Tilapia

Tilapia is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia are mainly freshwater fish inhabiting shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes and less commonly found living in brackish water.

Some Facts About Tilapia Aquaculture

Tilapia is the common name for nearly a hundred species. Tilapia comes in several colors, but red and black tilapia are the most

well-known species. Skinless and boneless Tilapia of any variety cooks completely white, making it an excellent substitute for nearly any white fish, including: sole, flounder, cod, haddock, pompano and grouper. Both types of tilapia can thrive in either fresh or brackish water (mix of fresh and seawater).

Tilapia ranks as the second most cultivated fish in the world, after carp. Tilapia is one of the most popular farmed fish in the world and its production is increasing.

Most of the Fresh Tilapia Fillets consumed in the US are produced in Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Brazil and imported fresh daily.

The US is the largest importer of Fresh Farm Raised Tilapia Tilapia Fillets.

Nutrition Facts

Tilapia, cooked

Amount Per 1 fillet (87 g)

Calories                                             112

% Daily Value*

Total Fat                                            2.3 g   3%

Saturated fat                                   0.8 g   4%

Polyunsaturated fat                      0.5 g  

Monounsaturated fat                   0.8 g 

Cholesterol                                       50 mg            16%

Sodium                                              49 mg            2%

Potassium                                         331 mg          9%

Total Carbohydrate                       0 g      0%

Dietary fiber                                    0 g      0%

Sugar                                                             0 g     

Protein                                              23 g    46%

Vitamin A                                          0%      Vitamin C      0%

Calcium                                             1%                                                                                                                                      Iron                                                    3%

Vitamin D                                         32%                    n B-6                                      5%

Vitamin B-12                                   26%                                                                                                Magnesium                                      7%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

6 Reasons Tilapia Farming is Dangerous to Your Health

1.     Recent studies have found that farm-raised tilapia may cause more inflammation.  Inflammation that can lead to heart disease, arthritis, asthma and a world of other serious

health problems.

2.      Farmed Tilapia may have at least 10 times the amount of cancer-causing organic pollutants compared to the wild variety.

3.     Farm-bred fish have been found to have high concentrations of antibiotics and pesticides. Farm owners give antibiotics to the fish to stave off disease.

4.     Farm-bred fish also have lower levels of healthy nutrients.

5.     Dibutylin levels, a chemical used in PVC plastics, is said to be six times higher in farm-raised mussels compared to wild ones.

6.     Dioxin levels are 11 times higher in farm-bred salmon compared to wild Tilapia.

But, Tilapia has risen to the top as a seafood staple on American dinner tables.

According to the National Fisheries Institute, the mild fish has climbed to become the fourth most eaten seafood in the U.S., behind only shrimp, salmon and canned tuna.

“We never intended to paint tilapia as the cause of anything bad. Our goal was to provide consumers with more information about their fish.”

- Dr. Floyd Chilton, professor of physiology and pharmacology at Wake Forest.

Dr. Floyd Chilton, the professor of physiology and pharmacology who directed the Wake

Forest study, says the comparison of tilapia to pork bacon was taken out of context.

“We never intended to paint tilapia as the cause of anything bad. Our goal was to provide consumers with more information about their fish,” Chilton said. “If your doctor or cardiologist is telling you to eat more fish, then you should look for varieties that have higher levels of omega-3 and avoid those with high inflammatory potential.”

The truth is, tilapia has as much omega-3 as other popular seafood, including lobster, mahi-mahi and yellowfin tuna. Tilapia is also very low in fat. A 4-ounce serving of tilapia has

about 1 gram of saturated fat, 29 grams of protein and around 200 mg of omega-3.  By comparison, a 1-ounce serving of bacon (about 4 strips) contains 4 grams of saturated fat, 10 grams of protein and 52 mg of omega-3.

So people may not want to eat tilapia every day, but that doesn’t mean it has to be avoided altogether, nutritionists say.

“I tell my clients not to just eat one type of fish, no matter what, to reduce your risk of contamination,” says registered dietitian Melainie Rogers, founder of Balance Nutrition, a treatment center specializing in eating disorders in New York City. “Not all fish have the same fatty acid profile, but tilapia in moderation is fine. It has lower cholesterol than red meat – plus it’s easy to cook.”

So eating tilapia isn’t the same as eating bacon, but there’s another rumor going around the Internet: that farm-raised tilapia from China are fed animal feces.

Nutrition Information

Tilapia has a low to moderate fat content, and is a rich source of high quality protein. A nutrition label for a 3 ounce cooked portion of tilapia is provided. Nutrient levels can be affected by the ingredients and cooking method used to prepare tilapia fillets.

Sustainability and Management

Tilapia is a sustainable farm-raised product. Because tilapia are herbivorous fish that feed on algae, there is no need for feeds produced from wild caught fish. Raising tilapia in some ponds or other small water bodies can actually help improve the quality of waters compromised by excessive algae blooms. Some farming operations are using a technique called aquaponics to cultivate fish and vegetables or herbs together to produce two or more products in the same water based system.

Curring of bad things from Tilapia Fish.

It is sugested by many far eastern people, to cut properly and hangged it opside down for a hour. Most of the bad things will be drain out and then marinate properly.

