Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations 1st taste of Tilapia

This is gonna sound real stupid...so...who better than moi to deliver the message.
Some of you are familiar with the ironic twist that Donna-ski and I are in the throes of constructing a nice little pond package, yet we are not even into fishing. Quite frankly, we don't even eat fish. We both realize that this incomplete diet must come to an end. We are very much into low and fat-free, so fish should be a natural...right?
Well, we picked up a small box of fresh/frozen Tilapia fillets. I hit the www for a low-fat recipe, and came up with this one . We used no-fat sour cream and mayo and served it with a pile of baked seasoned fries. Yeooww...WE LOVED IT! No "fishy" taste, and tender and flaky. The sauce rocked, made with fresh lemon and dill.
Now, I know...you're all rolling your eyes. What's the big whip, here? I agree. I just wanted to share a fish story with ya's and ask for more ideas. I am pretty certain that I can sell Donna-ski on any of the bland, white meat fishes. I figger I should do OK with Halibut, Grouper, Perch, Orange Roughy...any others? (I have never seen BG in the food store coolers...or I'm just not looking hard enough..?)

BSki, tilapia are a good start for those who weren't previously exposed to fish. The recipe sounds good. Understand that tilapia have a delicate taste. Although you might enjoy the recipe, tilapia have virtually no fishy taste.

Yellow perch, when handled correctly, have zero fishy taste--extremely mild with maybe a tiny sweet tint. Wonderful. Kicks tilapia's butt.

Shoot...I bet an ol' alley cat would taste pretty good if you smeared that much goup on it. :p

Joe

You mean they aren't always good?

Walleye.

Brettski - Gail-mer and I have been eating various freshwater fish species for many years.

While we considered experimenting with sex before we got married in 1968 we discussed the importance of a low fat diet. :rolleyes: :p

The absolute best way to cook fish is on the grill and season them as you will.

I'm not much for eating fish either. The only time I seem to enjoy it is either in the Rocky Mtns right after it's been caught, or on a white sands beach someplace warm. Otherwise, I don't want to mess with it.

Being new to the South, I was a little overwhelmed with all the catfish resturants. All you can eat with lots of recomendations. I tried several and they are all the same. Catfish doesn't have any flavor, it's bland white meat covered in breading or some other crust. You dip it in something, anything, to get some flavor. I gave up on all the different mayonase fish dips and just put tobasco on it.

Eddie

In my neighborhood we scale it, make vertical cuts down to the backbone on each side, use copius amounts of black pepper, salt and usually deep fry in palm oil, or at my house we grill.


I don't eat much fish and this is just the latest reason.

...I would have an easier time convincing Donna-ski to eat your sandal

Brettski,

I like tilapia too. I enjoy it fried crispy in corn meal batter or in a spicy etoufee.

If you enjoyed the tilapia, you're in for a treat. Fresh BG and RES are even better. The meat is firmer, and not as dry as tilapia. It has no fishy taste. I can fillet a big bream in 30 seconds, and the fillets are good any way you choose to cook them.

Eddie, I'm with you on the catfish. I really don't care for it. If it's perfectly seasoned, breaded, and fried in bacon drippings, I actually like it... but it's not so much the catfish itself that's delicious as the crispy breading.

Brettski,

Try eating a Tilapia that has been feeding exclusively on pond algae...one of the intended uses of Tilapia on my ponds... Just like eating pond scum. You wouldn't believe it is the same fish that is sold in stores.

My personal favorite...fresh Rainbow Trout followed by a close second with fresh caught Alaska Salmon smoked streamside.

Bretski,
The two stray dogs I picked up readily eat the sandals and I agree with ML, when I had a poacher problem I stopped feeding and within a couple of days the tilapia were not fit to eat.
I have tried to develop a taste for fish for 60 years with extremely limited success. Ono(a white meat tuna), fresh mahi mahi and swordfish, all expensive, so I stick with chicken.

When someone figures out how to cost effectively raise BG for meat, they'll have a supermarket wonder. IIRC all that's ever found for sale are sporadic catches of wild BG.

Brettski, start a different thread when you ask how to raise Grouper and Orange Roughy at LNP.

Eddie, you're right on the money with the restaurant catfish. That is farm fed with pellets. All the same size. Mass production. Wild caught catfish is far superior to me. I like a little fish taste, which they have. They can occasionally be a bit too fishy. Flathead is the best, with small bluecat second. IMO. /crappie or bream...just wait. I'm with ML. Fresh sockeye salmon. Hard to beat.

BMOC concept from a long ago Burger post.

BMOC = Burger's Mudcats Only Cuisine

Where is the sequel to Rollin on the River ? :p

Hey, mudcats taste better than they look. Just 75% head. I'm only good for 1 play per year anymore. Look for when it's too hot to fish.

Fresh fish never has a fishy smell or taste. You guys should read the chapter on seafood in Harold
McGee's "On Food and Cooking:The Art and Science of Food Preparation". The most complete discussion of the biochemistry of fish flesh from a practical point of view that exists, as far as I know.

Mr McGee probably didn't use my taste buds.

Let him try some gar or gaspergoo.