# How to cook whole tilapia



## redmike (Oct 12, 2008)

Hi,

I was near a fish market today and brought 2 whole tilapia.

They're about 1 1/2lbs each and have the heads and tails on but they've been scaled and cleaned.

Any ideas on how to cook them?

I quite like spicy fish but it doesn't have to be.

thanks,

Mike


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## GhettoRacingKid (Oct 12, 2008)

you can put a nice spicy rub and pan sear it in some butter and oil

you can do anything with it.


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## Uncle Bob (Oct 12, 2008)

Mike the first thing that came to my mind was Cafish Courtbouillon (COO-be-yahn) Not to be confused with the classic French Court-Bouillon. In my area Catfish, and Redfish are two of the most popular fish used...Sometimes Red Snapper...really any fish so I don't see why Tilapia wouldn't work. 

Cut the heads & tails off for stock...Cut a filet off one side. From here Google Catfish or Refish Courtbouillon for various recipes, and methods...they are numerous. You can adapt the recipes to the ingredients available to you...

Have Fun & Enjoy!!


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## BreezyCooking (Oct 12, 2008)

If you like spicy fish, I would leave the heads & tails on & cook them Asian-style - either wok-fried or steamed with a spicy sauce.  That's actually my favorite way to enjoy bass-type whole white-fleshed fish like Tilapia.  I don't have any recipe available that isn't copyrighted, but I'm sure their must be hundreds on the internet.


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## redmike (Oct 13, 2008)

BreezyCooking said:


> If you like spicy fish, I would leave the heads & tails on & cook them Asian-style - either wok-fried or steamed with a spicy sauce. That's actually my favorite way to enjoy bass-type whole white-fleshed fish like Tilapia. I don't have any recipe available that isn't copyrighted, but I'm sure their must be hundreds on the internet.


 
thanks, but nearly all of them are for filleted fish ..


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## redmike (Oct 13, 2008)

BreezyCooking said:


> If you like spicy fish, I would leave the heads & tails on & cook them Asian-style - either wok-fried or steamed with a spicy sauce. That's actually my favorite way to enjoy bass-type whole white-fleshed fish like Tilapia. I don't have any recipe available that isn't copyrighted, but I'm sure their must be hundreds on the internet.


 
thanks,

I'll try that at will look on the web now to see how long to bake them for.


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## redmike (Oct 13, 2008)

thanks for all the replies. I'll cook the fish today and see how they turn out ...


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## BreezyCooking (Oct 13, 2008)

> thanks, but nearly all of them are for filleted fish ..


 
Really? Then you must be searching with the wrong wording. Do searches using "Cooking Whole Tilapia", "Cooking Whole Tilapia Asian-Style", & "Cooking Whole Fish". Lots of interesting recipes & suggestions for both Tilapia specifically & cooking whole fish in general.


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## Kuijt (Oct 13, 2008)

redmike said:


> thanks,
> 
> I'll try that at will look on the web now to see how long to bake them for.


 
same as the other basses..not to long, so they are to dry


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## mbasiszta (Oct 27, 2008)

Uncle Bob said:


> Mike the first thing that came to my mind was Cafish Courtbouillon (COO-be-yahn) Not to be confused with the classic French Court-Bouillon. In my area Catfish, and Redfish are two of the most popular fish used...Sometimes Red Snapper...really any fish so I don't see why Tilapia wouldn't work.
> Cut the heads & tails off for stock...Cut a filet off one side. From here Google Catfish or Refish Courtbouillon for various recipes, and methods...they are numerous. You can adapt the recipes to the ingredients available to you...
> 
> Have Fun & Enjoy!!


 This reference to Courtbouillon was a revelation for me. Thanks Uncle Bob. Reputation points to you.
Chau,
Marty


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## mbasiszta (Oct 27, 2008)

Kuijt said:


> same as the other basses..not to long, so they are to dry


Can they be a bass? They are vegetarian and don't bite or fight like a bass. Their body shape is also more Whiting. 
Chau,
Marty


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## BreezyCooking (Oct 27, 2008)

Actually, Tilapia aren't bass. They're members of the Cichlid family, most members of which are known to us in the U.S. primarily as pet tropical fish (Oscars, Fire-Mouths, Convicts, etc., etc.).  In their countries of origin, many of these are considered food fish.