Easy (Spicy!) Tilapia

Ingredients

0.28 lbs tilapia (1 piece of tilapia at Whole Foods)

1 tbsp EVOO + extra to grease the pan

1 tbsp Vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

1 tsp Garam Masala of choice

1 tsp Mirch

salt to taste

cilantro and lemon to garnish

Directions

1. Cut the fish into 2 inch long strips. In my case my the fish was already de-boned when I bought it and had 2 parts to it. I essentially separated it completely and then cut both the pieces in half. The only reason I did this was so that the fish would sit nicely in my marinating bowl! Rub salt and then turmeric over the fish and keep it aside.

2. Mix the Vinegar, Oil, Garam Masala and Kashmiri Mirch.

3. Dip each piece of fish in this mix. Let the fish marinate for 15 minutes.

4. Set the pan to medium-low heat. I set the heat on 3 on my stove. I wanted my fish to be extra spicy so I tabbed some left over mix onto each individual piece. The fish seared on one side for 2 minutes and then 2 minutes on the other side.

5. Use the fork lightly to see that the fish was done.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe: Whole Tilapia

Ingredients:

1 medium whole Tilapia, cleaned

½ cup onion, sliced

½ cup onion, paste

1½ teaspoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder, extra for cleaning

2 tablespoon lemon/lime juice

¾ teaspoon red chili powder

2-3 green chilies

Cilantro for garnish

Salt to taste

4 tablespoon olive oil

Steps:

Clean the fish thoroughly, specially the inner cavity.  Rub some salt and turmeric powder on the fish.  Set aside for 5-10 minutes.

Wash off the salt and turmeric.  This step should eliminate any foul smell that the fish may have.

Mix onion paste, garlic paste, cumin, turmeric and chili powder. Add lemon juice and half the oil.

Rub the spice paste generously on to the inner cavities and outside of the whole tilapia. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a flat bottomed non-stick pan.

Add the fish and pan fry in medium heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

On an oven proof dish, add onion slices, green chili and the fish.

Bake fish for 25 minutes.

Set the oven to broil and keep the fish in the oven to broil for 5-6 minutes turning once.

Garnish with lemon slices and cilantro, if desired.

Notes :

The pan fry step can be omitted and the fish can be baked for 30 minutes and then broiled for 5-6 minutes turning once.

Fish can be cooked entirely on stovetop by covering the fish and cooking in low-medium heat after pan frying.

Adjust chili and other spices according to taste.

Masala Tilapia and Potatoes Curry

Ingredients:

1 tilapia or snapper; cleaned and washed

Juice of 2 limes

4 medium potatoes; cut into circles

1 large onion; chopped fine

8 large tomatoes; blanched, peeled and liquidised

1 tspn tomato puree

4 cloves garlic; minced

1 tspn grated ginger

4 chillies; minced

2 tspn coriander/cumin powders

1/2 tspn turmeric

salt to taste;

Oil

Method:

Make some slits on the fish, add lime juice and some salt, make sure it is coated inside and

out. Marinate for at least 1 hour, I marinated it overnight. Brush some oil on the fish and grill or broil about 8-10 minutes on each side.

Saute the potatoes until cooked; put the to one side

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the onions until, golden brown.

Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic, ginger, chillies and salt.

Cook for 10 minutes, to reduce the water; then add the salt, turmeric, coriander and cumin powders, mix and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Pour half the tomato mix (masala) onto the potatoes and mix. Pour the other half on the fish, to coat both sides.

FISH CURRY IN TAMARIND AND COCONUT SAUCE

Ingredients:

1.5 lb fish, cut into steaks or fillets cut into chunks

2 tbsp oil (coconut preferred)

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 medium tomatoes, diced

1 medium head of garlic, peeled and cut to preferred size (approx. 10 cloves)

3-4 green chilies, slit lengthwise

2 cups of tamarind extract, taken out from a lemon-sized piece of tamarind (adjust water if using coconut milk)

1/3 cup fresh or grated coconut, ground to a paste with a little water (substitute with 1/2 cup coconut milk)

1 tsp red chili powder, adjust to taste

2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

salt to taste few curry leaves

Method:

fish-curry-prep-step

Optional prep: Marinate the fish with half the quantity of turmeric, red chili powder and some salt. Set aside.

fish-curry-step-by-step-picture-recipe-1

fish-curry-step-by-step-picture-recipe-2

Heat oil in a large pan. Add the mustard, fennel and fenugreek seeds on medium heat and allow mustard to crackle.

Add the chopped onions and curry leaves along with some salt and cook until medium-brown.

Add the chopped garlic, green chilies and remaining turmeric powder and saute for a minute.

Add diced tomatoes, coriander powder, remaining chili powder and cook on medium-heat until tomatoes are soft and mushy.

Add tamarind extract, adjust salt and spice to taste, and bring to a boil.

Add marinated fish pieces to the tamarind mix and cook on medium heat until the fish is cooked through and done.

Add the ground coconut paste or coconut milk and bring to a simmer.

Simmer for a little longer if you’d like the water to boil off until curry reaches desired consistency.

Check the curry for salt/spice levels and turn off the heat.

Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before serving with steamed rice, to allow flavors to soak into the fish pieces. The curry tastes better with time!       

Pan Fried Seasoned Tilapia

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon thyme

1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 cup butter (for frying)

4 -6 tilapia fillets, frozen

DIRECTIONS

Thaw frozen fillets in the package, in a bowl of warm water or sink for approx 10 minute Meanwhile combine spices in a bowl. Dip thawed Tilapia in spices and pan fry in butter on medium for approx 5 min each side. Enjoy!