In Vietnam, in addition to the cultivation of an extremely common fish - pangasius, production of other fish species has also been put on stream. For example, tilapia.
This fish is a relative of the usual perch. The rivers of Africa are considered her homeland . It has another unofficial name - “fish of St. Peter”, because according to legend, this holy apostle was engaged in tilapia fishing during his wanderings. According to legend, the dark spots behind the tilapia gills are traces of the fingers of the apostle.
Tilapia has very tender and lean meat, so this fish is suitable for cooking almost any dish. It can be boiled, including steamed, fried, baked in the oven.
Tilapia fillets can be used to prepare a wide variety of dishes. For example, as an appetizer, you can cook this fish in batter. To prepare this dish, you need to wash the tilapia fillet (we need 4 pcs.), Dry it with a paper towel, salt (you can sprinkle with a suitable seasoning for fish) and set aside for a while. While the fish is pickling, prepare dough for batter. We break three eggs into a bowl and beat them with a mixer or whisk, pour half a glass of milk, and even better - cream, salt, add greens (dill and parsley, you can dried) and mix. Now pour in the flour and mix everything to get a semi-liquid dough. Flour requires approximately 4-6 tablespoons.
We cut the fish into small pieces, dip in the finished batter and fry in hot oil. Such a fish can be eaten immediately, as they say - “from the pan”, or you can cool and serve cold.
The original version of this dish can be called tilapia fillet fried in a potato breading. That is, batter for this version of the dish will be prepared not from flour, but from potatoes.
So, for 600 grams of fish fillet you will need five medium-sized potatoes, an onion, a couple of eggs, three tablespoons of flour, butter for frying the fish and seasoning.
We will prepare the fish fillet , as in the first recipe, that is, wash, dry, season and leave for 10 minutes to marinate. Meanwhile, fry the finely chopped onion, and rub the potatoes on a fine grater, first, of course, peeling and washing it. Press the potato mass properly, put in a deep bowl. Add the fried onions there, break the eggs. Mix everything, salt and add seasonings to your liking.
Now heat the oil in a pan and reduce the heat to moderate. Take a piece of tilapia fillet and dip it on one side into a potato breading. Put the fillet in the pan with the potatoes down. Now spread the breading on top and fry our fish for 10 minutes. Gently flip the pieces, using a spatula, and cover the pan with a lid. Now we will reduce the fire and we will cook the fish for another 10 minutes.
As you can see, using this recipe for preparing tilapia fillets, you can cook a fairly substantial dish that does not need a side dish. Serving such a fish is best with a vegetable or green salad.
How to cook tilapia fillets in the oven? There are many options. Here is perhaps one of the simplest. Take four pieces of fillet (about 100 grams each), rub them with salt and seasonings for the fish. Put in a prepared form, which is pre-oiled. On top of each fillet, put two slices of lemon. We will bake in the oven at a temperature of 175 degrees for 20 minutes. As a sauce for fish, you can serve mayonnaise or a mixture of mayonnaise with sour cream, garlic, lemon juice and herbs.
Baked tilapia can also be prepared according to more complex recipes. For example, add mushrooms, vegetables to the fish, cook it with a cheese crust or some sauce.
Healthy food fans can steam tilapia. To do this, wash the washed fish with lemon juice and soy sauce and sprinkle with seasonings. Leave to marinate like this for 20 minutes, and then cook in a double boiler for 10 minutes. Fragrant and healthy dish suitable for diet, ready!