Give our local tilapia fillet a chance

This is a rejoinder on my last column regarding the concern of reader Mary-Ann Coronado on the toxicity of cream dory (aka pangasius) imported from Vietnam. As an alternative, I highly recommended giving our local tilapia fillet a chance.

Dear Claude,

You did an excellent job on the Vietnam fish. You know, the more I cook this fish, the more I feel something is not good with the fish, that’s why I stopped buying it lately. I’m glad there’s someone who pointed it out. Can you please share some recipes on how to cook tilapia fillet?

Esther Mulchand, Parañaque

Many thanks, Esther, for your rejoinder. As I mentioned in my last column, not only are the tilapia fillets as good, but probably better than its imported counterparts. You’ll also be patronizing the local producers, leaving less of a carbon imprint, at that. I’ll say it again, I’ve seen firsthand how the tilapia are raised in ponds in Arayat, Pampanga, whose water comes from a spring well on the slopes of Mt. Arayat, as well as its seafood-processing facility with air-blast freezers in Clark, Pampanga. To top it all off, no antibiotics are used in raising them and they are fed with natural grains. The tilapia fillets come frozen, available at SM Hypermarts, Landmark Supermarket and S&R, under the brands Nile Pacific and El Pescador Tilapia Fillets.  Tilapia is a fast-growing, hardy and prolific tropical fish native to the River Nile in Northern Africa. It also goes by the name “St. Peter’s fish,” coming from the story in the Gospel of Matthew about the apostle Peter catching a fish that carried a coin in its mouth in the Sea of Galilee. Many tilapia species have been farmed in small-scale artisanal fisheries in the area for thousands of years. Like other large fishes, they are low in saturated fat, calories, carbohydrates, sodium, and are a good source of protein and popular among commercial fisheries.

Anyway, here are two of my favorite recipes using tilapia fillets:

Fish and chips: Considered as the British national dish, this deep-fried dish has been the commoners’ staple for 150 years. It was traditionally fried in beef drippings (fat from the Sunday roast beef, another quintessential British meal), but due to health concerns, vegetable oil is more commonly used nowadays. Mostly white fish (fish with milky white-looking flesh) like halibut, hake, monkfish, John Dory and cod are used. Tom Parker Bowles, food editor of Esquire UK, shared this recipe when he visited us in Bale Dutung last year. The secret, he said, is in the crisp and fluffy full-flavored batter shell in which the fish is steamed to a flaky, tender and moist consistency, while the addition of rice flour to the batter keeps the crispness longer in the fried fish. And yes, tilapia fillets work perfectly well, being considered a “white fish” for purposes of cooking and wine-pairing selection. Its flesh may not be as tender and flaky as cod, the most famous white fish, but it is similar and costs only a fraction of its imported cousins. Some adjustments were made in my kitchen.

Tilapia fish & chips

Ingredients:

4 pcs. skinless tilapia fillet, each approximately 200 grams each (best thawed in ref overnight)

Marinade:

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 tbsps. kalamansi juice

vegetable oil for deep frying

2 tsps. fresh yeast  

1 ¼ cup beer

6 tbsps. plus 2 tsps. plain flour

5 tbsps. plus 1 tsps rice flour

4 tsps. Cornstarch

2 tsps. salt.

For the chips (called French fries hereabouts):

1kilo potatoes

Serves four

Procedure:

Place the thawed tilapia fillets in a plastic bag and put in the marinade mix. Turn over a few times to coat the fillets well with the marinade. Keep inside ref for at least 30 minutes.

For the batter, whisk the yeast into the beer, then mix in the flour and salt. Allow to stand in a warm place (inside oven or above ref) for about 30 minutes to puff up and bubble.

Meanwhile, peel, rinse and dry the potatoes. Cut uniformly (for even cooking) into ½-inch sticks or thinner. Don’t soak them in water as the starch will be washed away, and it’s needed to stop them from cooking too quickly without softening.

Heat the oil in a deep pan (no more than a third full) to 140°C. Put in the potato sticks and cook for about 5 minutes, until they are soft and translucent. Remove and place in a strainer. Increase the oil temperature to 170°C. Coat the fish fillet through the batter and lower it into the oil. As the fish is heavy it will sink at first and the oil won’t envelop it properly, so support the fish with a slatted turner until the yeast in the batter puffs it up and it floats by itself. Turn over after 2 minutes and continue frying another minute until golden and crispy. Lift out and drain on kitchen paper. Continue the same process with the other fillets, one piece at a time. When done, remove all the fried batter bits left in the pan with a strainer.

Get the oil as hot as you can (around 180°C) and return the half-cooked potatoes, and fry further until golden brown. Place in strainer or paper towel. Serve with tartar sauce or a lemon wedge, or alternatively, bring out your spicy sinamak or pinakurat vinegar.

Tartar sauce:

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp. capers

1 tbsp. gherkins

1 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley

1 pc. Shallot

Procedure:

Chop finely all the 4 items; juice of 1 lemon or the equivalent in kalamansi; salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Put all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Keep refrigerated until needed. This can keep inside the ref for about a week.

Steamed tilapia fillet pouches

This is the French en papillote or parchment-wrapped dish, with the fish steamed or grilled over charcoal cooked in its own natural juices, retaining all its flavors contained in the pouch. This is ideal for someone on a diet, being less calorific than the previous recipe. Saltiness can be adjusted to one’s taste.

Ingredients:

4 pcs. thawed tilapia fillet, each approx. 200 grams each

Marinade:

2 tbsps. Chinese rice wine

2 tbsps. ginger juice (grate ginger finely and squeeze out juice)

2 tbsps. Patis

2 tbsps. light soy sauce

Topping:

1/4 cup each of the following, finely chopped: garlic, young ginger, cilantro stems (reserve leaves for garnishing), and spring onions

1 tsp. peanut, olive or soya oil per fillet

Procedure:

Place the thawed tilapia fillets in a plastic bag and put in the marinade mix. Turn over a few times to coat well the fillets with the marinade. Keep inside ref for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare topping ingredients and mix well. Cut 4 pieces aluminum foil into 12-inch squares, 1 for each fillet. Lay 1 piece foil on a plate and place 1 fillet in the center. Pour 1 tbsp. of marinade liquid from the plastic bag, 1 tsp. oil, and top with 2 heaping tbsps. of topping mixture. Wrap tightly. Boil water in steamer before placing the pouches on the rack, single layer only. Steam for 10 minutes. Alternatively, the pouches can be grilled over charcoal for the same amount of time. Just before serving, add cilantro leaves as you open each pouch.

* * *

Fire away your questions at Facebook Claude Tayag or e-mail claudetayag@gmail.com.