Tilapia

GOOD TO KNOW A cherry pitter makes quick work of removing the pits, but you can also use frozen pitted cherries in place of fresh; just be sure to thaw them according to package instructions and drain thoroughly before using.

I went to a restaurant opening in Los Angeles where they served a trio of ceviches made with parboiled seafood. No! Ceviche should always be made using raw ultra-fresh, or “sushi-grade,” fish. In this recipe I use tilapia, but feel free to substitute whatever your local fishmonger recommends that day. The citrus marinade “cooks” the fish without heat. Traditional ceviche is left to marinate for up to 3 hours, but in this recipe you’ll have fresh, delicious ceviche in 15 minutes. As my abuelo always said, “Don’t worry, the lime kills everything.” For a more traditional ceviche, omit the clam-tomato juice and the hot sauce, which add a sour and spicy kick.

The creamy red-cabbage slaw can also be served on sandwiches or as a side dish. For a toasted flavor, quickly heat the tortillas over a gas burner until blistered in spots, holding each with tongs and waving it from side to side.

My Dad and I used to catch small perch at the local harbor for this soup. Amid the sailboats and cabin cruisers, we would lower our poles, the lines baited with thawed frozen peas, to catch the three- to four-inch-long fish, the American equivalent of Vietnamese ca ro. We would bring home about a dozen fish, and my mom would gut them for this classic Viet combination of sweet fish, sharp mustard greens, and ginger. One day, Mom protested that cleaning the fish took too much time, so we stopped catching them, and the soup didn’t grace our table for years. On a trip to Vietnam, I saw a fishmonger at Ben Thanh market in Saigon cleaning ca ro, which reminded me of how good this soup is. Back home, I decided to use whole tilapia, which is sometimes identified as ca ro in Viet markets. It worked just like traditional ca ro in this soup, but its larger size made it much easier to prep and cook. Now, this brightly flavored soup is back on my table as an ideal balance for bold, rich foods like Grilled Lemongrass Pork Riblets (page 145). Whole tilapia is sold at Asian and Latin markets.

Here I go again: I am not a big fan of fish. Okay, the truth is, I won’t eat most types of fish. However, I really do like it when it is made this way, and it’s even better with the tartar sauce on it. I mean how can you go wrong with potato chips? This is a super simple dish to make. Just make sure the potato chips get pretty finely crushed, or they will fall off when you take the fish out of the pan.

One of my friends once owned a place that served delectable organic small plates in a funky part of town. I had a melt-in-your-mouth soy-miso monkfish that was just to die for. I’ve tried to re-create the experience here. Because monkfish can be hard to find, I use flounder to make this at home, but feel free to use sole, tilapia, salmon, or any fish. For that matter, this would be delicious with chicken or pork tenderloin as well. To make the dish spicier, double or triple the amount of black bean sauce. You can usually find black bean and garlic sauce in the Asian section of the grocery store.

I’ve been finding fresh mangoes at my local grocery store often lately, but if you don’t have one, use a can of puree or fresh orange juice. If you don’t have macadamia nut oil, it’s okay to use another nut oil or even olive oil, but realize you will lose some depth of flavor. Vary your meal by changing the lentils: Red lentils will result in a mushier texture, while green lentils will offer a more al dente eating experience. I like to use white or mellow-flavored miso paste, but the strength of miso flavor is really a personal preference.

The first time I presented this recipe to my children, then four and two, my older son threw a fit, said it looked “disgusting,” and refused to eat it. I calmly reminded him of our rule for new (or forgotten!) foods: You must eat three bites of each item and then if you still don’t like anything on the plate you can have something else. Within minutes they both had polished off full plates and asked for seconds! Garlic is a favorite flavor for my kids, and when the whole garlic cloves come into contact with the spray of oil, they take on a mellow, sautéed taste. Try a less “fishy” fish for unenthusiastic fish eaters; consider sole, flounder, or tilapia.

Not quite a soup, New England fish chowder is known for its succulent large chunks of seafood and vegetables coated in a thin, milky broth. Traditionally this is made with cod; however, tilapia, flounder, or any other white fish will work fine. You can even use fillets directly from the freezer without defrosting them first. The fish will break into pieces as it cooks, or you can break it up while serving. Add any type of fresh or frozen seafood, such as crab or shrimp, or eight ounces of corn kernels for an even heartier meal. The type of milk used will affect how thick the broth is. Choose skim, 2 percent, whole, soy, rice, almond, or even heavy cream to suit your preference. To quickly remove the stems of chard (and other leafy greens like kale), hold the sides of the leaves together in one hand and use the other to rip the stem from the bottom of the leaf. Chard stems can be bitter. By chopping the stems finely and placing them on the bottom of the pot, they will have the opportunity to brown slightly and lose most of their bitterness.

Trust a riverboat captain to throw some fish on the grill. Mama’s husband, Michael Groover, makes his po’boy sandwiches with sweet, mild tilapia fillets and tartar sauce so tasty some of us have been known to eat it on its own. These po’boys are a big, messy, and delicious meal—a real Low Country favorite. Don’t forget to put a bottle of Tabasco on the table for extra punch!

We never get tired of the sweet, mild flavor of tilapia, but some nights we like to pair it with a nice bold sauce like this Italian combo, which offers salty capers and tangy tomatoes. Serve it with a side of rice to soak up all that delicious sauce.

I don’t understand why tilapia is not more popular. It has a flaky texture and good and delicate flavor and can be cooked just about any way you’d prepare any other fish. Plus, it’s safely and sustainably fished, widely available, and affordable. I buy and cook quite a bit of it, sometimes because I seek it out specifically, as when I make this recipe. Other times I get it because I request a specific fish and am told that it’s frozen in the back of the store. In these cases, I choose tilapia instead and am never disappointed.

Let your oven do the work on this juicy, piquant fish and the succulent red and orange roasted vegetables.

Breaded fish is one of our favorites. The richness of pine nuts nicely balances the lemon and herbs to make an irresistible dish. Use just about any fish: flounder, salmon, tilapia, perch, cod, snapper, catfish.

Tilapia, a farm-raised fish, has a very delicate flavor, similar to that of sole. In this recipe, tilapia combines superbly with white wine, sun-dried tomatoes, and artichoke hearts for a dish fit for almost any occasion.

Green spinach and red tomato contrast handsomely with white-flesh fillets in this dish. Microwave potatoes to round out the meal.