# Tilapia--YUCK! Like eating a rat!!



## oahuamateurchef (Nov 23, 2006)

Tilapia is the most disgusting fish!

I compare it to a rat or a cockroach. They can survive practically anywhere and on practically anything.

I've worked in a few boat harbors, where the water is quite polluted and those and only those fish seem to thrive on engine oil and rusty nuts and bolts. My coworker used to work at a sewage plant. He also refuses to eat Tilapia. I remember a story he told to me about seeing a Tilapia eat a floating piece of feces!

I know that store bought Tilapia is most likely farm raised so its meat isn't dirty, but you can also farm raise a rat.


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

Sounds nice! ahem...
Is it also known as Basa? I've heard some bad things about that fish too


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## allie (Jul 21, 2006)

I've never tried it. Several years ago, we had a friend who kept a Tilapia Buttikoferi as a pet. That was one of the meanest fish I've ever seen and I've had piranhas, oscars, jack dempseys, and other aggressives. Our friend was cleaning the tank and the fish bit him hard enough to draw blood and leave a scar! The tilapia in the store look so much like him that Les refuses to try them...because that one was a pet. It wouldn't bother me, no different than eating beef from a cow you raised. Guess maybe it's a good thing we didn't waste our money after reading your thoughts!


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## nowiamone (Jan 23, 2005)

Every piece I've had has been awful; but I've wondered if there was something about cooking it that I didn't understand. 

And I'm a good cook and big time fish eater.

Glad to hear this, I can wipe it out of my future without a second thought.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Very hardy scavenger fish. 

People from Hawaii might be a little biased in their opinion though.


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## deltadoc (Aug 15, 2004)

Well, I don't eat much in the way of seafood anyway, because everyone's toilet flushes into the rivers that all lead to the ocean, but think about shrimp which are bottom feeders aren't they?

And Mississippi catfish are definitely bottom feeders. My dad used to take one our dog's dried feces and put it on a hook, and he'd catch a catfish everytime. I always secretly grimaced when I'd watch my mom eat catfish, which she loved!

doc


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

As delta doc mentioned, shrimp are bottom feeders, so are Lobsters and crabs. Many other bottom feeding fish are known to eat excrement--whether human or animal....


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Dogs eat cat poop. Why? Because cat's are inefficient digesters and pass lots of protein on through. Manure has a long history as a food fertilizer.

Tilapia's not great fish in my opinion, but it's not bad either.


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## canadiangirl (Jul 16, 2007)

Has anyone seen the "Dirty Jobs" episode where they were @ a waste management center? They used tilapia too eat the feces instead of burning it. They said they(the tilapia) were sold to stores and restaraunts once they matured. YUCK!!!!


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

How far removed do we have to be from "yuck" until it's good again? Consider grass-fed cows who crap in their fields fertilizing the grass and then eating said grass again, or even just grass that was crapped on last week. That's only two steps and grass-fed beef is considered prime eating. The filter organs, livers, kidneys are considered great eating, yet their function in life was to filter the animal and collect toxins. 

There is all this talk about getting in touch with what we're eating and natural cycles but in our sanitized world, the details are "yuck" to people who have a gut reaction without really thinking about where food comes from. Farms full of poop, slaughtehouses full of blood and excrement. Even in the organic movement, those factors are not removed. It's what our food is. Our food is not a styrofoam pack of meat with a pad to suck up juices. Even organic is sold that way.

Most tilapia are farmed in California in remnant irrigation water that comprises the Salton Sea. That is water that is run through land that is chemically fertilzed and chemically weeded. It all collects in the Salton Sea where it is concentrated through evaporation. Tilapia are the only fish that can survive in that water and the only thing making that water useful. 

That's probably truly more scary that tilapia from sewage treatment. Know your food.

Phil


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## free rider (May 23, 2006)

Slightly off the topic, but related... human beings are meat too (no, I'm not suggesting cannibalism). A friend of mine is buddies with a guy that works in a funeral parlor. He says they're saving money these days because they don't need as much embalming fluid as the old days. Why? His take is that people are eating so much preservative, they're embalming their own bodies throughout their lives.

