Tilapia Fish Recipes - Healthy and Delicious!
By KC Kudra | July 29, 2008
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Every tilapia fish recipe is slightly different in terms of texture and taste. Tilapia is extremely versatile, has a mild, sweet flavor and one of the best ways to cook tilapia is to bake it.
All baked fish recipes are tasty but tilapia is also very healthy and high in nutrients. If you want to eat a nutritionally balanced diet, tilapia is a great fish to include. It is mild in flavor, which means you can use strong sauces, spices, or marinades if you wish. Tilapia is available all year round and has a variety of health benefits.
There are more than 100 types of tilapia but the most common are the red and the black. When cooked, tilapia is completely white inside. You can find tilapia in fresh water as well as saltwater and the type of water it is raised in affects the flavor of the fish slightly.
Health Benefits of Tilapia Fish Recipes
There are 85 calories in a small amount of tilapia. The same quantity of salmon offers 158 calories, which is almost twice the amount! Tilapia contains 1g of fat compared to the 7.9g of fat found in the same sized piece of salmon.
There are no carbohydrates or fiber in tilapia. It is a good source of niacin and phosphorus and is low in sodium. Tilapia also boasts protein, selenium, and vitamin B12. It is high in cholesterol and lacks the healthy omega-3 fatty oils but if you eat oily fish like salmon or mackerel frequently, you will get the omega-3 from those.
The nutrients in your tilapia fish recipe will vary depending on the other ingredients. You can marinate tilapia but do not marinate it for too long because the proteins start to break down after a while, resulting in a mushy fish. Tilapia can be grilled, which is another healthy way of cooking it, but you have to take great care not to tear the fish because it is small and thin. Tilapia is very lean so grilling will only take a few minutes. If you leave it on too long, it will quickly dry out. Tilapia is a mild fish so most seasonings will go well with it. Grilled fish recipes can be simple or more complicated. Simply cooking the fish over the grill with a bit of salt and pepper can give good results. Alternatively, you can try a marinade.
Baked tilapia recipes usually turn out very well too. You will need to add some fat by brushing on a little melted butter or oil. This ensures the fish stays moist. Tilapia dries out easily because of its low fat content, so most baked tilapia recipes call for oil or butter.
You might like to place the tilapia on a bed of celery and onion or bake some vegetables with it or some thinly sliced vegetables on top of it to add moisture during cooking. If you want to saut the tilapia, this will also require butter or oil. If you do not want to add extra fats, steaming the tilapia is also a good cooking method.
Using Oil in Tilapia Fish Recipes
You can bake or saut tilapia in oil or butter. If you would rather use oil, peanut or sunflower oil are very good. These oils are nearly flavorless and will not add flavor to the fish. You can also use olive or canola oil but you will be able to taste these. Fats are an essential food group, useful for the overall health of the body.
Topics: Nutrition |
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