Garbage Fish

ChicagoEgghead20 · November 2014

Usually I am not a fan of Tilapia - like I think it tastes like garbage, always dry, thin and flavorless.

So when I stopped at my local Fresh Thyme market on the way home and they said it was the freshest fish in today, I thought, well, what the heck, let's give it a go. So I bought 1.2 lbs for $6.99 or 3 filets.

Took it home and let it get to room temperature and heated the egg to 450 direct.

Then drizzled in EVOO and coated the 3 filets in 3 separate DP rubs - Shakin the Tree, Tsunami Spin and Bayou-ish. Then a sprinkle of lemon and let them sit. I heated up the CI with a little EVOO and pan fried them 30 seconds each side to sear the fish. After they had a nice sear to them, I put them on a plank of Adler and put on the egg for 7 minutes, or until internal was 155. Pulled the fish and served with steamed squash (Mediterranean-ish season flavored) and angel hair pasta with a lemon butter sauce. I liked the Shakin the Tree the best, it was full of flavor and went well with the pasta, second best was the Tsunami spin - tasted perfect, just enough bite - next time I will use this one for making fish tacos. The Bayou-ish was my least favorite and not a do again.

travisstrick · November 2014

I used to fish for a living. Later, I worked in a fish market. I have several family members who are charter captains and I can say with total confidence, tilapia is not safe to eat unless you raised it. They are all frozen and almost all come from 3rd world countries. Mostly, they are fed other fauna's excrement and human garbage.

SkinnyV · November 2014

Wild only here, otherwise I'll pass I am in the pnw though so easier for me to say.

Wolfpack · November 2014

travisstrick said:

I used to fish for a living. Later, I worked in a fish market. I have several family members who are charter captains and I can say with total confidence, tilapia is not safe to eat unless you raised it. They are all frozen and almost all come from 3rd world countries. Mostly, they are fed other fauna's excrement and human garbage.

Yep- when I've gone bass fishing in Mexico they always have a bunch of tilapia nets. And these fish are not properly handled when caught.

Dobie · November 2014

Had it right in the title, the funny part was the freshest fish in today. Find another market.

Mattman3969 · November 2014

I haven't had tilapia since I read how they are farmed. No thank you.

RRP · November 2014

long long ago I learned what a trash fish tilapia was and how some "marketing genius" changed the image blah blah blah. Well...here in Illinois our river is HONESTLY being killed by the onslaught of the stinky Asian Carp as it kills the native fish. There have been several attempts to rename it to make uninformed consumers buy that sh*t fish. Trust me if you have ever been out on the river in a boat and have one of these huge slimy, stinking and easily bloodied fish jump out of the water and hit you then you would understand the seriousness! I have and it isn't an experience I care to repeat!...OOOPS I should have asked...do you want to buy a few tons of "Illinois River Bass"?

Zmokin · November 2014

My dad has a recipe for Carp.

Fillet and lay it on an oak plank, season with your favorite spices and bake in the oven.

when the fish is done cooking, slide it into the garbage and eat the oak plank.

Fred19Flintstone · November 2014

I saw a Dirty Jobs on striped bass farming. They used tilapia to eat the striped bass excrement to cut down on cleaning and providing another cash crop. Don't that sound yummy??

Zmokin · November 2014

Flies eat crap, fish eat flies, then people eat fish.

Cows crap in the field, grass grows from the crap, cows eat the grass, people eat the cows.

Pigs eat, well anything thrown in their slop bucket, people eat pigs.

It's the food chain

Ever have rice in Asia, they fertilize their rice fields with human poop in many Asian countries.

Teedoff · November 2014

I have to agree with @Zmokin‌. If a pig can eat anything and turn it into bacon, what goes in doesn't always equal what comes out.

ChicagoEgghead20 · November 2014

travisstrick said:

I used to fish for a living. Later, I worked in a fish market. I have several family members who are charter captains and I can say with total confidence, tilapia is not safe to eat unless you raised it. They are all frozen and almost all come from 3rd world countries. Mostly, they are fed other fauna's excrement and human garbage.

Good looking out, do you have a suggestion for a white fish that would be a better alternative if found sourced wild? I really like ono, but it's near impossible to find here.

Legume · November 2014

@ChicagoEgghead20

I'll say it, nice cook. Sounds like a great way to prepare fish, opinions on the fish aside.

Most of the rest of you just crapped all over this post, c'mon, it's about the cook.

ChicagoEgghead20 · November 2014

@Thanks Legume - might not be a clean fish, but honestly it tasted amazing, I appreciate the love, there's not much of it on here tonight :o3

Skiddymarker · November 2014

Tilapia, like basa is pretty much tasteless, very mild white fish - but does take seasoning very well and can make for an awesome meal. Glad you enjoyed your cook, looks really good.

SWMBO is not a fish lover, maybe once every couple of months, I'll pick up some salmon or halibut for me and some basa/tilapia for her. I keep trying to tell her where it comes from but she thinks I'm try ing to trick her into eating salmon. Someday she will learn the truth and kill me.

jscarfo · November 2014

They have bumper stickers in Rhode Island thatsay "talapia is not a fish"

Griffin · November 2014

What gets me is that it seem lately tilapia is showing up on menus all over the place. And the price they charge? They make it seem like some exotic, wonderful fish!!

All that aside, glad you liked it. It's always fun to experiment with different rubs side by side to get a comparison. What didn't you like about the Bayou-ish? Or was it just your least favorite of the three?

bettysnephew · November 2014

@Zmokin
Ever have rice in Asia, they fertilize their rice fields with human poop in many Asian countries.

