Weeknight Chicken and Vegetables Beef Bulgogi Cerra nr How to Buil Great Grain B Defercluper= Leics Fasiest-Ever Biscuits Exetel Browned inca SlossWhy You Should Try Tilapia We were skeptics, too—until we did our homework. The facts: Most tilapia is responsibly raised and features moist, firm flesh with a clean, mild taste. nl recently, tilapia was not fish that ever came up in four weekly discussion of potential recipes ta develop. We had a vague idea of it as being 2 second-rate, predominantly farm-raised fish with a muddy taste, so why even go there? Then we learned that tilapia ie now the fourth-most-consumed seafood inthe United States (after sheimp, tuna, ‘and salmon) and decided that ews ime totake a closerlook A tlpiafct-finding mission ensued: We scoured the internet for information and started experiment ing in the testktchen, Boy, were we ever ‘wrong about ths fish, Tilapia has awhole Jot going for it including a strong rec ‘ommendstion from a leading consumer watchdog group (sce “Three Reasons to Love Tilapia") “The lsh of spa, a freshwater fh, i fim and moist, wih 3 lean, ild—not t all muddy-—flavor, sor of creas between trout and flounder, In fact, tlapia is v0 appealing that when we included ie in 2 bind easing of fve types of white Bh, it landed in second place, ony one point shy of tying for the win (ce “How Good Is Te Tilapia verus Other White Fish”) Given that stellar showing and che fit tha apa is so reasonably riced—it runs only about S8.95 per pound-—we no good reson nero cook with if, Dividing and Conquering dove igh in, eager le his magazine’ it lpia rscpe. knew tha favor brenning woul enhance the filets’ delicate taste, soa simple soxetop sauté seemed ke the best way to go, Because it had been awhile since we developed a ecipe for reltvly thin ‘whitefish ills, I wondered if T should apply sons we've leamed from cooking simon, These days we usually Brine or akc salmon before cooking seasons the flsh and helps iretain moisture, which bene vena By sh, Indeed, when T quickly sautéed both tilapia that I'l salted for 15 minutes and unsated sli, the former was moister and better seasoned, SSSer uit Ms 3 BY STEVE DUNN ‘We cook tapa over igh heat to develop deep golden browning with crisp spots. Our brig Claro Chimichur complet the an ah ‘With that question answered, I was read to cook the fish [salted another batch of fillets and bloted them dry with paper towels before giving each one 2 dip into all-purpose flour, a technique we com ‘monly wie to accelerate browning. At I proceeded to cook the lightly costed fishin two batches in sn ollicked nonstick sllet over mel heat, I noticed yet another Hkeable tt: Wheres most thin Sh ils are agile and demand a gene touch, ¢ denser lpia didn’t fake apart, soit was easy 10 _mancuver inthe pan Unforeunately, moderate heat Bled to brow the fishin the few sore minutes it took to reach 130 degrees, the donenessremperature we Found Ideal for sap. In a subsequent tes, I cranked the neat upto high and waspleased to fnd thatthe study tiga could withsand thie aggresive approach, ‘Afirjust 2 to 3 minutes pr sde, some deep golden browning developed, itt was’ uniform, (nly half of esch filet was taking on color; the other half emerged from the pan pale as could be, That's because tlpia are smal, 0 singe fille is 3 whole side of the sh. Half the Silt the thinner belly porvon, and the other halls the thicker portion beneath the dora fn. “The thick halfwas resting fat on the pan and browning sicely, butte thin half, ted up bythe hick ide, hardly made contact ll As I stared at four more files on my cutting board, an answer presented ise. A aturlsea runs the length of each ilk, separating the thin belly from the thicker portion, Iran my knife along the seams to split the filets. Then, sil working in eo batches, f sautéed the four thick bales rogether before proceeding with the four thin has. That did the wick: Frecing the thin pices gave chem fll contact with the pan, allowing them to tue a deep golden brown, and cooking the thick and {hin aes separately le me tailor the cook ing time to suit the thicknes ofeach Reeling Ie In But the high heat 1 wae using caused 2 problem: AFI browned the fit batch of filets they shed a bit of the flour into the silt. By the time the second batch ‘went in, those flour particles were starting to bum, producing scorched favors and smoking up the kitchen I didn’t want ro have to wipe outa hot pan berwsen batches, 01 rana quick test without the flour dredge tose if TILAPIA, THICK AND THIN “Tapaisasmal eh, s0 a et compres one whol seo boy. The belly portion ofthe files Uns than the top poron 3 dary ‘hates to uneven cooking. Our skuion: Ung ‘he sam runing down th canter ofeach et