Its just about impossible to research Tilapia without seeing some statement regarding its Omega 6 content (considered a bad fatty acid). However all the fuss is just that: “much ado about nothing”.  Mainly it is the overindulgence by some to soak up anything presented by “authorities” and never questioning what is being stated.  What you may have read in the press is misleading.   The following is taken from the Mayo Clinic regarding the controversy.

The National Institutes of Health funded study by Weaver and colleagues looked at the favorable omega-3 fatty acid content and unfavorable omega-6 contents of commonly eaten fish and found that while catfish and tilapia contain both, they contain a high amount of unfavorable omega-6 fat.

They report that a 3-ounce portion of catfish or tilapia contains 67 and 134 milligrams respectively of the bad fat (the same amount of 80 percent lean hamburger contains 34 milligrams, and bacon 191 milligrams).

Does this mean you should give them up? No! The rebuttal by Harris is in the same journal. He says the logic of judging fatty fish by the amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fat contents is flawed. Governmental and professional organizations haven’t used such a ratio for years.

My recipe for Tilapia comes from a lot of trial and error.  I love fish, but in all honesty frying it up is often messy and not something I want to deal with in terms of clean up.  However, I developed a quick method for first steaming the Tilapia, then coating it with my favorite fish fry seasoning and giving the already cooked fish a two minute fry on a cast iron frying pan.  The secret is to use the individually frozen fish that are also sealed individually in a plastic wrap.

Seasoned Fish Fry and Frozen Tilapia

Recipe:

• Place two individual Frozen packages in a micro wave and cook on high (about 900 watts) for about 2 and 1/2 minutes.  This is a bit tricky because you have to watch the packages as they expand from the steam.  As soon as one package expands, remove from the microwave, close door and continue to cook the second package until it expands.

  

• If you leave the package in too long it will burst! So watch this closely.  However do not puncture the packages before steaming.  It is tempting but it is not necessary and might actually result in undercooked fish.
• Place both cooked packages on a cutting board and allow to cool for a couple of minutes.  When the packages collapse cut along the long edge and drain out excess water.

  

• Cover liberally on both sides with a fish fry seasoning.

  

• Place both fish in a heated cast iron frying pan (sprayed with Olive Oil) and fry up just long enough to get a gold crust on the fish (about 1 or two minutes on each side).

  

  If some gets to much burn just roll it off the fish with a spatula. It is really that simple.

  Note: After removing the cooked fish from the frying pan you should immediately pour water into the hot skillet. This will make cleaning easy without the need for a lot of scrubbing.  Use only water to clean your cast iron pan…do not use soap on it.

• Serve Up!

  

ENJOY!

From Nevyn’s Kitchen