I have and the results were not good. You have to have built up critters in your digestive tract that allow this without catastrophic results. The wife and her family...no problem. Kind of like the water in parts of Mexico.

Legume · November 2014

Funny, I've never gotten sick from store bought tilapia. I don't like it and usually avoid it - mostly because it's flavorless, but I've eaten my share and never gotten sick.

Canugghead · November 2014

Ever have rice in Asia, they fertilize their rice fields with human poop in many Asian countries.

I thought that's how they grow organic rice

)

Thanks for the tip, now I know what to use in a pinch when I run out of these for my backyard tomatoes

fishlessman · November 2014

RRP said:

long long ago I learned what a trash fish tilapia was and how some "marketing genius" changed the image blah blah blah. Well...here in Illinois our river is HONESTLY being killed by the onslaught of the stinky Asian Carp as it kills the native fish. There have been several attempts to rename it to make uninformed consumers buy that sh*t fish. Trust me if you have ever been out on the river in a boat and have one of these huge slimy, stinking and easily bloodied fish jump out of the water and hit you then you would understand the seriousness! I have and it isn't an experience I care to repeat!...OOOPS I should have asked...do you want to buy a few tons of "Illinois River Bass"?

how do they taste, i used to trade common carp here. a 25 pounder was worth a 6 pack of sam adams delivered cold right down to the river bank. pretty sure i was getting the six pack, then they were sold again to the resteraunts

RRP · November 2014

I have never tried any but for several events the past couple years there have been professional chefs brought in to see what they could do. Other than novelty of it there has been nothing to come of it. There fish is actually considered an Asian delicacy and one existing processing plant is exporting the meat to Asia, but supposedly it has yet to turn a profit and is being subsidized with government money. The stench from the plant is causing quite an outcry! I have caught carp before, but these things turn your stomach. Besides they are dangerous since the sound of boat motors make them jump out of the water. Getting decked by a 20 to 25 pound fish has taken a toll on pleasure craft activity. There is still fear of them reaching the Great Lakes and efforts to block them have already cost millions of dollars!

Zmokin · November 2014

RRP said:

I have never tried any but for several events the past couple years there have been professional chefs brought in to see what they could do. Other than novelty of it there has been nothing to come of it. There fish is actually considered an Asian delicacy and one existing processing plant is exporting the meat to Asia, but supposedly it has yet to turn a profit and is being subsidized with government money. The stench from the plant is causing quite an outcry! I have caught carp before, but these things turn your stomach. Besides they are dangerous since the sound of boat motors make them jump out of the water. Getting decked by a 20 to 25 pound fish has taken a toll on pleasure craft activity. There is still fear of them reaching the Great Lakes and efforts to block them have already cost millions of dollars!

I've seen the videos, it is amazing to watch, but I wouldn't want to be in a boat on that river.

TheBrewerMoose · November 2014

@RRP

Yeah, those carp are ruining our waters. And to think they were introduced, most likely from bait fish, makes me mad. ODNR was notified of some but they could not re-locate when they went looking. If they end up in the Great Lakes, well, we might as well learn to like them because it's game over at that point. Catch one, stick a filet knife in the back of the skull, toss on the bank for the gulls (if you can throw a 30lb carcass).

Oh yeah, and tilapia is gross.

NDG · November 2014

Speaking of garbage eaters . . . . what is the deal with Lobster?

When I worked in the restaurant industry I was told they are "scavengers" and only eat dead stuff, but recently heard otherwise.

Discuss.

dldawes1 · November 2014

I lived in China, rural China for a year during 2010. We built a chemical plant there.

I ate all foods and never got sick or had any after effects.

But.......I do have a cast iron stomach that is probably pickled from the younger years of hard drinking. So...I guess i am not a good judge on that subject.

Talapia....I've eaten it a lot...again, I liked it, no problems...again, CI stomach !!!

I am blessed to have a stomach that can stomach anything....and like most of it !!!!

Acn · November 2014

NDG said:
Speaking of garbage eaters . . . . what is the deal with Lobster?

When I worked in the restaurant industry I was told they are "scavengers" and only eat dead stuff, but recently heard otherwise.

Discuss.

The half dozen or so lobster fishermen I know use primarily dead herring or dead haddock. And as I understand it has gotten a lot better about being 'freshly dead' than it was 25+ years ago.

Little Steven · November 2014

I stopped eating fish curry at Indian recipes. Catfish/basa is the most common one used. Fish pakora too. This is sort of disturbing

( https://player.vimeo.com/video/11817894 )

henapple · November 2014

Aren't catfish scavengers?

Little Steven · November 2014

ChicagoEgghead20 said:

travisstrick said:

I used to fish for a living. Later, I worked in a fish market. I have several family members who are charter captains and I can say with total confidence, tilapia is not safe to eat unless you raised it. They are all frozen and almost all come from 3rd world countries. Mostly, they are fed other fauna's excrement and human garbage.

Good looking out, do you have a suggestion for a white fish that would be a better alternative if found sourced wild? I really like ono, but it's near impossible to find here.

You should be able to get whitefish and pickerel (walleye). It's commercialy fished on all the great lakes except Ontario.

DoofusOfTheDay · November 2014

Well I was thinking about Fasting tomorrow. Maybe I'll do a whole week after reading this thread.

Garbage Fish

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