Upshot: You are what you eat and I suppose that applies to animals/fish/cows/etc too.


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

Thats a scary thought Free rider.
Red Tilapia is a recent addition to the fishmongers in the uk - Tried it and liked it, although the weird scale thing puts me off eating the skin which i like so much. i can get black Tilapia frozen from the chinese market and liked that even better. wondered if there was a difference other than the colour.
I enjoy Mackerel. A bottom feeder that i was almost put off cos I was told of the rubbish it eats. But i love it so much i eat it anyway.
My dog likes a chomp of his own poo from time to time, and that of his compadres and He's a shining example of a healthy dog. Maybe theres something to be said for low-tech re-cycling.
Anyway, I'll never give up Mackerel, no matter what horror stories you throw at me...I think, maybe, Please dont, 'cos a butter grilled Mackerel and Granary bread is my idea of heaven and you wouldnt wanna spoil that would you??


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

This is not about fish, but I prefer my vegies grown in my garden when I've dug cow poo into it - much better crop. And they're not yuck 

Who likes rabbit? They eat their poo out of necessity to get the most from their food source. Bunny is also yummy.

And hey lets mention kidneys - what are they but filters in the body. Love 'em!
What about foie gras too? One of the world's most revered foods. Yuck is as yuck does


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## jonk (Dec 21, 2005)

Oh, heavens. Most talapia is indeed farm raised. It's a very mild white fish (I view it as a fish for people who don't think they like fish) and is quite pleasant fried with a panko coating or lightly floured, sauted, and finished with browned butter, lemon and capers. What's the fuss?


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## kcz (Dec 14, 2006)

This discussion reminds me of a recent trip to the supermarket, when I was standing in front of the seafood counter, and another customer comes up and starts making grossed-out noises about the salmon. He went on to say that the Atlantic salmon were a disgusting pale color compared to the Pacific variety because they were farm-raised and spent their lives swimming around in their own feces. (I have no idea if these Atlantic were actually farm-raised or not.)

I tried to explain to him that A) he was comparing apples and oranges because Atlantic salmon are actually trout and not a member of the salmon family, and B) that I was sure the ocean varieties encounter poop from all kinds of critters during their lives.

He didn't want to hear it, bought a pound of shrimp, and left. :bounce:


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

I can't reply from experience, since I have never tasted a rat or a roach


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## canadiangirl (Jul 16, 2007)

U r so funny!!! Thanks for the smile that's on my face!!!!!!:bounce::bounce:
canadiangirl
P.S Tilapia-love it!


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## salliem (Nov 3, 2006)

I don't consume that much fish, probably because I used to cut all the fish for a restaurant back in the '90's, but I do like black grouper, it doesn't have the parasites that red grouper has and I like tilapia..I cook it with lemon, capers and a little olive oil..I am sure glad that I read this thread


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## oz in sc (Oct 6, 2007)

I would be more concerned about the wheres and hows of the raising of the food rather than the food's eating habits.

We raised chickens for a while and have NEVER had eggs as good as the ones from our chickens,yet the chickens lke to eat 'gross' things and didn't seem to mind each others poop.

Point is the product's habits(in this case Tilapia) isn't the problem,the methods of raising and processing is.

Most of the Tilapia we bought in the restaurants I worked at was from China,as was almost 100% of the crawfish.I would be hesitant to eat food produced and processed there.

But that is me.


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## oahuamateurchef (Nov 23, 2006)

That point about plants growing in manure makes me see things much differently now. I guess it's not so much about what the plant/critter eats, but can it break down what it takes in and digest what it eats, and will its food source enrich it with nutrients? 

And I admit I used to enjoy Tilapia before I knew its habits. Great points about shrimp and catfish.

So I guess as long as Tilapia eat 100% certified organic poop, it's okay in my book:roll:.


