#ewew cooks Tilapia a Few Ways

If there's a steamed fish that's a favourite order at dai chow restaurants, it would be tilapia (or fei chau yue, either black or red) for its very affordable price tag.  I remember it used to cost between RM13 - RM15 once but now that's no longer the case as the price has doubled (at least) to anything between RM25 - RM45 for a whole fish.  As with the rising prices of most (more like all) fish, even one of the cheapest fish is now not that cheap anymore.

The most common preparation for tilapia is to have it steamed with ginger and soy sauce.  Some dai chow places would also offer it steamed assam-style or in a freshly blended chilli paste.

I've never bought tilapia frozen or in fillet-form before (to cook) and was hesitant in getting it at first as I've only eaten fresh tilapia steamed whole or deep-fried.  I can do steam at home, no problem, but would it be as nice if it's not a whole fish?  I know I wouldn't want to do deep-fried at home for the mess it creates and it also wouldn't turn out as crispy since it's not a whole fish (+ the fillets are also skinless).

I leave the deep-frying to the restaurants where I order it....hee...hee.  It's great deep-fried if you don't like it steamed as some steamed ones can have a muddy taste if the fish is not in its best and freshest quality.  I love it fried (served with an oil + soy sauce) just as much as steamed.

The first time I bought these frozen tilapia fillets was for a Chinese New Year steamboat dinner.  It probably wasn't the best idea since the delicate fish tend to disintegrate into pieces but the freshness was alright, so I decided to get some from Vfresh to cook (theirs is the red variety).  After all, it's an inexpensive fish (at RM7 a fillet), so it's a small price to pay if it doesn't work out....but it turned out better than I expected.  Here's a look of what I did with these frozen tilapia fillets.

#1 - Pan-Seared Tilapia with Fresh Fruits

Seeing that this fish was a fairly thin slice, I decided to simply pan-fry it as it'll cook in no time.  I seasoned the fish fillet with salt and black pepper as well as rubbed it with garlic powder and smoked paprika before sprinkling a good dose of dried parsley on it.  Pan-fry it for 2 - 3 minutes on each side but be very careful when flipping as the fish is so delicate it's quite easy to break apart (use your hands to help if you have to).

As you can see, the belly part of the fish still fell apart when flipped (as it was so thin and fragile) even with careful handling (as the fish already had cuts down the middle).  Never mind that presentation-wise, it may not look its best but it certainly tasted its best.

I pan-fried mine in corn oil (you can use olive oil).  You can even add a knob of butter at the end and butter-baste the fish to enhance its flavour and juiciness further.  I don't think it was necessary (while keeping the dish super healthy) as the fish was already so tender and juicy as it was.

Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and serve it with a fresh salsa or even just fresh fruits (as the case here) with mangoes and grapes.  This gives even more freshness to the dish.  The fish turned out so soft, flaky and delicately textured which made this such a light meal to eat.....I loved it!  This was one of the best pan-fried fish I've cooked and eaten at home (you bet I'll be making this more often from now on). ^o^

#2 - Stir-fried Tilapia with Chinese Black Beans

I got the inspiration to cook this dish from GoodyFoodies when she made stir-fried fish fillet in spicy black bean sauce.  Since I didn't have any black bean sauce, I used the leftover Chinese fermented black beans (or dou si) from my unfinished can of dou si yue.  I always finish the fish but never the dou si as they're too salty (now I know what to do with the extra dou si...hehe!).

Actually, I don't cook with fish fillets all that much until I started buying frozen fish from Vfresh.  That's because the fish sold at wet markets are only sold whole or in steak cut.  So I end up either steaming or frying the fish steaks.  Now that I have access to fish fillets, it definitely opens up to a lot more recipes that I can try to cook.

#3 - Bread-Crumbed Tilapia with Fries & Tomatoes

When presented with fish fillets without bones, one of the first thing that comes to mind is the ever popular fish & chips that's well received by many.  But that needs a much firmer fish than tilapia and it also needs to be deep-fried which I'm not eager to do at home.  So, I thought I'd do a bread-crumbed fish instead since I had two pieces of leftover bread in the fridge.

