Never tried it but it’s popular amongst the Filipino community here, not sure why if it’s so bad, it’s not the cheapest option (though it’s around 2-3 USD per kilo for whole fish)
Tilapia is indeed a crappy* fish, but I really doubt that fish sold for human consumption are raised on human waste. Got a cite for that?
I know that tilapia are used to eat plants in the effluent of some water treament plants, feeding on plants that remove nitrates from clear, treated water. but I don’t believe that these fish are sold for human consumption.
*not to be confused with crappie…
Having been to several Tilapia farms in Asia, I can tell you without a doubt that they are not fed human waste. In fact, the production of fish food for aquaculture is a very lucrative business as the farmers get the best yield if they feed the fish a specially formulated diet. In the early days of Tilapia farming, most farms used natural earth bottoms for their ponds and all fresh water fish will pick up a “muddy” flavor if there is vegetation at the bottom of the pond that they feed on. The introduction of gravel and concrete bottom ponds have eliminated much of that, but it still can occur depending on the producer. I know that people worry about food from Asia, but I can tell you from first hand experience that the hygiene and safety conditions in well run fish processing plants put many of the operations here in the states to shame.
Love tilapia. Eat it often at home and at restaurants. Freshly killed steamed tilapia is delicious with a light sweet soy sauce
That was my point. The source of your food, and how it was raised, is more important than a name.
I know this is an old topic, but in college, as part of my horticulture training, we were in the “agg” department. The “farmers” down the hall we’re constantly doing market research, and one big area 15 years ago was aquaculture. Total side note but they accurately predicted back then the rise in popularity of fish as a protein source in the us. They had large ponds of farm raised trout and/ or salmon, I can’t remember which. Anyhow, down river but in the same pond separated by gates from the salmon was tilapia. They were used to increase the overall yield of the system. Basically the tilapia fed on the excrement and uneaten or not fully digested food of the more prized fish. Not entirely sure if this practice is used on full scale aqua farms these days, but it was enough to turn me off forever on tilapia. That being said, the feed they give pigs and the “finishing grain mix” for cows wasn’t much better (to increase protein and calcium the literally fed them the ground carcasses of other animas.) For some strange reason hearing this never bothered me as much as the poo eating tilapia fish. Maybe because the feeding of cows to other cows was more of a hearsay and I saw first hand the tilapia farms, or maybe because after mad cow (about the same time I was in school) this refeading became discouraged (maybe not existent in the us at all.)
From Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch:
“Tilapia is a mild, white fish that’s farm-raised and fast growing. It’s one of the most popular seafood items in the U.S. today. Your “Best Choice” is tilapia that’s tank-farmed in the U.S. and Canada, or in carefully managed ponds in Ecuador. Tilapia farmed in ponds in China and Taiwan is a “Good Alternative,” rather than a “Best Choice,” because there’s some concern about waste management and the use of chemicals. Naturland certifies some tilapia farms as sustainable”.
I wouldn’t care if Tilapia was tank farmed in the USA as I find it tasteless. Odd, how so many want fish that doesn’t taste like fish.
I do not eat tilapia. You gotta make an effort
http://www.muhlenberg.edu/toc/tilapia.htm
I don’t eat tilapia because I find it bland…and I don’t like farmed turbot either, though I like the wild versions.
In the early '90s, I read that in Allentown, PA a tilapia farming business was flourishing, and visited it. I remember that they’d go into their pristine tanks with a net…pick out a couple and then club them to death to filet them/gut them. As I said, I have never been intrired by the taste. But, I spend a decent amount of time in Maine …and get my seafood fix there…so I can stick to those I like, at home.
But, the above link belies the claim that it is like an 80-20 hamburger mix or swims in a toilet tank , at least in the US…(that college is down the street from the place I visited…not sure what happened to that enterprise.)
I can vouch for tilapia being big in Filipino cuisine. I bite my tongue when it gets ordered. But the preps generally provide enough flavor that the blandness of the fish isn’t such a big deal.
I just say no to tilapia.
No farmed salmon, either.
Why on the salmon? In some ways…well farmed salmon tastes as good/maybe better than wild, IMO. For smoking, which I do…it is better, as it has more fat…
so…curious re: your rigidity on the farmed salmon, at least. Tilapia isn’t worth a fight…it’s boring fish by any criterion.
I don’t think farmed salmon tastes very good, and I don’t like the texture. The only time I really eat it is in nova, and even that no longer tastes as it used to.
From the aforementioned Seafood Watch program:
Consumer Note
The majority of salmon farmed today are Atlantic salmon. A small quantity of Pacific salmon - Chinook and coho - is also farmed. Salmon is known as sake when prepared for sushi.
Summary
Salmon farmed in open net pens are vulnerable to infection from diseases and parasites, and are treated with antibiotics and pesticides. Pesticide use is low in British Columbia. Although antibiotic use has declined there, the majority of types used are highly-important for treating infections in humans and there are no regulatory limits on total use should a disease outbreak occur.
The Atlantic salmon farming industry in British Columbia is located on important migration routes for young wild Pacific salmon and there continues to be a high concern regarding the potential transfer of diseases and parasites to wild fish populations.
Consumers interested in purchasing salmon are encouraged to look for either wild-caught salmon, U.S.-farmed freshwater coho salmon that is clearly labeled, or Verlasso® salmon, and “Avoid” other farmed Atlantic salmon.
My cousin worked briefly at a salmon farm in Scotland. I believe they have an organic certification (maybe not organic; I would have to ask him). He was very impressed with the conditions there, and I believe he saw everything that was going into that water. Some of the farm-raised Scottish salmon that I’ve had is my favorite of any. It’s so delicious, and with the higher fat content, it’s very easy to keep it extremely tender with any cooking method I’ve tried. I totally agree about smoked versions, too.
I used to not like farmed salmon. But…Scottish and Norwegian taste good to me; have good texture. And, for cold smoking, which I do a fair amount (nova; lox), blind taste testing shows people actually prefer the farmed versions (Norwegian mostly). I think it is because the fat content is higher than wild.
On the other hand, I know farmed salmon I’ve had from Chile is not too good…and is bad for smoking. Some others, too.
Wild salmon is not good for smoking; too lean. Good for eating…but not all types. Am not a fan of wild coho.
The industry is in its infancy…but…like with farmed beef, pork, etc…that’s the direction we’re all heading in. All farmed salmon is not the same, just like other farmed animal products.
Right you are.
I overstated my disdain for farmed salmon.