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

I found out that a lot of mushrooms are grown on sterilized cow poop. Didn't faze me at all


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## nativechef6685 (Oct 17, 2007)

Tilapia has always been one of my best selling dishes. I prefer to encrust it with some red and green peppers, jalapeños and Japanese bread crumbs then bake it off and serve it with a nice tequila cream sauce. Never had any complaints about the dish. 

Best regards....


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

What do you mean by "Japanese bread crumbs"?


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Panko is the "proper" name.


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## chefsean (Oct 18, 2007)

I love the cows that eat the poo that fall on the grass that feed the mice that live in the house that Jack built.


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## cheftorrie (Jun 23, 2006)

Tilapia is not even by a stretch my favorite fish dish, but it is not the worst, if not farm raised, and cooked right.


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## mydogcisco (Jun 27, 2008)

I just completed a course on Aquaponics which is the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics...its as organic as is possible. The tilapia are fed grain based feed, their waste solids are filtered out and used in conventional soil based gardening and the dissolved wastes feed the plants (lettuce, herbs, traditional vegetables). The chemistry is amazing as unlike conventional hydroponics this is a constant nutrient feed for the plants and it is not based on some petroleum distillate...the fish is tasty, the veggies are delicious and pesticide free...and this technology allows people around the world to grow healthy food for themselves even in very arid places if they use recirculating aquaculture technology. 

Tilapia has been deemed the "chicken" of the seafood industry because it is very low fat protein that takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked with or seasoned with. I think the folks who think all that ocean caught food is pollutant free and safe should do some reading...aquaculture/aquaponics is the future of human food. Tilapia are great in so many ways not the least of which is that they readily consume naturally occuring green algaes (note: think of all the healthy benefits of spirulina and kelp) in addition to grain based feeds...truly, they are a wonder fish and exceedingly tasty if you know how to prepare them. Try smoking some with the skin left on with a little salt and pepper or whatever your favorite spice may be sometime...you'll be amazed at how tasty it is.

I hope one day all of you find yourself eating a US grown tilapia filet (versus the imports from China where there really are health concerns) from my soon to be launched aquaponics company or some other family run, US based aquaculture firm...as Alton Brown would say, Tilapia is "Good Eats!!!"

...and its good for you!!!

Best to all...RC


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## mydogcisco (Jun 27, 2008)

Basa and Tra refer to catfish from southeast Asia in the Pangasius genus...quite tasty and quite an issue for a very strong lobby representing the south central channel catfish farmers primarily in Lousiana and Mississippi.

Do a Google search on pangasius bocourti or pangasius hypophthalmus...or try their common names such as basa, tra, mekong catfish, etc..


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

Tiliapia is also one of the three main fish used for "Fish and Chips" the other two being Cod and Halibut both much pricier. The Tilapia flakes like the Halibut but does not have as much flavor as it or the Cod. However the Cod doesn't have as good a flake as the Tilapia or Halibut, by far. Halibut, of course is supposed to be the King of Fish and Chips, with both superior flavor and flakiness. 

Oahu, are you sure your not talking about Rhubarb?


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

It is pretty rare to hear of someone who has never eaten at a national chain fast food "restaurant" :lol:

mjb.


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## qos (Jun 26, 2008)

Okee dokee....I may be giving up talapia. I make it all the time with a few seasonings and olive oil. I have on occassion had some that tasted like dirt...like a catfish ugh. 

At home we eat (due to my hubby's diet restrictions) chicken and fish and he eats shellfish but I do not due to religious reasons. I cook lots of salmon but I prefer the wild caught salmon. I didn't realize that the Atlantic salmon was a type of trout - no wonder it tastes different!!


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

I do on some rare occasions eat tilapia. To me, tilapia is to fish what Velveeta is to cheese - there are better options.

mjb.


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## chef_matt (Mar 18, 2008)

I totally agree OahuAmateurChef. My wife and I tried some a few months ago and we would never buy it again as well as pollock.