All you need to do is blitz the bread till fairly fine and pour it out onto a plate.  Dip your piece of (seasoned) fish into a mixture of flour first and shake off the excess (I used cornflour since that was what I had in my pantry).  Next, dip it into a mixture of beaten egg wash followed finally by the fresh breadcrumbs.  I like to lightly season all my dips too (with a bit of salt & black pepper) so that each layer has flavour.  The final dip of breadcrumbs, I seasoned with dried parsley (fresh if you have) and a bit of cayenne pepper (for a hint of spice).  I shallow fried it in a mixture of olive and corn oil (you could use butter too) in medium-low heat (the heat can't be too high or the breadcrumbs will burn before your fish is cooked).

You can serve your bread-crumbed fish with fries and a salad.  I happened to have some tomatoes in the fridge so I thought I'd bread-crumb them too (like the fish) since there was plenty left behind.  I was trying to imitate panko-crusted (or bread-crumbed) fried green tomatillos but, truth be told, my leftover red tomatoes were a bit too ripe (make sure you get firmer, less ripe ones).  Nevertheless, they were still juicy and tasty, just not crispy...lol.

I ate my bread-crumbed tilapia with a dollop of Lemon & Herb dressing which I bought recently from The Pantry Guys on Shopee.  The words "ideal for potato salads, coleslaw or drizzle on fish or chicken (all things I like)" got me sold.  The taste is a bit like mayo except with a hint of citrusy tang (from the lemon & herbs) which made it more uplifting and refreshing...and less cloying than mayo.  It was very nice indeed (a bit like a tartar sauce).  I'm not a big fan of white-type dressings (on salads) but love tartar sauce with fish and fries.

The breadcrumbs coating was super crispy and the tilapia was flaky, tender and delicious....loved it to the max! ;)  This is a recipe that I'm very certain I'd make again (and I now have a tartar sauce to go with it). ^o^

#4 - Garlicky Lime Baked Tilapia with Cilantro Lime Rice

This a dish that's easy to love as it's bright and fresh...with the fish being mild-flavoured.  The use of lemon or lime juice is also ideal to get rid of any potential fishy or muddy taste the fish may have.

Place a piece of tilapia on a glass dish and season simply with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  In a bowl, mix together some softened butter and olive oil (I used a bit of both, olive oil for the healthy aspect and butter for the browning), chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, lime juice and lime zest (you can use lemon too) and pour over the tilapia fillet.  Top with a few lime rounds if you have extras.  Bake at 200°C for 10 minutes until the fish is cooked.

You can make this budget-friendly fish in the oven from start to finish and serve it with some blanched greens or a salad for a light meal.  But I decided to serve the tilapia fillet over a bed of cilantro lime rice cooked with chicken broth, a bit of butter (I used a little flavoured oil, garlic or onion oil is fine) and salt.  Once cooked, stir in fresh cilantro leaves and lime juice for that citrusy zing.

This is a dish that you'd want to eat if you don't have much of an appetite.  It's a dish that just screams fresh, fresh, fresh!  The lime juice and cilantro leaves in both the fish and rice is what that gives it that burst of freshness.  I loved the mild, delicate flavour of the tilapia with that punchy taste provided by the garlic and red pepper flakes.  I can eat this over and over and over again! ^.^

Based on what I cooked, it was quite obvious that the western-style treatment of the (more locally accepted) tilapia was more successful...and more tasty (which was surprisingly the opposite of what I did with the frozen Asian seabass/siakap fillets earlier...it should have been the other way round...haha!).  Going forward, I'd definitely want to do more of these pan-fried, bread-crumbed and baked tilapia recipes....whether exactly the same recipe or with a little variation coz they were just so good.  And the best thing about eating tilapia fillets...they're bones-free! ^_~