Tilapia fish is in great demand in the domestic market. The carcass is quite inexpensive, and its meat has a very pleasant taste. Such fish can be cooked, baked, fried or stewed. But before moving on to recipes for tilapia dishes, we’ll learn better what kind of fish it is.

Telapia, or tilapia - what kind of fish, detailed description

Telapia, or tilapia, is one of the commercial varieties known to man since ancient times. According to legend, it was with this fish that Jesus Christ once fed the hungry travelers.

In fact, the definition of "tilapia" unites many species of fish, and the second name of this group of underwater inhabitants is the royal bass.

Representatives of this variety are small in size and have a varied color of scales. It ranges from light silver to deep green, but you can often find striped tilapia.

  • These fish have a wide, flat body, a large head, and large eyes.
  • The fins are long and look like a fan, decorated with sharp "rays."
  • Such a fish weighs 1.2 - 1.5 kg, only in rare cases reaching 3 - 4 kg. The largest tilapia that was caught had a body weight of 5 kg.

Representatives of this species prefer a tropical and subtropical climate. Most often, tilapia can be found in the coastal zones of China, South America and Africa.

The benefits and harms of fish for the human body

The advantage of eating tilapia fish in food is that this product allows you to enrich the body with a large amount of nutrients.

  • First of all, it is a valuable source of protein.A portion of fish with a volume of 100 g allows you to satisfy half the daily human need for this component.
  • In addition, the fish contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, which beneficially affect the circulatory and nervous systems, and prevent the development of atherosclerosis.
  • And also tilapia meat contains “good” cholesterol, which can reduce the level of “bad”.
  • In addition, there is a beneficial effect of enzymes contained in tilapia on the hormonal background of a person, the organs of the genitourinary system, and the condition of hair and skin.

At the same time, tilapia is low-calorie - 100 g of the product contains 96 kcal. Fats in it are negligible, only 1.7 g, and carbohydrates are absent.

Despite the tangible benefits, the product can harm the human body if used in the following cases:

  • obesity;
  • diabetes;
  • asthma;
  • allergy to seafood.

With these conditions, caution should be exercised and there is tilapia only in small quantities.

Tilapia sea or river fish?

For many consumers, it is crucial that tilapia is sea or river fish, since not everyone eats the latter. The uniqueness of this species is that it is completely unpretentious and can live in water with different levels of salinity. Although, for the most part, this fish prefers fresh water.

Another advantage of tilapia is its omnivorous nature. She is able to consume any food, for which she received the nickname "garbage fish."

Attention! Since tilapia can eat almost everything, including carrion and waste, its meat may contain substances that are harmful and potentially dangerous to humans.

Tilapia recipes

You can cook such an inhabitant of the reservoirs in various ways, combining with cereals, vegetables, herbs and seasonings. Consider simple recipes for tilapia.

Oven baked tilapia

You can cook tilapia in the oven with potatoes, onions and spices.

For such a dish you will need the following products:

  • 1 kg of tilapia fillet;
  • 7 to 8 potato tubers;
  • 3 to 4 bulbs;
  • mayonnaise;
  • hard cheese;
  • salt and seasoning.

Tilapia in the oven is prepared as follows:

  1. It is necessary to wash the fish fillet, salt, pepper, mix with mayonnaise and let it brew.
  2. Peel the potatoes and cut into circles.
  3. Chop the onions in half rings, grind the cheese.
  4. Grease the refractory container, place 2/3 of the potatoes, then fish, onions and the rest of the chopped tubers.
  5. Coat the casserole with mayonnaise, sprinkle with cheese and put in the oven.

The dish will be ready when a golden brown crust appears on its surface.

Pan fried fish

You can cook such fish in a frying pan, previously diced in flour. But especially tasty and pleasantly crunchy are pieces of tilapia fried in breading.

For cooking you will need:

  • tilapia;
  • lemon;
  • salt;
  • seasonings for fish;
  • dried or fresh herbs;
  • ground paprika;
  • walnuts;
  • breadcrumbs.

Sequencing:

  1. Wash the fish, cut the carcass along the ridge, remove the bones and divide the fillet into pieces.
  2. Salt tilapia, sprinkle with spices for fish, pour over lemon juice and let it brew a little.
  3. On a wide plate, mix breadcrumbs, chopped walnuts, paprika and herbs.
  4. Dip the pieces of fish into the resulting breading and fry over medium heat.

On a note. If desired, you can replace walnuts with grated cheese, and seasonings to choose according to your own taste.

Diet fillet dish

Since tilapia contains a small amount of calories and fats, you can make a diet dish from it, putting out the fish in a slow cooker or a thick-walled pan.

For cooking you will need:

  • fish carcass;
  • bulb;
  • carrot;
  • Tomatoes
  • salt and spices.

Procedure:

  1. Wash the fish, chop, salt and season with spices.
  2. Grind the onion and carrots, add a small amount of fat, and when they are softened, add tomatoes, salt and seasonings.
  3. Place pieces of tilapia on top of the roasting and simmer under the lid until cooked.

It is permissible to add a small amount of vinegar to the frying, so that its taste becomes more pronounced. Garnish well served with boiled rice.

How to cook in batter

Preparing a batter for fish is very simple. For this, enough eggs, milk and favorite seasonings. But you can make an original composition that can advantageously shade the taste of tilapia.

For cooking you will need:

  • tilapia fillet;
  • soy sauce;
  • egg;
  • milk;
  • some mustard;
  • buckwheat or rice flakes;
  • garlic;
  • fresh greens;
  • paprika;
  • curry or turmeric;
  • seasonings for fish;
  • salt.

Tilapia in batter, step by step recipe:

  1. Wash the fish fillet, dry with paper towels and cut into portions.
  2. Peel the garlic, crush in the press, mix with fish condiments.
  3. Grate the resulting composition of a serving of tilapia, and then spread them on a flat plate. Moisten each piece of soy sauce and let it brew.
  4. Beat the egg, add salt, milk, a little mustard and mix again.
  5. Cut fresh herbs and introduce into batter.
  6. Season the composition with paprika, curry or turmeric, add buckwheat or rice flakes and let stand a little so that they swell.
  7. Dip the pieces of fish into the resulting composition and fry them in hot vegetable fat.

Attention! You can put tilapia in batter only on a hot pan, otherwise the liquid composition will spread, and the dish will be hopelessly spoiled.

Boiled or baked potatoes, porridge from buckwheat, barley or crushed wheat, fried or pickled mushrooms, as well as fresh vegetables in the form of salad or slices, can be served with tilapia for garnish.

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