Preparing Tilapia for Fish

[_Jessica_]

I am not a cook whatsoever...my idea of a good meal usually comes in a box that you put in the microwave...and I don't eat seafood either, so I'm really at a loss.

I thought I would save money on frozen food by picking up some tilapia fillets. The first night I bought them, they had thawed quite a bit on the ride home. I chopped one fillet up, the fish seemed okay with it, I refroze the rest. The next day, I tried to take the chopped portion out...I could barely break pieces off, it didn't seem to thaw well, I put a little in my tanks, and it went pretty much untouched. It definitely looked different than the prior night that I fed it.

What's the best way to prepare it? I see some recipes online that say to use gelatin when "making your own frozen food"...is this necessary? I know I probably need to freeze it laying down and very thin so I can break off what I need. Now...thawing it in warm water didn't seem to work overly well? What do I need to do...leave it out? I know the frozen shrimp and bloodworms I usually just chuck chunks into the tank, it thaws quickly, and they eat it up.

Sorry...this is probably a dumb thread, but I really don't know much about food preparation.

 

[makoshoemaker]

You aren't supposed to thaw things and refreeze them. I'm not sure why but i've heard that you aren't supposed to for the sake of the food

 

[icherno7]

just chop up the tailapia into bite size piecies and put it in an ice tray with enough water to cover it so it doesnt get freezer burn then freeze it

to feed you just pop out as many of the "tailapia cubes" as you need defrost them and let your fish have at them

btw i find its much easier to chop up the tailapia when it is slightly frozen then fully defrosted

 

[Lupin]

You aren't supposed to thaw things and refreeze them. I'm not sure why but i've heard that you aren't supposed to for the sake of the food

Eeeewww!!!! Thawing the food and refreezing only deteriorates food quality fast. Frozen foods should NEVER be thawed unless you plan to prepare them right away.

Icherno's suggestion is spot on.

 

[syntaxx]

do you guys include the skin? for how long you can keep tilapia fillet in a freezer?

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

do you guys include the skin? for how long you can keep tilapia fillet in a freezer?

I think most people get talipia fillets, not whole fish. It's best to serve within 30 days of being frozen but it can be kept longer...just lowers the quality

 

[syntaxx]

I think most people get talipia fillets, not whole fish. It's best to serve within 30 days of being frozen but it can be kept longer...just lowers the quality

I don't think we have tilapia fillet here at my country though.. what i did is buy a whole fish and fillet it ehehe..

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

I don't think we have tilapia fillet here at my country though.. what i did is buy a whole fish and fillet it ehehe..

oh nice, so do you feed with the skin?

 

[syntaxx]

nope hehe.. i'm hesitant but if someone confirms that its okay to feed the skin then i can try hehe..

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

nope hehe.. i'm hesitant but if someone confirms that its okay to feed the skin then i can try hehe..

I don't see why the skin would be bad. I keep piranhas so i know they eat mostly scales and fin of other fish in the wild. When i can get mackerel, anchovies, silverside whole i feed them that. Dont' see why talapia would be any different