# Tilapia Prices



## ironchef (Jun 2, 2006)

You know, I only started eating Tilapia (aka Nile Perch) when I was on the mainland. In Hawaii, practically nobody eat this fish. It's known as the fish which lives in various streams, canals, ponds, etc. that have been contaminated. People catch it for fun then throw them back. 

Anyway, I've noticed that the fish gained a lot of popularity a few years ago, and I was curious as to how much it costs where you live. The other day I saw it for $2.99/lb. for whole, fresh, farm raised fish. I've noticed that through posts on here, lots of people actually eat it. 

So, how much is tilapia in your area?


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## BreezyCooking (Jun 2, 2006)

The prices for it here in Virginia are pretty much the same as what you're seeing, although the filets are more like $3.99/lb.

I don't buy this fish because I'm just not a fan of farmed fish.  We have a large ethnic supermarket in the area that sells Tilapia live from tanks, & just seeing them swimming about in that murky recirculated water makes me nauseous.  I do buy farmed catfish & trout on rare occasion, but for some reason Tilapia leaves me cold.  I find it completely tasteless.


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## Dina (Jun 2, 2006)

$4.99 down here in Texas. Sometimes it'll go for $3.99 if it's reduced. I still buy it since it's our favorite fish.


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## Chopstix (Jun 3, 2006)

We get large-sized live tilapia in the biggest wet market here for roughly $0.75 per pound. The fishmonger kills them in front of you after you select the ones you want.  (Poor fish.) It's usually sold dead in the supermarkets for a higher price.


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## buckytom (Jun 3, 2006)

it's about 3 or 4 bucks a pound here.
i've noticed a lot of sushi places are putting it in their deluxe plates, passing it off as tai or hirame. it's pretty much firm and flavorless.


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## ironchef (Jun 3, 2006)

Hmm...so it pretty much seems to be the same price in a lot of places.

Man Bucky, any sushi place that does that with tilapia, I'd be really wary about what they're serving as their other fish. A place like that I think would not have any reservations about serving tuna that's been treated with carbon monoxide or scallops that have been bleached.


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## buckytom (Jun 3, 2006)

some of it is pretty scary i.c.. lots of local take-out chinese places, nothing more than a rodent infested storefronts, offer sushi and sashimi to go. it makes me shudder...


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## amber (Jun 3, 2006)

Here it is $2.99 lb. for fillets.  I like tilapia, but now I'm not so sure after what IC mentioned about it possibly coming from contaminated streams, canals, etc.


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## TATTRAT (Jun 3, 2006)

really cheap...2.79 pr/lb...alot compared to goldfish

I think it's price point is why it has even made it to some corperate menus,i.e. Outback Steakhouse.


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## BreezyCooking (Jun 3, 2006)

I've noticed that too.  In fact, in some of the family-type chains, like Ruby Tuesday's for instance, it's replaced catfish in most if not all of their fish sandwiches & other dishes.

Not surprising considering catfish filets run between $4.99 & $6.99 per pound retail around here.


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## ironchef (Jun 3, 2006)

amber said:
			
		

> Here it is $2.99 lb. for fillets. I like tilapia, but now I'm not so sure after what IC mentioned about it possibly coming from contaminated streams, canals, etc.


 
The farmed tilapia you seen in stores should only have been raised in brackish water, but not contaminated water.


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## Andy M. (Jun 3, 2006)

Costco has filets for $4.49 per pound.


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## Michael in FtW (Jun 4, 2006)

Generally, here we see it in the $3-$5/lb range, sometimes as cheap as $2, sometimes as much as $6-$8. Depends on the season and the store.


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## cats (Jun 4, 2006)

Here in DE, Tilapia goes for $5.99/lb. and sometimes on "sale" for $4.99/lb. fileted at a local fresh seafood market. It is practically the only fish filet we buy, except for salmon and/or tuna steaks. My husband and I like Tilapia even better than flounder because it does not have a "fishy" taste and grills up nicely after a bit of marinating for flavor. By the sound of the prices the rest of you are generally paying, our price here seems on the high side.


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## Gretchen (Jun 4, 2006)

Actually farmed tilapia (not from a murky tank, however) is one of the OK fish, according to an article on our food pages this past week.


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## VegasDramaQueen (Jun 4, 2006)

1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp.  seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. paprika


2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. butter
Lemon

Dredge 3 Tilapia filets in the mixture then pan fry in the oil and butter 1 minute on each side or til browned.   Sprinkle liberally with lemon juice.  Awesome!


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## Constance (Jun 4, 2006)

Tilapia fillets go for $3-$4 dollars a lb. here. I can occasionally get the whole fish, which I prefer for grilling. 
I like tilapia, but then I never met a fish I didn't like.


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## AlexR (Jun 4, 2006)

I would never eat Nile perch.
This report from the UN shows why.

http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/005/T0037E/T0037E00.htm

Best regards,
Alex R.


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## Dina (Jun 4, 2006)

Wow!  Just got me some tilapia for $5.99 a pound yesterday.  Prices sure are going up on this fish.


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## amber (Jun 4, 2006)

ironchef said:
			
		

> The farmed tilapia you seen in stores should only have been raised in brackish water, but not contaminated water.


 
I dont recall if it was farmed or wild tilapia.  I'll have to check next time I go to the grocery store.


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## grumblebee (Jun 4, 2006)

Wow... tilapia seems to be pricey in the US! I'm in Alberta and the tilapia I buy goes for about $2.50-$2.99/lb here. (and that is Canadian funds too... so it be less in US dollars) 

I'd be curious to know how much you guys pay for fresh salmon...?


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## Dina (Jun 4, 2006)

Pretty much the same for salmon grumblebee-$5.99 a pound.