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## bundens (Jul 5, 2008)

I believe you are being a little harsh on tilapia.
I think it's a great quick and easy fish. All fish live in water and sad to say a lot is polluted and dirty in one way or another. Pigs roll around in their own feces...etc You get the point.
Every animal is dirty..
I, myself, am a big fan of just about any fish dish..pardon the rhyme.

I just think that tilapia has a place...along with cod and flounder. Non fishy white meat fishes that are good for people like my mother who won't touch something like salmon, tuna, bluefish, ...
pretty much anything that isn't shellfish or bland.

Out of all the common fishes I actually prefer tilapia to the other ones.
but to each his own.


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Tilapia has a sweet taste I don't care for. As far as what it eats I could care less. Pollock on the other hand is nasty, every time I have had it the texture was mush


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

The AP has just reported that Tiliapa is nearly devoid of good Omega-3 fat and rich in bad Omega-6 trans-fat. 

Popular fish has wrong kind of fatty acids - Diet and nutrition - MSNBC.com

No more Tiliapa for us.

Mike


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## bikerpoohbear (Jul 16, 2008)

I have tried many types of fish, I agree taste is very bad. Even tried cooking it diffrent ways.


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## aeonflame (May 28, 2009)

You are entitled to you opinion, however.. to everyone here who has decided to stop eating tilapia because of this post, think more carefully. The tilapia is an omnivorous fish, like many other animals we consume. They are also opportunistic scavengers, also like many animals we eat. If we stopped eating these animals because waste is part of their natural diet, we would find food in far less places. What you are doing here my friend is condemning a fish for being hardy and thriving in harsh conditions. Whether or not you would eat them is again, purely your preference. However, you should also reconsider most of the supposedly "clean" foods you consume, based on this logic. Most of the tilapia eaten have been raised on farms in sanitary and controlled conditions. Yes, you can also raise rats in this way but dont you believe that to be a rather juvenile comparison? The bottom line is this, if you dont like it, dont eat it, but do not let misconceptions colour your opinion about any food, especially those based on opinions themselves.


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## chalkdust (Feb 18, 2009)

its ok, u just cant cook it very long. its like poor mans flounder or snapper i guess. still its pretty good, pretty ok lol.

and what exactly are u trying to say about delicious rats?

just kidding.

but i think somewhere in africa or asia they have a very clean outdoor rat that is pretty good to eat. i f i w as there i would eat it.


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Nutria are a giant rat that is in the southern USA and South America. I tried it and don't care for it.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

Gunnar said:


> Tiliapia is also one of the three main fish used for "Fish and Chips" the other two being Cod and Halibut both much pricier. The Tilapia flakes like the Halibut but does not have as much flavor as it or the Cod. However the Cod doesn't have as good a flake as the Tilapia or Halibut, by far. Halibut, of course is supposed to be the King of Fish and Chips, with both superior flavor and flakiness.
> 
> Oahu, are you sure your not talking about Rhubarb?


Gunnar,Halibut and Cod are still king for Fish and Chips in the Pacific Northwest. I didn't know Tilapia was even on the list for quality fish and chips, maybe those are the Restaurants with the :Going out of business signs" in the window....................


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

ChefBillyB said:


> Gunnar said:
> 
> 
> > Tiliapia is also one of the three main fish used for "Fish and Chips" the other two being Cod and Halibut both much pricier. The Tilapia flakes like the Halibut but does not have as much flavor as it or the Cod. However the Cod doesn't have as good a flake as the Tilapia or Halibut, by far. Halibut, of course is supposed to be the King of Fish and Chips, with both superior flavor and flakiness.
> ...


could be, what I find hard to stomach is that tilapia used to be a super cheap fish, now it's almost the same price as salmon. that's just ridiculous.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

It's been a few years since this thread was in business so it's interesting how prices have changed.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

Gunnar said:


> ChefBillyB said:
> 
> 
> > Gunnar said:
> ...


Maybe it will replace canned Tuna and become "Pooppourri of the Sea"..................


