinner recently when one of our group picked up the menu and remarked that he hoped to find a tilapia offering. His wife, a busy professional, remarked that she really had to find time to research some good tilapia recipes, because he was so fond of it. A few days later I sent her a few and she thanked me saying that now she just had to remember to thaw it in time for dinner. When I told her that mast of the recipes could be cooked with it frozen, she was ecstatic.

The fact that tilapia is so adaptable from the water to the plate is one of its major assets. The fish was first introduced on a large commercial scale in the U.S. in the mid-1990s. At that time it was a star on restaurant menus, but once its versatility and availability were established it became a constant in the fish counters both fresh and frozen, where it is mainly found today. It’s probably the most common of the newer species of seafood available to us.

However, tilapia is not a new discovery. In fact it’s been around for centuries. I recall first being told it was from Israel. Actually it’s native to Africa, but has a long history, of being introduced into other countries, for example Japan, as a food source. It’s a large fish which breeds well, grows fast and can tolerate any type of water, fresh, brackish or salt and easily adapts to new environments. Tilapia have caused some problems in escaping from controlled areas and eating the aquatic plants other species need, but when introduced to the Saltan Sea it proved to be one of the few species able to tolerate the salinity and is now critical to the ecology. Few food sources are as globally sustainable as tilapia

The real clue to its success.is that it’s just as adaptable in the kitchen as it is to its environment. Its global presence attests to the fact that it can fit into any cuisine, in fact into any recipe that calls for a mild tasting, firm, white, fleshed fish. As other species have become overfished and/or endangered, and prices have risen, tilapia has slipped into their places in many dishes. I don’t recall any flounder recipe, for example, where it can’t be substituted. Perhaps the true flavor and texture are a bit different, but the spirit of the dish is conveyed.

Tilapia’s other advantage is its price. Because it’s so plentiful, the price continues to be reasonable in comparison to other species. This accounts for its shift from the restaurant menus to the fish counters and frozen food cases. It also increases its importance in our food supply. It’s become a dependable source of .affordable lean protein to balance our diets. Combine this with the fact that it’s always sold “cooking ready”, having no skin or bones to contend with, needing little time to prepare and you have a meal planner’s dream.

Below are a few of the recipes I shared with my friend. One, the Mediterranean Style, I included in a post just two weeks ago using Bronzino, but repeat it here because it works as well with tilapia. Of course the Spinach Rings require thawed fish to prepare, but the others can be made and cooked frozen, simply add 5 min. or so to the cooking time, just until the fish flakes easily.
So give tilapia a try if you haven’t already, and if you have, try it some different ways.

SPINACH CENTERED FISH RING; 4 Servings
4 filets of a mild flavored white fish-tilapia, flounder, scrod
(2) 10 oz. boxes frozen chopped spinach -thawed
1 egg
1 envelope or 1 Tbs. bouillon granules either chicken or beef
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
Step 1-cut the fish filets lengthwise in half and form each filet into a ring, head to tail, securing with toothpicks. Place in a lightly greased close-fitting pan, but not with the rings touching.
Step 2 – Squeeze excess water out of the spinach and mix it with the egg and the bouillon
Step 3 – Fill the fish rings with the spinach and sprinkle the nutmeg over the tops.
Step 4 – Bake in a preheated 350 deg. oven @ 25 min. or until egg cooks and forms custard in the bottom of the pan. Serve at once with pieces of the custard as a garnish.
Alternatively for hearty appetites, form the halves of fish filets into only 2 rings and divide the spinach between them. Add 5 to 8 min, to coking time.
MEDITERRANEAN STYLE FISH;
This is a delicious way to cook fish and a wonderful way to serve vegetables. Mackerel is originally recommended but I find the technique works well with almost any fish fillet, though I prefer a white fish like Tilapia or Flounder. I use a variety of vegetables, cut beans, broccoli, usually peppers and always onions. For the tomatoes, anything goes, leftover sauce, any type fresh or canned. I allow for at least 1 ½ cups cooked vegetables, per portion. I like a dash of Tabasco or a sprinkle of cayenne added and maybe a touch of garlic powder too.
Microwave the diced raw onions, peppers and any others you’re using in a bit of oil for 1 min. Add any frozen ones and cook 1 min. more. Mix with any cooked items and the tomatoes or tomato sauce. Put in a pan, cover with the fish fillet. Lightly spray the fish with cooking oil and sprinkle with a little lemon pepper and paprika. Bake at 350 deg. 8 min. per 1 inch width of the fillet-at least 24 min. until fish flakes and vegetables bubble. Serve at once while very hot.
This is excellent with rice, or an ear of corn or a potato, split, microwaved until just soft, and broiled with a thin coating of butter until golden.
FUSUIN TILAPIA
4 large Tilapia fillets
3 bunches scallions – also called green onions- trimmed of roots and course green stems
1 Tbs. garlic powder
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3 Tbs. butter – divided
2 Tbs. oil
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
½ cup Cream Sherry
(1) 2lb. 4 oz. can sweet potatoes
2 Tbs. brown sugar
Salt and pepper.
Drain the sweet potatoes. Using 1 Tbs. butter and the brown sugar, and if needed a bit of their own syrup, candy them, either in a skillet on the stove, or in a cooking oil sprayed pan in the oven, as per directions on the can. (I have been known to do this in the microwave, by melting the butter, dissolving the sugar in it, coating the potatoes well, covering and cooking on high for @ 3 min .in one minute intervals.)
Cut white and light green parts of scallions on and angle in 1 ¼ inch pieces. Set aside.
Melt 1 Tbs. butter and 1 Tbs. oil over medium heat, and gently sauté Tilapia, until it becomes white, adding more butter as needed. You may need to do this in batches. Remove to a plate. Add the remainder of the butter and oil then the garlic and ginger to the pan and stir quickly to avoid clumping. Add the Soy Sauce, Sherry and scallion pieces. Stir for 30 sec. Reduce the heat to medium low. Return the fish to the pan and simmer until heated through, about 2 min. Apportion the potatoes on the plates, in the center of each. Serve the fish decoratively leaning slightly against the potatoes. Spoon the scallions and sauce over the fish.

