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“(tilapia is) …a potentially dangerous food source for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases that are particularly vulnerable to an ‘exaggerated inflammatory response’. Inflammation is known to cause damage to blood vessels, the heart, lung and joint tissues, skin, and the digestive tract.” http://www2.wfubmc.edu/News/NewsARticle.htm?ArticleID=2400
I agree with others - I only buy whole fish, or ask to make filet from a whole fish I can see and recognize.
Many consumers are misled frequently when they buy fish because they have limited knowledge about seafood.
(Even with scallops you can't be absolutely sure that you get what you pay for, and scallops are not cheap.)
Unscrupulous people sell cheaper fish for more expensive - its called a culinary bait and switch, and consumers routinely pay for more expensive fish and got cheaper substitutes.
But in many cases that's just a blatant mislabeling done by wholesalers.
BTW: Over 80% of tilapia consumed in the US comes from China. About 50% of Tilapia from Asia is raised on diets of animal manure.
Feeding the fish with pig and chicken feces is much cheaper than using standard fish food.
Farmed fish from Asia is the worst fish to eat, IMHO. People are buying it because it's cheap. I guess, most still prefer cheap no matter how bad is the quality.
I don't buy this crap, and I don't eat fish chowder at the restaurants. Actually, while I love fish, I don't eat fish at the restaurants, except is a whole fish, I can recognize. Seafood mislabeled, misidentified species of fish, CR investigates
I hate tilapia...and the mental image of those scavengers swimming in cloudy water in a tank....until harvested...makes me sick. How did this freshwater fish capture the American sea food market?!
I despise that insipid slug of the fish world, Tilapia. As I have said before, it has no intrinsic flavor whatsoever and the texture is somewhere between firm tofu and tempeh.
We raise some excellent catfish here in the US, but I still see Swai being sold as a substitute for catfish.
In the sushi bars I'll never eat anything called "white fish" and I can't believe some sushi bars actually serve Tilapia by name. Since when is consuming raw freshwater fish a good idea?
Swai IS a catfish.
[LEFT]Swai are farmed river catfish native to Southeast Asia. They are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, and they are naturally low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Much like the American catfish, Swai are light, sweet and flaky. Often compared to the mild cod and sole, Swai can be used in pretty much any recipe calling for basic fish
[LEFT]Swai are farmed river catfish native to Southeast Asia. They are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, and they are naturally low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Much like the American catfish, Swai are light, sweet and flaky. Often compared to the mild cod and sole, Swai can be used in pretty much any recipe calling for basic fish
I know EXACTLY what Swai is, as well as Basa . I don't want Asian Swai when perfectly good US catfish is what I'm really looking for . When I buy local catfish I know exactly how they were raised. Can you say the same about that Swai you're so willing to have me eat?
You go and eat your Swai, but I'll continue to purchase a known product from local producers .
I'm not a big fish eater, but I did enjoy the tilapia until I found out most of it is from China. Now, I buy frozen wild fish at Trader Joes. The selection varies, I've seen cod, sole, salmon, mahi mahi, although I believe they have other fish I'm not as familiar with.
It's happened twice in the past couple of months. At the regular supermarket, I bought a package of cod fillets, unfrozen from the display.. They were highly variable, some really mushy soft, others not so bad, but even the best not what I expected from cod.
Then yesterday, I bought three pounds of catfish nuggets from a bin at a market that specializes in quality meats. Definitely not catfish. Same mushy texture as the cod. I've never bought tilapia, but I've heard it has that kind of texture. I'm taking that back, because even if an expert witness calls it catfish, it's the worst catfish I've ever seen and I consider my satisfaction to be guaranteed, whether stated or not. Both were over three dollars a pound, the cod on special and the catfish at normal price.
I suspect that in both cases, the store was foisting off tilapia, calling and pricing it as a better fish. Not necessarily the store's fault, they get it from a wholesaler who tells them what to call it, but even I could tell by looking at it when I got it home that it didn't look and didn't fry like catfish.
Then I remembered this article I saw a few months ago.
I cannot say what fish you are getting, but tilapia is NOT mushy textured, unless it is rotten. Tilapia actually has a firmer texture, and a slightly sweet taste. It has a characteristic shape and looks slightly pink-tinged. It's actually very good. Try it sometime. Just make sure you don't buy tilapia that was farm raised in China, because the Chinese have a habit of adulterating food to make a fraction of a cent more - remember melamine in baby formula and dairy products, tainted dog food, there were more instances that I cannot recall now.
I hate tilapia...and the mental image of those scavengers swimming in cloudy water in a tank....until harvested...makes me sick. How did this freshwater fish capture the American sea food market?!
Because tilapia is particularly amenable to fish farming conditions. It's Saint Peter's fish, native to the Galilee in northern Israel.
Uh... no - it's not very good. It's not even "kinda" good. It's a convenient protein source. You eat your tilapia and I'll just munch on a bucket of fried grasshoppers.
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. I don't want Asian Swai when perfectly good US catfish is what I'm really looking for 
. When I buy local catfish I know exactly how they were raised. Can you say the same about that Swai you're so willing to have me eat?
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