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## ironchef (Jun 4, 2006)

grumblebee said:
			
		

> I'd be curious to know how much you guys pay for fresh salmon...?


 
Depends on what type of salmon it is. You can get whole fillets of that Atlantic farm-raised crap at Costco for really cheap. For the really good stuff like Wild Alaskan King salmon you'll pay considerably more depending on availability.


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## BreezyCooking (Jun 4, 2006)

Retail prices for salmon around where I am in Virginia range from $6.99-$8.99 per pound for regular farm-raised, around $10.99 for Alaskan "organic" farm-raised, $8.99-$18.99 for wild-caught sockeye (& other "basic" varieties) of salmon ($8.99 is for previously frozen), & - most recently - a whopping $30.00 per pound (yes, that's THIRTY dollars per pound folks) for wild-caught Copper River salmon, which I find utterly ridiculous & refuse to pay.  Many restaurants in Virginia are also refusing to serve it because of the major upswing in price.


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## ironchef (Jun 4, 2006)

BreezyCooking said:
			
		

> Many restaurants in Virginia are also refusing to serve it because of the major upswing in price.


 
For anyone interested, the price swing is because they had a very poor season this year. That's also why the availability of the Copper River salmon was so late this year compared to in years past. We chose not to run any specials with it for that reason. From what I've heard and tried, the Copper River salmon isn't as flavorful as in past years as well. Just one of those things I guess. It's still cheaper in L.A. than what Breezy is seeing in Virginia, but that's due more to proximity than anything.


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## buckytom (Jun 5, 2006)

ic, who took the picture of you inspecting the tilapia?  

also, you're dead on about salmon prices, especially wild/copper river.

oh, and i think almost all tilapia available in the u.s. is farm raised.


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## ironchef (Jun 5, 2006)

This article offers more in depth reasons for the high prices of Copper River salmon this year:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/270522_salmon17.html?source=rss

BT, the pic was taken by the GF while we were shopping for dinner last week. We ended up getting scallops and halibut.


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## buckytom (Jun 5, 2006)

no offense, but can you be the photographer from now on? she's much easier on the eyes...(lol, sorry man, couldn't resist the set up... i guessed it was her, he he he)

ok, so to summarize, the increased demand due to a superior product and effective marketing has blown the curve, along with atmospheric and industrial conditions reducing the supply, thus driving up the price exponentially.


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## grumblebee (Jun 5, 2006)

I dont want to start a whole new thread and since we are talking about tilapia anyway I thought I would ask here: 

Has anyone ever made ceviche with tilapia? I usually use sole, shrimp or scallops. I wonder if its any good?


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## velochic (Jun 5, 2006)

ironchef said:
			
		

> You know, I only started eating Tilapia (aka Nile Perch)


I think Tilapia and Nile Perch are two different fish. From what I remember reading several years ago, the Nile Perch in Lake Victoria were threatened by the Nile Perch (which is supposed to be really disgusting to eat). Eventually, because Tilapia are fast growers, they rebounded and aren't in danger anymore. But they are two different fish.

I'm not sure how much Tilapia is in the midwest (where I'm from), but my mother was saying recently that it's quite an inexpensive fish.


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## ironchef (Jun 5, 2006)

velochic said:
			
		

> I think Tilapia and Nile Perch are two different fish. From what I remember reading several years ago, the Nile Perch in Lake Victoria were threatened by the Nile Perch (which is supposed to be really disgusting to eat). Eventually, because Tilapia are fast growers, they rebounded and aren't in danger anymore. But they are two different fish.


 
They are two different fish. Tilapia are actually members of the cichlid family, but they are commonly labled and sold as Nile Perch. I put that in because some people may know the fish as a Nile Perch rather than a Tilapia. It's like the Chilean Sea Bass. It's not a bass but because of the fish's texture, flavor, and marketing ploys, it's now known as a type of bass.


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## BreezyCooking (Jun 5, 2006)

You're right Ironchef.  What everyone swoons over as "Chilean Sea Bass" is actually called "Patagonian Toothfish", which seafood marketing geniouses decided wasn't terribly appealing - lol!!!!

And it doesn't even resemble any sort of "bass" in even the remotest way - rather it's a long snarly-looking sort of fish.


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## Sabrine (Jun 14, 2006)

The price is around 5.30$ lbs for tilapia filets here.

I think i'll give a try ti this fish. I never ate it before.

Can you recommend me a recipe? 

Thank you


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## skilletlicker (Jun 14, 2006)

*Live tilapia? Fish stock?*



			
				ironchef said:
			
		

> The other day I saw it for $2.99/lb. for whole, fresh, farm raised fish. I've noticed that through posts on here, lots of people actually eat it.
> 
> So, how much is tilapia in your area?


 
A conversation with riverli in the Beautiful chinese dishes thread got me out into a couple of Asian markets yesterday. Both had live tilapia in tanks and had paper signs saying, "Tilapia $2.99" taped to the tank. I wondered if they meant per pound or fish, but communication was difficult and live fish wasn't the mission so I didn't learn any more. I will be back to one of them at, least, and expect to find out.

I don't remember for sure but I think I've paid 4.99 to 5.99 for tilapia fillets. I've never bought the whole cleaned fish.

Does tilapia make a decent fish stock?


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## Snoop Puss (Jun 14, 2006)

Here in Spain, tilapia is sold as "perca". It goes for between €8 and €11 a kilo, about the same price as farmed salmon fillets and steaks. They used to sell larger fillets as "mero" (usually translated as "grouper") but nowadays the fillets are definitely smaller than before.


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## CharlieD (Jun 14, 2006)

Sam's club sells a 3 lb bag, filet for $9.98 here in MN


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