Tilapia
Oreochromis niloticus · Fish
Top 10 pairings
Tilapia is a hardy, fast-growing freshwater fish (above all the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus) farmed on every inhabited continent and now among the most consumed fish on Earth. Its lean, flaky, snow-white flesh is exceptionally mild — almost neutral — which makes it a blank canvas that drinks up whatever lemon, garlic, chilli or spice it is cooked with.
Picking a good onedrag
Just in: bright eyes, firm, fresh and mildOff: milky eyes, soft, sour or ammonia smell
Counter freshEveryday bestCook to 145°F (63°C). Thawed may press softer but must still smell fresh. An earthy, muddy taste is geosmin from its water: a flaw, not spoilage.
The fillet or cut fleshGloss going, a waxy look, edges still clean
The pressA little less elastic, still springs back
Eyes and gills, whole fishEyes a touch sunken; gills less bright, slime clear
Smell at the fleshNeutral: very little smell, nothing off