Tilapia


Whole Tilapia Fish [Nile Tilapia; Sato (Tanzania); Mojara (Spanish); Izumi-Dai, Chikadai (Japan); Oreochromis niloticus niloticus]

This fish, native to the Nile, can grow to 23 inches but is generally marketed here at about between 10 and 13 inches and 1 to 2 pounds pounds, like the photo specimen. Tilapia was already being farm raised in Egypt probably over 4000 years ago. It has since been transported to fresh water rivers and lakes in many countries. In Japan and Taiwan it is used as a substitute for Sea Bream, as it is so similar in appearance and taste. It is often used raw for sushi.

Tolerant of poor water quality, fast growing, cheap to feed and tasty to eat, Tilapia is an ideal aquaculture fish for warmer climates. It is produced in quantity in Southern California and Arizona, but most still comes from Mexico, South America and Asia.

More on Varieties of Fish (very large page).


Tilapia flesh is mild, light in color, and contains moderate oil. It is firm and remains intact with just about any cooking method, including ceviche. It is a little delicate for soups and stews, but it works well enough. Most fish recipes on this site were made with Tilapia for their first test run, and sometimes after as well. This economical fish is available by the cart load, live, whole, and as frozen fillets. Frozen fillets are great for many uses, and I always keep some on hand.

A while back Tilapia was featured in fancy restaurants - until people caught on they could get it inexpensively at any ethnic market. High priced chefs just can't live with that, so they now ridicule it every chance they get. I consider it a fine medium flavored multi-purpose fish almost everyone will like.

Most tilapia are grey but there are some red ones and white ones available at a somewhat higher price. The skin is often not eaten, because some say it is slightly bitter, and if not removed may discolor the flesh. This is not my experience, and I do see plenty of recipes cooking whole fish skin-on.

Buying:

  This fish is very common both as frozen fillets and whole fish (usually cleaned, but not scaled). Buy whole fish only if you want to use parts other than fillets. With whole fish you'll pay the same for fillets but have to work for them. The frozen fillets are very distinctive, so you will be getting real tilapia. The photo specimen above was purchased from a Philippine market in Los Angeles for 2014 US $1.99 / pound. Frozen fillets are as high as 2019 US $3.29 / pound, but are often on sale for as low as $1.99 / pound.

Scales:

  Tilapia is completely covered with fairly large scales which scrape off easily with moderate flying about.

Cleaning:

  Despite being a rather deep bodied fish, Tilapia can be cleaned like a round fish because there is no bony keel. Just cut from the vent forward. There's a substantial swim bladder to break through to get to the blood works just beneath the backbone. The gills pull out more easily than with many fish. For details see our Cleaning and Filleting Round Fish page.

Fillet:

  Tilapia fillets fairly easily with plenty of fin rays and bones to follow. The rib cage has a lot of ribs. You can carefully follow them, shaving the fillet from the ribs. Actually, when I get to the rib cage I cut the ribs from the backbone with kitchen shears and pull them from the fillet with long nose pliers. You will feel what seems to be a row of substantial centerline pin bones but you need pull only the first three or four. The rest are soft and will not be noticeable when cooked.

The skirt is wide and quite thin, so the fillet will break off there, but it expands again at the belly where it's stiff and fatty. Cut these belly parts off - they are reserved for the cook. Lightly dust them with rice flour and frying skin-on in a lightly flavored olive oil. The heat causes the fat to liquify. Eat these cuts hot with some salt and lemon juice - fish oil is good for you (high in omega-3). This is sort of like with milkfish in the Philippines - the fatty belly is often sold separately at a higher price.

Yield:

  A 1 pound 5 ounce tilapia yielded 8-1/2 ounces of skin-on fillet including the belly fat (40%), 7-1/2 ounces skin-on belly trimmed (36%) and 6-3/4 ounces skinless (32%). This is pretty good yield for a low cost fish.

Skin:

  Tilapia skin shrinks very little when fried, so fillets can be fried skin-on. Some say the skin will make the flesh somewhat bitter, but I have not found that to be true. In any case, the skin is easy to remove using the standard long knife and cutting board Method.

Stock:

  Tilapia head, fins and bones produce a very usable, moderately flavored and slightly sweet stock with moderate oil. I've also tossed in the skins and still had very good results - no bitterness or overly strong flavor. Use your gravy separator to remove all fat. For details see our Making Fish Stock page.

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