You probably think what a weird name… I promise it’s edible. Actually, more than edible. This Itchy Tilapia is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. 🙂 I love sushi and one of the menu items at Blue, our favorite Sushi restaurant in our city, has this thing called “Itchy Sea Bass”. Each order is $9 and comes in 2 small pieces (about 2 x 1 inch) of cooked Sea Bass on top of spicy imitation crab and Ponzu, a citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine (it is tart, with a thin, watery consistency and a dark brown color). They are to die for. I usually split them in even smaller pieces so I can have more bites. I can easily eat 5 orders myself. I decided to stop my craving and make it for dinner tonight, but my version will have bigger pieces. ha ha 🙂
I made Itchy Sea Bass before and it was so awesome but they did not have fresh Sea Bass today. The fish guy at Wholefoods said they were thawed this morning. Hm… no, thank you. Let’s not use frozen fish, I’m really picky about seafood. If it’s not fresh, it will be fishy and I’m sure my husband won’t touch it. I need fresh white fish so I asked what just came in today. He said they just got fresh Tilapia fillets this morning. So, that’s what I got.
Let’s cook some food!
Start with the imitation crab mixture. I used the imitation crab sticks. I cut them into 1-inch long pieces. Then, shred them into small strings.
Add 2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice, and 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce (or Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce
Mix everything together and let it sit.
Next, make the sauce. You can use the Japanese Ponzu if you can find it. I like to make my own using Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce
Mix 2 tablespoons of Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce
Next, cut Tilapia fillets into big chunks. I got about 10 pieces from 2 fillets.
Add a little bit of vegetable (or canola) oil into a medium pan, medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the fish into the pan. They will take only a few minutes to cook. For thin pieces, flip them after 1 minute. For thicker pieces, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
Once both sides are cooked, take them out of the pan and move onto a plate.
Spoon the crab mixture into small portions (same size as each piece of the fish) on a serving plate. Place the fish on the top. Garnish with sliced Jalapeno or Serrano pepper and cilantro leaves.
Heat up the sauce in the microwave for a minute and spoon the sauce around each portion of fish and crab mixture.
There you have it, Itchy Tilapia! There’s nothing itchy about it and they are super yummy. You can serve these as appetizer or as a meal. Even my husband who doesn’t like fish loved it. If you like Tilapia, I have another recipe, Tilapia in Parchment. Hope you give both a try and let me know how it goes. I’d love to see your comments. 🙂
- 2 fillets Tilapia
- 8 oz. imitation crab
- 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce (or light soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon Mirin
- 2 tablespoon light mayonnaise
- vegetable (or Canola oil)
- Start with the imitation crab mixture. Cut them into 1-inch long pieces if they come in sticks. Shred them into small strings. Put them in a medium bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice, and 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce (or Golden Mountain sauce). Mix everything together and let it sit.
- Next, make the sauce. Mix 2 tablespoons of Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce, 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice and 1 teaspoon of Mirin in a small bowl.
- Cut Tilapia fillets into big chunks. Add a little bit of vegetable (or canola) oil into a medium pan, medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the fish into the pan. It will take only a few minutes to cook. For thin pieces, flip them after 1 minute. For thicker pieces, 1½ to 2 minutes.
- Once both sides are cooked, take them out of the pan and move onto a plate.
- Spoon the crab mixture into small portions (same size as each piece of the fish) on a serving plate. Place the fish on the top. Garnish with sliced Jalapeno or Serrano pepper and cilantro leaves.
- Heat up the sauce in the microwave for a minute and spoon the sauce around each portion of fish and crab mixture. Itchy Tilapia is ready to be served.
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