The Best Grilled Tilapia Recipe (15-minute recipe!) (2024)

FAQs

Do I need to soak tilapia before cooking? ›

To minimize the fishy odor, you may soak the tilapia fillets in salted ice water or rub the fish lightly with lemon or lime juice.

Before cooking, soak the fish in milk for 20 minutes

In this scenario, the protein in the milk binds with the compounds that cause that fishy odor, in essence extracting if from the fish. What's left behind is sweet-smelling, brighter flesh with clean flavor. (Just make sure you pour that milk down the drain.

Remove the scales from fish if a recipe calls for it, but leave your fish unrinsed to prevent your kitchen from becoming a breeding ground for germs.

Tilapia is high in protein, low in calories, and contains many vital nutrients. Some health benefits of tilapia may include protecting your heart and bones and preventing cancer. It can be a healthy addition to most people's diets when sourced well. Henry Ford Health.

Be sure to stick with the general rule of thumb that allows for 8-10 minutes of grill time per inch of fish. Therefore, if your fish is an inch in thickness, grill each side for about three to four minutes.

Online research had recommended letting the fish soak submerged in milk for around 20 minutes, before rinsing and cooking in your preferred fashion.

In a 3-quart bowl, soak fish in milk for 15-20 minutes. The casein protein in milk binds to the trimethylamine in the fish flesh, reducing the “fishy” odor.

If the pan is not hot enough, the tilapia will not crisp up but instead absorb too much oil, making them soggy. You may need to add additional butter and olive oil when cooking in batches. Tilapia cooks up quickly! Avoid overcooking, or the fish will be tough.

The off-flavor is typically found in farmed freshwater fish like trout and carp, but also in pangasius and tilapia, two of the most lucrative aquaculture species in the world. The main culprit for the muddy taste is geosmin, a compound produced by aquatic microorganisms found in water where fish are raised.

However, one of the easiest and most popular ways to prepare this fish is to pop it in the oven. While baking tilapia is relatively straightforward, both overcooking and undercooking can lead to disappointing results.

Should fish be soaked before cooking? ›

Lisa Featherby, Gourmet Traveller food editor, writes: Soaking fish in brine or water before cooking to remove any muddy taste is not necessary.

Don't let your fish soak in water for long, even if it's ice-cold water. This will soften the flesh and eventually you'll have a mushy fillet.

Brining fish with salt before cooking is a helpful, but not crucial, step. The brine mixture adds flavor and firmness to the fish as it extracts excess moisture from the flesh which can make it stick to the pan during cooking. Lean white fish like cod and rockfish benefit greatly from a quick, dry brine.

(Heartier white fishes like haddock, cod, or even tilapia can take anywhere from 15 minutes up to about an hour of soaking.)