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## Kuijt (Oct 27, 2008)

BreezyCooking said:


> Actually, Tilapia aren't bass. They're members of the Cichlid family, most members of which are known to us in the U.S. primarily as pet tropical fish (Oscars, Fire-Mouths, Convicts, etc., etc.). In their countries of origin, many of these are considered food fish.


 
You are al right, i means: you can cook it as a bass.

www.filleting-fish.com


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## mbasiszta (Oct 27, 2008)

Kuijt said:


> You are al right, i means: you can cook it as a bass.
> 
> www.filleting-fish.com


Point well taken. It is a good eating fish. But a bass it ain't.


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## jzerba (Jan 26, 2012)

kuijt never said they were a bass he just said you cook them the same way you would cook a bass. I just found this site cause i got a couple whole tilapia from the asian market a few days ago. i stuffed the cavity with slices of lime, ginger, onion, minced garlic & chopped up cilantro leaves. I cut 3 slits on each side & put some salt & pepper squeezed a little lime juice over the outside of the fish. I also put lime, ginger, garlic, onion, cilantro around each fish & wrapped each one in a banana leaf & loosely tied the top together. then i grilled   them till the banana leaf was browned ~ 15 min. I don't really even like fish ( i just made it for the rest of my family) but even i thought this was really good.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Jan 26, 2012)

I had it deep fried in a restaurant once. It wasn't the best way I've ever had talapia, but the look on my companions face when they stuck a whole fish in front of her was priceless!


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## Greg Who Cooks (Jan 26, 2012)

I really like fish like this (pompano, pomfret, etc.) deep fried Asian style. You cut off any fins, leave the head and tail on, slash each side diagonally about an inch between slices and going down to the rib bones (or the fish will distort as it cooks), then dip in flour and deep fry until skin is golden brown and the meat flakes easily, drain oil on paper towels. Then serve with a sauce over. I prefer Thai curry topping although sweet 'n sour (with onions, pineapple and bell pepper) is good too. You could use almost any kind of topping that you like.

I should point out that the skin comes out nice and crispy and you're supposed to eat it. If you don't like the idea of eating the skin then this method of preparation would not be good for you.

Alternatively I'd suggest baking whole fishes. Grilling might be interesting too although I haven't done it.


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## mbasiszta (Jan 27, 2012)

I really enjoy barbecueing my whole fishes on a plank these days. We have lots of Sargento Bass and Corvina here in Panamá.


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## Timothy (Jan 27, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> I really like fish like this (pompano, pomfret, etc.) deep fried Asian style. You cut off any fins, leave the head and tail on, slash each side diagonally about an inch between slices and going down to the rib bones (or the fish will distort as it cooks), then dip in flour and deep fry until skin is golden brown and the meat flakes easily, drain oil on paper towels. Then serve with a sauce over. I prefer Thai curry topping although sweet 'n sour (with onions, pineapple and bell pepper) is good too. You could use almost any kind of topping that you like.
> 
> I should point out that the skin comes out nice and crispy and you're supposed to eat it. If you don't like the idea of eating the skin then this method of preparation would not be good for you.
> 
> Alternatively I'd suggest baking whole fishes. Grilling might be interesting too although I haven't done it.


 
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!


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## mbasiszta (Jan 27, 2012)

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


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## Timothy (Jan 27, 2012)

mbasiszta said:


> 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!!!!


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## mbasiszta (Jan 27, 2012)

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


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## Greg Who Cooks (Jan 27, 2012)

Timothy said:


> 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.


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## Margi Cintrano (Feb 14, 2012)

*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.


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## HistoricFoodie (Feb 14, 2012)

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.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Feb 14, 2012)

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


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 14, 2012)

Margi Cintrano said:


> Which fish would be a Mediterranean similar product?



Substitute any mild tasting fish with similar body shape.






(Wikipedia Commons image: Tilapia)


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## CharlieD (Feb 14, 2012)

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.


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## CharlieD (Feb 14, 2012)

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


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 14, 2012)

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.


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