Enjoy this quick and easy restaurant style Golden Tilefish for dinner tonight.
Fish has never been my favorite meal, but in an effort better, we do have fresh fish 2 or 3 times a month, and thanks to Wegman’s glorious seafood department we can always count on a quality product. I can’t remember ever seeing Golden Tilefish before, or at least I never heard called by that name, but according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, it is a good alternative to other varieties of Tile Fish on the watch. Tile Fish can be found in the Mid-Atlantic waters of the United States, and is on the recovery from being overfished, unlike the southern varieties of Tilefish which are still considered to be overfished.
I can’t stress how important it is to know where your fish is coming from and to be responsible about buying sustainable seafood, so make sure you ask questions when you buying fresh fish!
Everything I read about Tilefish compares it to Lobster, I don’t think it’s even close, but that’s just my opinion.
If I had to compare it with another fish, I might say cod, it had a nice mild flavor and was firm and flaky. It would probably grill well, or even breaded and fried, but anyway you cook it, make sure you don’t overcook it because it will get dry on you.
My standard preparation for any oven-roasted fish is pretty much the same, Olive Oil, Sea Salt and fresh ground Pepper and always add a little water to the pan when roasting fish, so it doesn’t dry out! Remember it comes from the sea, so it should have a little water in the pan to help keep it moist!
While shopping I came across a new vegetable (at least new for me), a Chayote aka the Pear Squash, which is quite appropriate because they do look like pears. Chayote is a combination of a zucchini and a cucumber, lots and lots of moisture, but almost no flavor what so ever, really bland. I did read one recipe for it, and they had recommended cooking it with onions and bacon (that would make almost anything taste better) and yet another recipe called for it raw and marinated in lemon juice.
That actually sounds like a better use of Chayote, if you really feel the need to eat one! I roasted mine along with fennel, grape tomatoes and onions, with olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper…..I know boring, but I like to let the natural flavors of what I’m cooking take center stage, that’s the only way you know what the true flavor of what your eating is. You can always adjust from there the next time you cook it, but it’s good to know what it tastes like without masking the flavors.
If you like this recipe you may also enjoy these:
- Black Sea Bass with Shrimp in a lemon scampi sauce
- Pan Seared Halibut
- Ginger Garlic Swordfish
- Grilled Atlantic Rockfish
Jan
I cooked a 2 1/2 pound filet following the recipe exactly, and it was absolutely perfect!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you for the great review and for letting me know you enjoyed the recipe!
Cheryl
Perfect recipe. Simple, fast, minimal ingredients and the best part – tastes fantastic.
Sandy
Excellent. I have been following Chef Dennis for a few years and have prepared quite a few of his recipes. They are always fantastic.
Will
You’re right: the best preparation for fish is the simplest. The tilefish I prepared came out perfect.
Chef Dennis Littley
I happy to hear you enjoyed the tilefish recipe! Thanks for the great review
Susan Williams
Will try your recipe tonite for tilefish
We have a fresh seafood shop. Here in St Augustine and saw the golden tile fish before they filled it
So we brought home a 1.2 lb fillet to try
Steve Crumpler
Thanks for the info. on Tilefish. I see it sometimes in the market but never knew what to do about it. Chayote is used here in Mexican food and in Cajun food, known as Mirliton there. Use as you would any squash.
Vinchenzo
I went deep sea fishing this weekend. After an early flurry of Albacore, Tuna, Shark and Mahi, things slowed down. The captain and mate were feeling bad and asked if we wanted to try some tile fishing before we went in. We were game and tried it. It’s not as exciting as the other fish, but we caught our limit in about and hour and had about 25 pounds of tile fish filets as our reward. The mate suggested cubing the filets and poaching. I have plenty to work with. Will try your recipe as well. FYI, catching tile fish is like hauling in an old boot. Just keep cranking.