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

There is Tiliapa and then there is Tiliapa. Most of it comes only frozen and is like eating a sponge. However if you can get some under the name Tiliapa or St. Peter Fish it happens to be pretty good. Like a lot of other things is depends what you do with it. It is not for fish and chips, use cod or halibut or grouper, or cobia for that. Its good rolled and stuffed either with seafood stuffing or a finger of salmon with a mild sauce..At one time it was cheapest to buy and the wholesalers keep bringing in other fish from Pacific which is even cheaper. Changes monthly


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## meme (May 19, 2011)

*dirty jobs, dirty job , dirty job I get so sick of hearing that, its trash TV for a show, this guy looking for dirt to amaze you. For one fish on these farm in china are fed a corn meal and they have USA inspection cert, and the USA fish farms do the same but they got a bunch of bad feed a while back and The USA inspectors dont know how much of it was fed to the USA fish farms, so you better start worrying about USA fish too, but to late you ate it already.*


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## dcarch (Jun 28, 2010)

In a design course, I was told, " There is no such thing as an ugly color, there are only ugly color combinations."

Similarly, perhaps there is no bad fish, OTOH, there are plenty of bad fish recipes.

I like Tilapia, sorry.

dcarch


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## fl italian (Mar 2, 2009)

I'm not a fan of Tilapia either as, to me, it tastes like eating dirt.   The species is an opportunistic feeder and just doesn't appeal to me.   I'd prefer cod, halibut, haddock and even pollock over tilapia.

The insight though offered by another poster about the hydroponic aquaculture of this species was very interesting and, as another note.... READ WHERE YOUR FISH COMES FROM!!!.   It's now a law to post where the fish comes from.. USA, Vietnam, Thailand, etc, etc.   US aquaculture is governed under the rules of the Department of Agriculture so there are inspections on the farms (not on the harvested fish.. USDA does not inspect seafood --- figure that one out??!!!) but those regulations do not apply to shrimp farming in Asia or countries outside of the US.  "Wild Caught" is a good indicator too as they are from the oceans; not some unregulated farm.

And, as the original poster noted....   How do you know what eating a rat or cockroach tastes like??     I'm not tasting them to find out!!!


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Government inspection Are you kidding   In 2009   200,000 tons of  assorted fish and seafood was brought in thru Port Everglades and other Florida Ports..20% was inspected.  Luckily most of it was frozen and the freeze kills a lot of things. In fact by US law no cruise ship is allowed to take fish aboard unless it has been frozen for 72 hours. For health purposes. The junk you get in the supermarket is not the same fish we get commercially. Supermarket  frozen fish is glazed therefore 20-25 % weight of fish is water.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

Aloha Braddah (or Sista)

OahuAmateurChef, I couldn’t agree with you more!  I was brought up on Kaneohe Bay, Oahu,  which was really clean when I was a little kid and we fished just about everyday.  THEN, YUCK!!  I moved here to Arizona and the people here go NUTS for Tilapia.  My Mom and I were in the Costco at lunch time (and yeah, it’s the same here as the Costco’s in Hawaii) and they had Tilapia to sample.  My Mom dared me to try it, I had never tried it before, so I called the beat and took a bite.  I spat it out at the nearest trash can!  It was as horrible, really!!  My husband thought that I had lost my mind to even try it, but I can now say with honesty, No Thank You.


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## dcarch (Jun 28, 2010)

Keep this in mind, for ages, the Chinese thought truffles tasted like dirt, so they fed them to the pigs. Recently they found out that they can get very good money exporting them.

They could have also sold "Truffle fed pork" $1,000.00 a lb. LOL

Also, there are many people who think caviar taste disgusting.

Taste is so subjective.

dcarch


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## leeniek (Aug 21, 2009)

I'm not a fan of fish in general and the couple of times I have had tilapia it has been ok... nothing really to write home about.  I've had basa as well and again... nothing to really write home about.