a8 ule, ut the na thick portions apart Se ook them separately i CA THELEN EUROHow Good Is It? Tilapia versus Other White Fish By the me wet rite developing our pia recipe, we were converts ml taste and mos, rm lsh are hard to beat. Evens. we were intgued bya bind | aning he Wootton Ps stagedin its fess a couple f years back comparing lpia to seven other varieties of fh, The tasting panel cided rencwned D.C. chef ‘Seott revo ost ood erie Tom Slesema and fisheries expert. among ater. Not only dd apa come in second, but Chef Drewno, former a apa deactor, declared hi favor "We deed to condet our own bind tating, comparing tala to four ther common white ih: Rounder brano, dock, and supper. The fh arrived titres rom our sealod purveyor na single delivery, and we prepare lth lt cconngto our Saved Tip rep, using cooking ies as necessary to ‘erure hata he iets reached 130 degrees. Here aga, dhe apa not dsappaine. Wah its "Yury." "moist" and "meaty. mid ate of koury” eared strong | second place, ming efor pce vad by toe pie |] Ba ne pos (s10ssin) (6259516) 15950) was realy necessary. It wasn’: The high heat alone was sufficient to ge the filets remarkably browned and even lightly erp in spors. “The fish was top-notch with just a squeeze of Jemo, but ffl that arch fsishing touch would {ge ical more oomph. I eame up with a unique ‘compound butter seasoned wih savory mis, fart Jemon, and oniony chives and an alive oil-based chimichur featuring fresh cbntro and parsey. Spooned onto the hoteom-the-pan lpia, the ‘oppings added aromati pops of favor. ‘At long ls, ere isa great recipe for api, We're sony we waited s long, SAUTEED TILAPIA You can use fresh ooze lpi in this recipe (it frozen, thaw before cooking). Tere is no need £0 take the temperature of the thin has ofthe fills, they willbe cooked through by the time they are golden brown. If desired, you can omit the lemon. ‘edges and sere the fh with Chive-Lemon Mizo ‘Bure or Glantro Chienichure (recipes follow). Our ‘recipes for Sautéed Tilapia with Chive-Lemon Miso ‘Burer for Two and Sautéed Tibpia with Cilantro Chimichur for Two are availabe for free forfour ‘months at Cooksllustrated com /b19, 4 (6to.-ounes) skinless hapa le | teaspoon Kosher sale 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Lemon wedget 1, Place tilapia on cutting board and sprinkle both sides with alt, Let sit st room temperature for 15 minutes. Papi dry with paper towel. Using scam that es dsm middle of ile a8 guide, cut cach filet in half ngsnwise ro create 1 thick half snd I thin hal 2. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet ove igh ‘neat unt just smoking. Addl thick halves of filers to skillet. Cook, tiking and gently shaking skillet ‘cessionally to distibute oil, until undersides are {golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Using thin spacula, flip filets. Cook unt second sides are olden brown nd lpia registers 130 to 135 degrecs, 210 3 mi ‘utes, Transfer tilapia to serving platter 23. Return silt to high heat. When ol i just smoking, add thin alves of filets and ook val undersides are golden brown, about 1 minute Flip and cook until second sides are golden brown, bout | minute. Transfer to platter and serve wich lemon wedges. CHIVE-LEHON Miso BUTTER We like the deicate favor of white mise in this recipe, but ed miso canbe substited. Dot Sautéed “Tlpia with miso buter before serving. 2 tablespoons white miso | teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 easpoons lee Ye. tespoon pepper 4 tablespoons unsalted bute, softened 2 tablespoone minced fresh chives Combine miso, mon zest and juice, and pepper in small bow. Add butter ana ste uni filly ncor- porated. Stirin chives and set aside. CILANTRO CHIMICHURRL ‘Briefly soaking the died oregano in hor water and vinegar before combining it wih the remaining {ingredients helps soften cand release it vor. Top Sautéed Tilapia with V4 cup of chimichur before sensing and pase remaining chimichur separately. tablespoons hot water tablespoons red wine woepar teaspoon dred oregano ‘up minced fresh parsay up minced fresh anero srl cloves, minced teaspoon kosher se ‘teaspoon re pepper fies cup extra-virgin ale it. ee ese Combine ho wate, vinegar, and oregano in medium bowl let stand Tor 5 minutes. Add panley, cilantro, gat, st, and pepper fakes and stir 10 ‘combine. Whisk in ol unt incorporated. Three Reasons to Love Tilapia “Tug adtodrepratonor mit Sr ban tering wcvius ave pred quo se porte Feat fn Hee arya seule ITTASTES GREAT Mosk agrees provdce meaty tspia with amid favor. FPS NUTRITIOUS: Tlipa filet ar own fat and igh ingrown. ITS SUSTAINABLE: The astinable seafood adviser Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch is apa ea Bex Choke 9