Taming Tilapia

Our ancestors have done battle for generations with the noble beasts of the sea.  These brave fisher-folk have risked all in the pursuit of swordfish, salmon, crab, even whale to feed their families on the ocean's bounty.

What would they think of tilapia?  They may never have heard of that freshwater runt.  As one point of reference, the strictest forms of the paleo diet seem to frown on its fish farms' grain feed and possible mercury content(?).

Whatever.  It's cheap and easy to cook.  I've tried different versions of in recent months, and finally decided to commit some of the key permutations to the record.

I owe the basis of my tilapia dishes to this helpful video.  I haven't made it past the baked tilapia portions... but I haven't had to.  The basics: bed of spinach, 400 degrees, 15 minutes.  From there, it's up to you.  I've experimented with a couple successful options that can turn even fillets of questionable freshness into an appealing meal:

• Italian: garlic, rosemary, salt & pepper; optional cherry tomatoes, red pepper, Parmesan cheese or pepperoni
• Southwestern: diced jalapenos, a sprinkle of cumin, salt & pepper
• Asian: soy sauce, grated ginger, sesame seeds, pepper 
• Country(?): mustard, thyme, salt & pepper
• More to come...

You might notice a few commonalities in those recipes.  It may not be the nutritional or moral high road, but salt can really add a lot to the mild fish flavor.  Other than that, the only limitations are the imagination and the contents of the bachelor's cupboard.