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## benway (May 24, 2009)

Lol at people not eating Tilapia because of the fish's eating habits as if its somehow the same as eating poop yourself.  The reason for not eating Tilapia is because its bland with a capitol B.


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## fr33_mason (Jan 9, 2008)

Just to clarify, Crustacea such as shrimp are predominantly filter feeders so if it is in the water, regardless of strata, they will consume it. Tilapia are a hardy, scavenging fish but the fish you get in the markets are farm raised as you can keep tilapia contained in a high density setting.  There is more food value in an acre devoted to raising tilapia than any other food crop in the world. Yes they will eat anything but unless they are wild caught, I wouldn't worry about them.

  Personally, I would worry more about eating tuna as opposed to eating tilapia as tuna has been reputed to have high heavy metal content where as tilapia only has a tendency to taste "muddy" as any fish that is kept in warmer water will. I'll take muddy over mercury any day.

Locally, they have earned the monicker: Feeshies which is a play on words due to the fact that they are commonly kept with hippos to keep their the wading tanks clean at the zoos.

If we really looked at what many animals that we consume actually eat, we may not want to eat them as readily....I on the other hand won't let that deter me.


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## johnhelt (Jun 2, 2011)

I will agree that the Tilapia fish is a bit disgusting while swimming, but I have always loved getting out my blackening recipe and frying it up.  Find the Tilapia to be delicious.  It might be the only way, please definately try it.


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## jblade (Dec 9, 2010)

Being Filipino on my mother's side and caucasian on my father's side I heard this argument quite often at home of how tilapia is a garbage fish and unworthy of the our dinner table, this of course being my father's side of the coin.

And my mother's side was that it really wasn't and that it could be a very good fish with many preparations (my dad didn't like any of them) this of course is fueled by the fact that with her ethnic background ate alot of tilapia. (Not saying all Filipinos eat tilapia)

So I guess what I am trying to say is that with alot of food there is always someone who appreciates it and someone who doesn't.

While I do think it may be slightly closed minded to say "yuck" and "disgusting" when describing a food source, words like "dislike" or other words that are synonymous may be a better choice. (But to each his/her own)

I myself do not enjoy the taste of tilapia or at least haven't had it in a preparation in wich I could appreciate it, but comparing it to a rat or a cockroach wich I have yet to taste as well I remain open minded and look forward to the day my mind could be changed.


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## simplycook (May 31, 2011)

Hi,  I haven't tried tilapia, don't think I ever will, because where I live we use them for pond decoration - and they do a pretty good job of it!


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## jermaine jones (May 31, 2011)

idk, I'm quite fond of Tilapia.  It's one of my favorites to be truthful.  I've had it grilled,baked, and fried.  It's good to know more about the Fish, but until it makes me sick, or is declared unsafe to eat.. It hasn't done me any harm ... *crosses fingers*


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## linny29 (Oct 9, 2010)

It's funny to read everyones reviews on the same fish ... some of you say it tastes dirty, some refer to it as having no flavor and one said it is sweet .... If I had never tasted Tilapia I would probably never want to eat it after reading this thread! I like it but I have only had the farm raised version, I guess it is like anything ... it needs to be a quality ingredient and cooked properly to taste good.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Tilapia is one of the most popular fish in this part of the world.

It's farmed on a big scale and a good source of protein.

We have them on the menu, both the whole Tilapia and the fillets and they are very popular.

We serve them plain, beer battered, cajun style and as fish curry.

We catch them wild as well in the river and in the lake and put them straight in the pot.

They are not nearly as tasty as a sea fish, but then that's common for almost all fresh water fish.


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## wrenchmetal (Jun 14, 2011)

i'm not big on it either. it has a metallic taste that i can't get past. what i found makes it edible, is broiling it. broil it in a pan with some butter. and then put a little chablis and lemon juice on top. sprinkle with some seasoning. i found that old bay works really well. the wine really counteracts the fishy taste, and makes the tilapia quite manageable


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## jeff golden (Aug 6, 2012)

Panko. You can buy them in the oriental section of most grocery stores.<edit>


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