How do I effectively rub spices into fish?

Question

I did a fish rub for the first time last night. I mixed the spices and then put the thawed tilapia fillets right into the bowl. I noticed two problems:

1. The spices tended to clump up and became difficult to work with.
2. After cooking I noticed that there were some VERY concentrated pockets of flavor; not at all uniform. Sometimes these were unpleasantly strong.

Any advice for next time?

Answer 1

First of all, if you're seasoning tilapia, you'll want to add some oil to it, since tilapia has almost no fat. So, here's the steps:

1. Drizzle oil over the tilapia (both sides).
2. Sprinkle it lightly with the spice mixture, all over
3. Let sit 10-15 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with starch (e.g. flour) at this point if you're frying them.

Optionally, you can also add some lemon or lime juice (just a little) in step 1. You also want the tilapia sitting on something flat, with the filets in one layer, like a large plate or baking sheet, not heaped up in a bowl.

For spicing small filets, you want a finely ground, moderate-flavor spice mixture. Unlike beef or pork, you're not marinating the fish for a long time, and you're not cooking it for along time. So the spicing on the fish isn't really a "rub"; it's spicing to eat. I recommend against using rubs designed for meat on light fish like tilapia.

Answer 2

Try putting the spice mix in a container with a shaker top, then shake on to the fish. That way it will be more even than if you rub it in with your hands.