One of the most common fish types in East Africa mainly is tilapia. It’s tasty, rich and easy to prepare in different ways. Different countries in Africa make it differently, which is excellent. But, for this piece, we’re interested in the simplest way to prepare fresh tilapia fish.
While the standard method, even in Kenya, is to first deep fry it, then stew it or eat it as fried, you could also fret it without frying fast. I find it delicious and, of course, with its unique flavours for fish lovers.
Where will I get the fish?
I love going for the lake fish rather than the pond ones. Don’t mind me, though; I’m just biased because I love the traditional ones. So, of course, there are fish markets all over the cities where you can buy them from. Better yet, get the fish from the lake shores like me.
Let’s prepare fresh tilapia fish
Ingredients
- 2 large fresh fish
- spring onions
- 1 red onion
- 6 large tomatoes
- salt
- 1 bell pepper
- Dhania or coriander leaves.
- garlic-ginger paste (optional)
- 2 cups of water
Method
Get your fresh fish from the fish market, and today we are talking about tilapia. For us from the lakeside, tilapia is a must-have at home at least once a week. If you have access to the lake, you are lucky as you will get it directly from the lake if you like.
Next, you want to descale the fish and clean its inner parts. This you should know how to do already, or if you do not know how to allow the fish mongers to clean the fish types.
Chop the vegetables in preparation for the cooking. It takes a much shorter time to cook this kind of fish. The other one will need you to fry or bake; that takes time.
Set the saucepan on the stovetop and then add some vegetable or olive oil to heat up.
Add your onions and give them the time to brown. If you like, you can add garlic ginger paste and let it cook a bit more.
Next, you can puree the tomatoes and add them to the onion. Mind you; this is a tomato-based recipe, so you should have enough tomatoes to make the perfect sauce. At this point, if you like, you can add the tomato paste for better colour and taste too.
Also, add the bell peppers to cook a little more and then let it cook a little more.
Now you can add your spices, and I like to use fish curry, but you can add any other you want. Also, add in the paprika and chilli if you like to make it delicious. Some people don’t like spices, and that’s okay, too this fish is rich by itself.
Add some water to the mix and then cover to let it heat up a little. When it starts to boil, you can go to the next step.
Now add the clean fish to the sauce but be gentle to ensure it doesn’t break. Allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes. Remember no need for high heat here.
Add the chopped dhania and spring onions to alter and enrich the flavour. Finally, add salt and let it cook for a minute before you turn off the heat.
Serve it with your favourite Ugali and vegetables. But try it with the brown (cassava & millet) ugali. You will like it even more, and of course, you will eat it traditionally.
Also, check out what to eat with tilapia for ideas on your side dish.
FAQs
Is this style of preparation different?
Of course, it is because we don’t do the regular, where we fry fast. As you would expect, it’s a little healthier than the tilapia fried option first. It’s not only different. It’s flavorful, rich and tasty and, of course, versatile.
Why this method
I mean, it’s a traditional method of cooking we use along the lake. It was cheaper but also healthier and richer for our families. Besides, it takes longer to prepare than many other fish styles.
Can I use coconut or even peanut to spice it up?
Of course, you can use them. Today most people want that coconut flavour, so they will add it at the last part to make it coconut tilapia.
The most common one with tilapia fish, though, is the peanut sauce. If you want to make it the Peanut tilapia fish, you can make it by adding rich peanut sauce to the stew.
Note that we were making this particular one the simplest way by not even adding the coconut and peanut options. Our fish is based on rich tomato sauce. I’m going to make other recipes that incorporate these sauces at a later date.
Can I cut it into parts?
If you want, you can cut it into parts before cooking. It will still be great. If you like, you can cook it whole to avoid breaking. It’s way better as it will not break. Remember, this fish is usually fragile because it’s not fried fast.
Is it okay to use other ingredients to make it my fish style?
Of course, you can. This is how we make it at home, but you can add more ingredients to match your favourite flavours. Some people will want it to be hotter and spicer, and it’s okay.
How long will it take to prepare it?
It should take an hour to have it on the table, so it’s one of those recipes you can comfortably consider a quick recipe.
What should I do with the leftovers?
Store it in an air-tight container and then set it in the fridge for 3 days. I like to eat it with white rice the morning after because it’s very delicious.
In conclusion
it’s easy to prepare fresh tilapia fish if you have all the essential ingredients ready. Make sure, though, that you do not add much water. Just make it enough and rich.