carp vs tilapia in taste

have anybody here tasted carp and tilapia? are they any good? if you populate your pond with these fish could you make anybody pay for their meat?

We have tilapia for sale at our local grocery store. It is usuallly the least expensive type of fish. I have never seen carp for sale anywhere.
John S
PDX OR

Tilapia are very tasty. If you want to raise fish for money, I suggest Koi. Koi are a cash crop.

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/top-rated-tilapia-00400000039852/page20.html

I personally don't buy either, but tilapia is more popular here in the states because it's so well adapted to large-scale farming and aquaponics. I'm just not particularly moved by the taste of tilapia. Many people won't go for carp because it's a bottom feeder, which carries a stigma for some reason. If the bottom tastes good, the carp probably taste good. I won't buy carp though because they are an invasive species around here. If you tell us where you're located, we might be able to recommend some good pond options. If I had a pond, I would stock it with bass and maybe catfish. I've found bass to be a joy to catch because they're pretty aggressive predators (frogs beware) and they taste better than any tilapia I've ever had. Catfish are native bottom feeders, and though they aren't as much fun to catch, they have a kinda fatty texture and flavor that I enjoy.

Stephen B. Anthony wrote: I won't buy carp though because they are an invasive species around here.

I would think that's even more reason to eat them. Shouldn't we eat invasive species to reduce their numbers?

Stephen B. Anthony wrote:If I had a pond, I would stock it with bass and maybe catfish. I've found bass to be a joy to catch because they're pretty aggressive predators (frogs beware) and they taste better than any tilapia I've ever had. Catfish are native bottom feeders, and though they aren't as much fun to catch, they have a kinda fatty texture and flavor that I enjoy.

Both of these are native, as well, and do well with the temperatures of your area. Wherever tilapia can survive the winters, they are considered invasive, and you may not be able to stock them. Channel catfish have similar growth rates as tilapia, but can survive the winters. Theya re a good fish for a lot of areas.

Tilapia is popular in part because it has so little flavor. It also has less omega 3 fatty acids than most other fish, so it is not particularly healthy. It is farmed in some pretty unsustainable ways that can be hard on ecosystems. And in the US much of it comes from China and cannot be trusted to be safe.

Carp were specifically imported to the USA as a food crop. They're widely eaten in Europe--even the French eat them. Ergo, carp is fine for eating.

Carp became a poor person's food in the USA and is systemmatically disparaged by people who fancy themselves as "sport" fishermen. There's a stigma. But there's a stigma to farming, too. Most of us are OK with that, I think.

On a practical note, if it's for cash, tilapia is the only way to go. It's all you'll be able to sell.

K Nelfson wrote:
On a practical note, if it's for cash, tilapia is the only way to go. It's all you'll be able to sell.

It depends on the area, but catfish and bass would be pretty easy to sell, or at least, they are in every area I've ever lived. Bass has the benefit of being worth considerably more than tilapia, as well.

Abe Connally wrote:

K Nelfson wrote:
On a practical note, if it's for cash, tilapia is the only way to go. It's all you'll be able to sell.

It depends on the area, but catfish and bass would be pretty easy to sell, or at least, they are in every area I've ever lived. Bass has the benefit of being worth considerably more than tilapia, as well.

I meant to say that tilapia would sell much better than carp Other species would also work. I just doubt you could sell carp to the permies.

K Nelfson wrote:I meant to say that tilapia would sell much better than carp Other species would also work. I just doubt you could sell carp to the permies.

oh, sorry, I misunderstood. Yeah, carp would probably have a hard time in a lot of places, but if you lived close to certain ethnic groups (Chinese, Eastern European, Hispanic, etc) that are used to eating carp, then it would probably do fine. I've actually had very tasty carp, but it was prepared by people that grew up eating it. I'm not sure my mom could have made it as well as they did.

Peter Ellis wrote:Tilapia is popular in part because it has so little flavor. It also has less omega 3 fatty acids than most other fish, so it is not particularly healthy. It is farmed in some pretty unsustainable ways that can be hard on ecosystems. And in the US much of it comes from China and cannot be trusted to be safe.

