Who does not love eating fish? I crave to eat fish at the weekends so that it can ward off the stress caused by long weekdays. When it comes to eating fish, Tilapia is the first one that comes into my mind. This fish is a type of fish that stays in warm freshwater. The origin of the tilapia fish is from Africa, but it became adapted to Europe, America, and Asia during the second half decades of the 20th century.
In my opinion, there are a lot of recipes and cooking methods for tilapia fish. As tilapia fish is not as thick as other fishes, you must be careful while cooking as it may get overcooked or undercooked. To know when the fish is done, you need to know the various cuisines in which it is cooked.
To make the fish more delicious, I cook it in multiple ways, such as frying, grilling, steaming, and boiling. As the fish is soft and delicate it should not be left alone while cooking. Otherwise, it easily gets broken into pieces and sometimes even sticks to the frying pan.
1. Tilapia Fish During Frying
For frying tilapia fish, you initially wash it with salt water or salt crystals to wash away impurities or any harmful toxic metal traces. Thereafter, you can make striations cuts on the fish using a knife if you want to, and mix all the spices and condiments. As a result, all the gravy gets absorbed through the striations, and the fish is kept under refrigeration for a couple of hours.
After the complete marination of fish under the refrigerator, it will be ready to fry. To fry tilapia, take a frying pan or pour a tablespoon of healthy oil such as extra virgin olive oil into the pan. Heat the stove flame or induction setting to medium heat.
Gently insert tilapia piece by piece according to the size of the pan. Let it cook on a medium flame for a couple of minutes and flip it as soon as the color of the fish changes. Similarly, fry the fish on the other side on a medium flame.
To know if the tilapia is done or not, I prefer to take a toothpick or a knife and pierce the fish in the middle. If the fish sticks to the toothpick or knife then it is undercooked. If the toothpick freely comes out of the fish after removing it, then the fish is done.
1.1. Deep Frying Tilapia
To be honest, I crave to eat crispier fish so what I do is, I just add more oil to the frying bowl or pan to deep fry the fish. To make the fish even more crispier like patties, after marination, I dip the fish into beaten egg and bread crumbs before frying.
Remember to observe the color of the fish while frying. If the color of the fish turns a reddish-brown color, immediately remove the fish from the frying pan as the fish is done with cooking.
2. Steaming or Boiling Tilapia Fish
Sometimes if I get bored of eating fried fish I steam or boil it to make it lighter and better for easy digestion. To boil a tilapia fish, wash it carefully so it may not break into pieces or loosen up. Firstly, take a bowl for boiling, and insert the fish gently and slowly into the bowl.
Add a pinch of salt and black pepper into it before turning on the stove heat. Cover the lid of the bowl and let the fish boil for 4 to 5 minutes. Later, using a tong catch the fish steak firmly and serve it hot. Likewise, the checking trick for frying is to use a skewer to check whether the tilapia is done or not.
Further, to double-check it, simply press the fish steak with two fingers from both sides. If it compresses and expands like a sponge, it means the fish is undercooked. If the fish is slightly hard from the inside, then the fish is perfectly done. In case, the fish is too hard to press, it is overcooked.
In terms of steaming a fish, it must become soft and slightly spongy. Seems to be an exhausting procedure right? but do not stress! This method of cooking fish is considerably healthier because there are fewer calories present in it. Moreover, it has lean high-quality protein, and fewer nutrients are lost due to heat in this way of cooking.
3. Grilling a Tilapia Fish
The pleasant smell of grilling a Tilapia is the one I always look for. Any fish tastes best when it is grilled on charcoal because it is the oldest method of cooking. Grilling on a charcoal barbeque removes any types of toxic metal traces in the fish like aluminum and mercury. In like manner of frying a tilapia fish, the grilling procedure is also the same.
After the marination of the fish, grill on top of the hot charcoal mesh. The intense heat of the coal easily cooks the fish in a few minutes. This is a cooking procedure wherein the fish is cooked faster than expected. Therefore, you need to see when the fish becomes brighter in color from the sides.
As soon as the fish color becomes opaque, then is done. If the color does not appear opaque then the fish is undercooked. If it sticks to the grilling mesh then the fish is overcooked.
4. Baking the Tilapia Fish
Baking a tilapia is so much easier than you think. First, preheat your oven or microwave to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Flavor your fish with herbs, sauces, spices, and condiments, apply a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle some lemon to marinate for an hour.
Now bake the fish for around 15 to 20 minutes and serve with some veggies. Veggies can be carrots, broccoli, or asparagus. Baking fish for a prolonged period can make the fish loosen up and break into pieces very easily.
FAQ’s
Does Tilapia fish take longer time to cook?
Fish typically takes very little time to get cooked. Tilapia fish is thick and delicate compared to other meats such as chicken. As fishes are naturally soft and spongy by nature, it’s easier to cook them. Just boiling, frying, or grilling for a few minutes gets the fish done seamlessly.
How healthy is Tilapia fish?
Tilapia fish is probably lower in calories and has a high-quality protein content. It has less saturated fat which is also called bad fat. This fish promotes healthy brain function as well as the growth of lean healthy muscle mass.
How many times should we eat fish in a week?
Eating fish twice or thrice a week should be fine to go with. Since all types of fish have certain trace amounts of heavy metals like mercury, lead, and arsenic, eating them more frequently can likely cause minor problems. Consuming fish twice a week is a part of a healthy diet, so there is no issue when eaten in moderation.
Is Tilapia fish expensive to buy?
This fish is relatively lower in price for an average person to buy. However, it depends on various countries and places because the import and export charges are applied. The prices of Tilapia in eastern countries are much less than in western countries.
Is Tilapia fish boneless?
In general, it has hundreds of bones, but it can be processed as boneless or skinless. Almost all fishes have bones. The only difference between the bones of fishes is that some have few big bones and some have more smaller bones. With the help of professional chefs or the latest food processing machines, any kind of fish can be made boneless.
I Hope Now You Can Easily Prepare the Tilapia Fish
Cooking a Tilapia fish is not a big deal, because fishes are already soft and delicate by nature. No matter what the cooking method is, fish are cooked within a span of a few minutes. There are numerous methods of cooking tilapia fish. It should neither be undercooked nor overcooked. If the fish is undercooked, there are more chances of bloating and indigestion. Also, if it is overcooked, all the nutritional content in the fish is destroyed due to extreme heat.
Looking from an overall perspective, to obtain the maximum benefits of ingesting fish it must be cooked in such a way that it should not be too spongy or solid. Furthermore, eating undercooked fish may cause stomach problems and other digestive system-related problems such as diarrhea and nausea. Having an overcooked fish also makes it difficult to digest.
To avoid fish getting undercooked or overcooked, just check it with the help of a toothpick, skewer, or knife by piercing it. If the fish is sticky and breaks easily then it is not cooked or done yet. If it does not stick, then it is undoubtedly done and ready to eat.
If you get bored with all types of food items to enjoy, try eating Tilapia fish on the weekends by following my methods. Im damn sure, you will never get bored of eating fish as well as you will cook it perfectly without undercooking or overcooking. These are my most suggested ways of cooking a tilapia fish. Following all these four methods of cooking a Tilapia or any other kind of fish, you will get obsessed with eating fish on weekends. Enjoy!
Last Updated on by Pragya Chakrapani