**NOTE: Sweet potatoes can be used straight from the can, leftover, fresh baked or cubed and boiled, even replaced by squash. It’s a matter of preference and what’s on hand.
COCONUT CRUSTED TILAPIA
4 Tilapia filets – about 1lb
1 cup plain Panko
½ cup sweetened coconut flakes – toasted
½ cup + mayonnaise
Lemon pepper
Step I- Preheat oven to 350 deg. Toast coconut on a piece of foil until golden, about 4 min. Step 2 – Place fish on a lightly oiled cooking surface, a pan or baking sheet. Completely cover the tops with a thin sheet of mayonnaise, more like a veneer. Dust lightly with lemon pepper.
Step 3 – Sprinkle with Panko-coconut mix, and bake 8 min. per 1 inch width of filet, until top is golden, fish puffs slightly and edges bubble. Serve at once
Note: I put the breading mix in an empty herb bottle with a shaker top. It’s easy to apply, and any extra can simply be stored in the bottle.

HERB CRUSTED TILAPIA
The choice of herbs used is optional here, parsley and sage are also, good, but avoid the ones with a more assertive flavor, or use them sparingly so the flavor of the fish comes through.
2 Tilapia fillets
2 Tbs. butter – melted
1 Tbs. dried marjoram
1 Tbs. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
Mix the herbs with salt and pepper to taste.. An empty shaker or bottle is a help here. Place the fish in an oven-proof dish and pour the butter over them. Shake the herbs over to coat well and gently press them in to be sure they adhere. Bake the fish at 325 deg. for 5-8 min. per inch of width until it flakes easily. Serve hot with lemon wedges.
Enjoy!! An be sure to join us next week for an introduction to How to Control Food Bills
water fish have more salt in their bodies. Since water constantly flows through their bodies through the gills and skin they don’t need to drink any, and their kidneys help maintain the correct balance by releasing large amounts of diluted urine.
Salt water fish have less salt in their tissues than exists in the surrounding water. The salt in their environment draws the water from their bodies and forces them to drink large amounts to maintain a healthy balance. They secrete the salt through their gills and the kidneys produce only small amounts of concentrated urine which contains Urea. Animals have this too. It binds nitrogenous waste to prevent it turning into poisonous ammonia within the body. It is expelled through urine. Because salt water fish kidneys contain concentrated amounts of urine, they must be removed soon after catch or the urea will leech into the flesh. Sharks are an exception. To maintain a healthy balance with their environment, they store urea in their blood. Sharks caught for food supply should be bled as well as soon as gaffed or the ammonia will taste and spoil their meat. If you are buying or have ordered salt water fish and smell or taste a tinge of ammonia, reject it.