283963 Mon Mar 20 14:06:49 -0800 2006 19 31 Home Cooking 0 1516970 There was a great sale on frozen tilapia filets, so now I have 4 of them in my freezer, and I'd love some ideas for how to fix this fish. I've never cooked it before. Aaron, I think you posted a wonderful Asian Steamed Snapper recipe awhile back. Would it work with tilapia, too? TIA... Mon Mar 20 14:06:49 -0800 2006 0 wyf4lyf 1 1516976 There are three great sounding ones in the current Fine Cooking, which has an article spotlighting tilapia. I can post them tonight if you don't have a copy of the magazine. Mon Mar 20 14:10:35 -0800 2006 1516970 0 farmersdaughter 2 1516984 Thanks! I would greatly appreciate it!! Mon Mar 20 14:34:44 -0800 2006 1516976 0 wyf4lyf 1 1516993 I just made a 20-minute tilapia meal last week. The filets I have at home (from Costco) are smallish, which might explain the short cooking time. I just put the frozen fish filets on a baking sheet (I was the only one eating, so I used my toaster oven) covered with foil (easy cleaning), then spread the fish with a good amount of leftover pasta sauce (very thick and chunky) and baked for about 15 minutes. This would work well with any kind of pesto/tapenade too - I have sundried tomato/black olive pesto right now and that's what dinner tomorrow will be. While the fish was baking, I steamed broccoli. Easy peasy. Link: http://patechinoisco.blogspot.com Mon Mar 20 14:52:48 -0800 2006 1516970 0 Pâté chinois 2 1517329 I like to bake the tilapia topped with one of the tapenades sold at TJs. They have a green olive one, and a roasted red pepper and artichoke. Both are great and 1 jar is just enough to cover one pack of frozen tilapia. Add a slice of lemon to the top of each and bake at 375 until cooked through (about 10-12 minutes.) Wed Mar 22 00:11:35 -0800 2006 1516993 0 Craiger1ny 1 1517008 If you like the sweet/savory thing, this is easy and tasty. Defrost the tilapia, dredge in flour/salt/pepper, saute in butter, remove and keep warm. Add sliced bananas to the pan (perhaps with a touch more butter) and macadamia nuts, cook briefly and gently (or caramelize -- a different effect, but equally delicious), then top fish with the bananas/nuts. Serve with rice pilaf. Tasty and easy. Mon Mar 20 15:29:29 -0800 2006 1516970 0 Foodie2 1 1517009 My two favorite ways to prepare tilapia: From epicurious: pan-seared tilapia w/chile-lime butter recipe. The butter is what makes this dish. Make extra and use it on everything! :) I also love to chop up some pecans or almonds and mix in some brown sugar, salt and cayenne pepper. I dip the filet in milk or egg, then press one side of the filet directly into the mixture and pan fry with the nut side down first. Link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/108343 Mon Mar 20 15:40:42 -0800 2006 1516970 0 TorontoJo 2 1517059 I'm making this for dinner tonight. I've made it several times before and it's fast, easy, and my kids love it. Mon Mar 20 18:04:14 -0800 2006 1517009 0 Pat Darnell 1 1517012 See link below for a very tasty recipe from Epicurious; I've made it a few times now, using 1/2 of an orange habanero because I could not find the other chile in our stores. I also offered this recipe recently for someone who was looking for healthy fish recipes: Sauteed Tilapia Fillets with Lime 1 to 1 1/3 pounds tilapia fillets 3 Tbsp. flour Salt & Pepper 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice 1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted 1 Tbsp. olive oil 3 green onions, chopped Rinse fish fillets and pat dry. Put the flour on a plate and season with salt & pepper. Dredge fillets in flour, patting to remove excess flour. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, wine, lime juice and butter, then set aside. Heat the oil in a 12 inch frying pan over medium high heat. Add the fillets without overlapping or crowding. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets over and cook til opaque, 2 or 3 minutes more. Transfer fish to a platter and keep warm. In the same skillet, add the wine mixture and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits til reduced, about 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in the onions and heat on low for 1 minute. Pour sauce over fish and serve. Note: If I'm only cooking 2 or 3 small fillets and they fit in the pan alright, I'll just add the wine mixture and reduce it with the fish still in the pan, it works without any bad effect. Link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/108343 Mon Mar 20 15:47:47 -0800 2006 1516970 0 Val 1 1517023 Yeah...It should work just fine. Might not have quite as much flavor or be quite as tender, as I find tilapia to be quite mild and a little more toothsome, but it will still be a nice preparation, IMO. Here's the link... Link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_25538,00.html Mon Mar 20 16:16:52 -0800 2006 1516970 0 Aaron 1 1517026 I would make a tempura batter and fry them. Mon Mar 20 16:22:58 -0800 2006 1516970 0 Tugboat 1 1517044 I recently tried this recipe from Epicurious and I found it outstanding. Didn't have banana leaves so just used foil. Recipe URL: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/230199 Link: http://community.webshots.com/photo/2753638600085799802nVLjEM Mon Mar 20 17:31:43 -0800 2006 1516970 0 Arlene 1 1517069 I love TJ's frozen tilapia filets! And I said I would NEVER buy frozen fish! And I like it fried! Take a bag - add flour, paprika, thyme (never overdo thyme), garlic powder, salt, onion powder. Add rinsed and dried filets all at once - shake, shake, shake. Place in your big frypan in which hot oil is waiting - not a lot of oil - 1/8" Cook briefly till golden and place on a wire rack unless you can consume them all immediately. Lemon, of course. Also works just great with the flour then egg then bread crumbs method. Mon Mar 20 18:44:57 -0800 2006 1516970 0 Niki Rothman 2 1517145 Do you do this with the filets right out of the freezer? And if so, do you rinse them to defrost the filets (at least partially)? Tue Mar 21 10:30:26 -0800 2006 1517069 0 ES 3 1517203 You defrost the fish completely first. I generally try to defrost in the fridge overnight, in a plastic bag or on a plate in case there is any dripping. If I'm in a hurry these tilapia filets defrost very quickly in a big bowl of room temp water. Just pat dry with a paper towel so they're not dripping wet when to put them in the bag of flour. If you need to store them for a few hours before cooking them after they are defrosted, it's best to refrigerate to keep as fresh as possible. Tue Mar 21 13:34:19 -0800 2006 1517145 0 Niki Rothman 1 1517093 If you hit control-F and type in tilapia, you will find that this question has been asked and answered many times in the past month or two! Mon Mar 20 22:32:08 -0800 2006 1516970 0 Zzzzzzz 2 1517106 Thank you for this tip; I honestly didn't know about the control-F function. I gave up on trying to use the search function from the home page because it seemed like I could never find anything that way. This way is great. Thanks again! Tue Mar 21 00:27:40 -0800 2006 1517093 0 wyf4lyf 1 1517216 Here are the promised recipes from Fine Cooking (paraphrased). I haven't tried them yet. Crispy Breaded Tilapia with Tartar Sauce 1/2 cup mayo 2 T minced red onion 2 T pickle relish 2 T minced parsley 1 T capers, chopped 2 tsp lemon juice 1/3 cup AP flour 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 c fresh breadcrumbs salt and pepper 4 skinless tilapia fillets vegetable oil 1 large lemon, cut in wedges Line baking sheet with paper towels. Mix together mayo, onion, relish, parsley, capers and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate. Season fish with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour (shake off excess), then in egg and then in breadcrumbs, patting breadcrumbs to adhere. Pour 1/4" of oil into a 10 to 12" skillet. Heat over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Cook fillets in batches until crisp and browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer first batch to the baking sheet, season with salt and keep warm in a 200 degree oven while cooking the second batch. Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce. Spice Rubbed Tilapia with Tomatillo, Black Bean and Mango Salad 1-15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 lb tomatillos, small diced 1 ripe med. mango, peeled, pitted, small diced 1/2 c small diced red onion 1/3 c lime juice 1/3 c plus 2 T veg. oil 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro 1 1/2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp dried oregano 4 skinless tilapia fillets Combine beans, tomatillos, mango, onion, lime juice, 1/3 c veg. oil, cilantro and some black pepper. Toss gently to mix and set aside at room temperature. Mix 1/4 tsp black pepper with chili powder, cumin, oregano and 1 tsp kosher salt. Rub tilapia with the mixture. Heat remaining 2 T of oil over medium high heat in 12" nonstick skillet until hot. Cook fish in batches until lightly browned and flesh is opaque and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Keep warm on a plate in a 200 degree oven while cooking the second batch. Serve with salad over the top and/or on side. Herb-Coated Tilapia with Lemon 1 med. lemon 3/4 c mixed chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme, mint, chives, cilantro) 4 skinless tilapia fillets 2 T extra virgin olive oil Grate zest from the lemon and cut lemon in quarters. Mix herbs and lemon zest on a plate. Season fish with 3/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper and coat fish with herbs, pressing to adhere. Heat olive oil in large 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook fish about 2 minutes per side, until cooked through. Serve with lemon. Peanut Crusted Tilapia with Frizzled Ginger and Scallions 1/3 c veg. oil 3 med. scallions, julienned (abt. 1/2 c) 1/4 c julienned ginger 2 T all purpose flour 1 large egg, beaten 1/2 c salted peanuts, finely chopped 2 skinless tilapia fillets 4 tsp seasoned rice vinegar Heat oil over medium high heat in 10-12" heavy nonstick skillet. Add scallions and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally until just golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer vegetables to paper towels to drain, leaving oil in skillet. Toss vegetables lightly with kosher salt. Dredge fish in flour (shake off excess), then in egg, then peanuts. Reheat oil over medium high heat. Add fish and cook until golden on each side and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side (reduce heat if they brown too fast). Place on serving plates, sprinkle with rice vinegar and black pepper, top with vegetables and serve. Tue Mar 21 14:18:19 -0800 2006 1516970 0 farmersdaughter 2 1517333 THANKS!!!! Wed Mar 22 01:23:15 -0800 2006 1517216 0 wyf4lyf 2 1518769 The mango tomatillo salsa is great! Tue Apr 18 20:45:20 -0700 2006 1517216 0 Mike