How to cook whole tilapia

[Timothy]

Oh, absolutely, Timothy: there is a gel in the head and cheeks that just enhances the flavor of the whole fish.

Yep, and once you've tried it baked with the head on, you'll never look back. You also get more fish for the buck than with fillets. Lots of meat is missed when a fish is filleted. After the fish is cooked, gently remove the skin and meat on the top side and divide it among the plates. Then lift the bones out of the fish. They should come out intact. What is left is all meat, no waste. I even scoop out the head on some fish and use the brains as a spread on the meat. Yum City!!!!

 

[mbasiszta]

Don't miss out on the cheecks, Timothy. Better than oysters!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I agree that your method is fantastic for fish. Leaving the head on really alters the flavor. I tried a side-by-side test one time and the fish with the head on tasted much better. The fats in the head boil out and into the body, flavoring the meat. The skin is very rich in fish oil also. Very good for you!

As far as I'm concerned this is a general cooking rule, not just for fish but for poultry and meat too. A whole animal cooked whole, head on, bone in, will always cook and taste better than fillets or boneless cuts. Parts of animals will always taste better bone in and skin on than skinless fillets (I'm thinking boneless skinless chicken breast fillets here.)

I don't know if I can prove this or even want to prove it. Each chef can experiment on their own and draw their own conclusions.

However I'm not sure I want to cook a whole cow, bone in and head on.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Tilapia

Please adivse, is there another name for Tilapia ? What is its Designation of Origin ? Which fish would be a Mediterranean similar product ?

Thanks.
Happy San Valentine´s Day.
Margi.

 

[HistoricFoodie]

Tilapias are distributed worldwide, Marji, with species ranging from just a few ounces to as much as five pounds. As noted above, they are members of the chichlid family, and are often thought of as tropical fish.

Most of them are fresh-water fishes, rather than salt-water.

Tilapia is often called the perfect fish for Americans. Why? Because the flesh is so delicate it is almost tasteless. And Americans, as a group, do not like fish that taste like fish. The upside is that tilapia is a blank canvas, and lends itself to all sorts of flavoring approaches.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

The only time I ever had whole tilapia, it was stuffed with lemon slices and herbs and deep fried.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Which fish would be a Mediterranean similar product?

Substitute any mild tasting fish with similar body shape.

(Wikipedia Commons image: Tilapia)

 

[CharlieD]

Margi look here: Tilapia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Might have expalanation.

As far as deepfrying I love to leave the fins on, after frying they taste super yum, cryspy, cannot describe the flavor.

 

[CharlieD]

Oh, how funny, Greg, we were simultaniously searching the same page.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

You have no idea how often I've posted some clever, witty or knowledgeable thing only to find a reply right above mine with the exact same point. I was looking for a way to describe a talapia's body shape and finally realized a picture would be better than anything else.

I think most Tilapia recipes have a sauce or other cooking method that adds a distinct flavor to this mild tasting fish, and it appears to me that the same treatment would probably result in a very similar dish when substituting any similar appearing mild tasting fish. I'm not familiar with Mediterranean fish per se but I'm sure Margi will be able to find some suitable substitute at her local fishmonger.