Public Service Announcement First, an unhealthy farm-raised fish, "Tilapia", which nobody in US would give the time of day to before last Olympiad . . . is now available everywhere. Suddenly . . . . . . last night, I spied an Ad in paper for the putrid, hick fish, Talapia *and* another cunning one called "Swai" [See both in Ill. 1], which I suspect is recognizable by the sound it makes, as undoubtedly, sounds made by a Vietnamese fish wielding an AK-47 must be quite distinctive. So, if you're in the Seafood section generally avoiding Tilapia, look out for those sneaky commie fish, as well. Ill. 1 Image Unavailable, Please Login
About 6 years ago, I looked into acquiring an organic fish farming operation. I learned a fair bit about Tilapia. Without getting too deeply into it, I'd recommend people avoid Tilapia entirely. Clever marketing on their part to try and confuse consumers, IMO. CW
Tilapia is the perfect fish for farming, it can handle a wide swing in water temps, it can handle dirty water, it can live in tight conditions and it eats about anything. To dine on it....... very little flavor .... there is a reason chef's at good restaurants don't serve it. Want a inexpensive fresh water fish go for FRESH catfish. Lots of flavor.
I've tried it and haven't like it. I was just talking with a friend last night though who says she eats it 2-3 times a week. I've never been much of a freshwater fish person myself and much prefer something like Halibut or Cod over Trout or even Steelhead. I guess it all depends on taste!? So what is so bad about Tilapia? Is it just a junk eating fish or what? As far as farm raised, I pretty much avoid any farm raised fish if I can. It just doesn't have the same flavor and certainly not the same nutrients.
I don't eat fish, but my wife does. I cook it for her all the time. If I was going to eat fish, I would eat farm raised catfish and deep water ocean fish. Funny thing is my father was a Marine Biologist and even has a reef named for him. He loved to eat fish, but I can't stand it!
FWIW - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilapia#Nutrition ^Validation of most of what you stated^ Heck, that goes for all of us. As for me, I've had one bite each; Prepared with Chinese black bean sauce Fried Both tasted like crap. Nether was bad due to preparation method, rather, the fish itself being ruined before it was out of the water.
I'm going to pass this info on to my friend. She is losing weight and doing well but slower than she would like to be. The higher levels of fat in the farm raised Tilapia may be hurting more than helping her efforts!
I don't eat fish, but if I did I certainly wouldn't eat Tilapia. Those were the sewer fish when we lived in Hawaii. Yuck.
I'll go against the grain & say that I like tilapia - or at the very least, the Sam's Club parmesan crusted tilapia filets. For those who are squeamish & think of them as a junk fish or bottom feeder - I've caught plenty of catfish & bullheads & seen what was in their stomachs. Lobsters and crabs also have a pretty disgusting appetite. If you think high fallutin' fish like Chilean sea bass (which is neither from Chile, nor a bass) or swordfish are better options - you should see some of the internal (as in living in the muscle/flesh you eat) parasites those often have. Swordfish in specific can have some very nasty worms...
You could coat a shoe in parmesan, fry it and it would taste good, but to each his own. Try bluegill or crappie some time, they look similar to tilapia, but the flavor is 10x and sweet!
I've eaten plenty of bluegill & crappie, sunfish as well. Have caught many thousands over the years. Yes, they can taste excellent, but they certainly aren't sold fresh or frozen where I currently live. I'll stick with the tilapia based on availability, flavor, and price.
A fishmonger friend warned me years ago that Tilapia was a trash fish. I ate it anyway as it was a good "gateway drug" for a then non fisheater like me. Little flavor of it's own and nice white firm flesh. Lowly tilapia brought me to appreciate other fish with much more character.
Tilapia, as previously mentioned, is an easy fish to grow due to its ability to live in varying environmental conditions. This hardiness has allowed it to be the fish of choice for many fish farmers who use the fish to produce large quantities of protein at a reasonable price. Farmed fish can, and do, have varying degrees of cleanliness. Watch for these efforts to expand. Yellow perch is another fish to farm species.
Ok, so what's the deal with swai? Basically a Vietnamese catfish that tastes less catfishy, no? Everything I've read seems to suggest that, flavor wise, it falls somewhere between basa (mild) and regular catfish (um, catfishy). Anyway, I ask because the wife brought some home from the market (don't know why) and I plan to cook it up and try it tonight. I'm not very fond of catfish, so I don't really know what to expect.
The Report Preparation: Filleted, seasoned, breaded, and fried. Texture: Very soft and moist, almost mushy (typical of catfish). No flakiness whatsoever. Taste: Very light, almost nonexistent. Very little fishiness, no catfishiness. Verdict: Like eating catfish without the flavor of catfish. The Mrs has been instructed not to buy this again.