This is spot on when talking about commercially farmed fish in general. To do it the proper way and not harm the environment is not hard to do. I'm planning on starting a ranch / fish farm, and will be using the Mozambique Tilapia because the gov restrictions do not mention them (California). They are the least cold water tolerant of the tilapia breeds so the possibility of someone stealing one out of my ponds, and sticking it in a local lake or river and it multiplying or even surviving threw a winter are next to nill. The downside to Mozambique Tilapia is that you must keep your water tank temps higher. This is fine for me because some of the stuff I will be growing aquaponically with the fish water do better at the same temps the fish thrive in. I'll build my tanks in doors and underground in the back of the greenhouses.

And tilapia grow out twice as fast as catfish. They are the fastest growing eating fish of them all. One of the reasons why they are so popular. I'll do catfish in my outdoor ponds.

Chris Duke wrote:And tilapia grow out twice as fast as catfish. They are the fastest growing eating fish of them all. One of the reasons why they are so popular. I'll do catfish in my outdoor ponds.

TCLynx (a former member of this forum) grows catfish and has grown tilapia in aquaponics systems for many years. They stated that catfish grow at the same rate of tilapia if food and water temps are equal. Many backyard aquaculture/aquaponics enthusiasts have substantiated this claim. Catfish are typically harvested at a larger size than tilapia (1-2 kg, vs .5 kg for tilapia), so they take 2 seasons to grow to that size.

One of the main reasons tilapia are popular is that they tolerate lower-quality water than most other species. So, you get by with less filtration and higher stocking densities.

Tilapia do have fast growth rates, but only if certain conditions are met. If those same conditions are met for other species (high temps, mostly), there are a few that can match tilapia's growth rates.

Abe Connally wrote:oh, sorry, I misunderstood. Yeah, carp would probably have a hard time in a lot of places, but if you lived close to certain ethnic groups (Chinese, Eastern European, Hispanic, etc) that are used to eating carp, then it would probably do fine. I've actually had very tasty carp, but it was prepared by people that grew up eating it. I'm not sure my mom could have made it as well as they did.

I don't much care for tilapia, but that could be because I spent a summer in the FL Keys working in a baitshop and ate almost every type of fish imaginable, and most of it 3 hours after it was swimming

I haven't had carp yet, but I do know that if you pick up an authentic chinese cookbook, the fish section will probably be about 50% carp. So it is popular there, and I'd assume somewhat good, and you could probably find a market for it in the US depending on the demographics of your area.

jay william wrote:I haven't had carp yet, but I do know that if you pick up an authentic chinese cookbook, the fish section will probably be about 50% carp. So it is popular there, and I'd assume somewhat good, and you could probably find a market for it in the US depending on the demographics of your area.

Carp culture has a very long tradition in Asia, and they certainly know how to prepare it well.

Most businesses require some sort of market exploration before you get too far into production. I would imagine this to be similar.

Chris Duke wrote:Tilapia are very tasty. If you want to raise fish for money, I suggest Koi. Koi are a cash crop.

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/top-rated-tilapia-00400000039852/page20.html

Chris I'm very interested in the koi aswell. How come it is a cash crop? you mean sell it as food or as something else?

Stephen B. Anthony wrote: If you tell us where you're located, we might be able to recommend some good pond options.

right! I'm in the Paraná river delta, in Argentina. Subtropics, very humid, marshy. Close to cities like Zárate (30 minutes by car, 100000 inhabitants; and Buenos Aires, 60 minutes by car, 3 millon people, plus another 7 in suburbia, some have money, some do not of course but it is still a hell of a market)

i saw this... in the philippines, people prefer eating tilapia over carp.... one is because, carp isn't often found in the wet market compared to tilapia (and even catfish for that matter)...

anyway, carp can be stinky compared to tilapia... and they're really not one of those fishes you'd like to server for soup or cooked in vinegar and oil due to its "fishy scent"... however, among the two, personally,
i prefer the tilapia since it's meat is much more "sweet" in terms of "fish natural taste" compared to carp (but maybe because, here, tilapia/carp/catfish are sold alive and not frozen)... tilapia is best served when either fried or roasted/grilled... any other way, even with a ton of ginger to pacify the fishy scent won'r make it any inviting to eat.

Not for market, but for home growing I never see anyone mentioning the smaller 'pan fish' (those closely related to bluegills) are they not suitable for pond cultures?

When I fish, they're what I consider the best tasting catch, and seem to be in every body of water, no matter how tiny.

I have heard people say that tilapia is good for tropical areas and maybe subtropical, but that perch, bluegill and bass are better for temperate areas.
JOhn S
PDX OR