MDR: When Pan-Seared Sole becomes Tilapia

[PWP-001]

After enjoying cod for dinner and then again for lunch in the MDR, I was looking forward to sole to polish off my bottle of white wine.

 

But I was served tilapia.  I pushed it aside and ate the remainder of the plate.  The waiter questioned me, and told him it's not sole.  He offered to ask in the kitchen, and I told him not to bother as they would just tell him assuredly it's sole.  He said something to his head waiter who came over looked and said assuredly:  yes, that looks like tilapia.

 

So if you're someone who avoids eating tilapia as I do, be careful.

 

Later I asked myself, how could the Executive Chef pull that off?  He can't just alter his provisioning list and start ordering a fish that's not on the menu.  But then I remembered tilapia IS on the provisioning list as I've seen it on the buffet.

 

The price difference is $1 to $2 per pound with sole being the more expensive fish.  So depending upon the size of the ship and popularity of "Pan-seared Sole," this could certainly help food cost for an Executive Chef looking to boost his incentive bonus.

 

Just food for thought. 

[cello56]

On a serious note, what about the passenger that expects to be eating Sole and has an allergy to Tilapia? Very dangerous practice that could potentially end badly. 

[Engineroom Snipe]

11 minutes ago, cello56 said:

On a serious note, what about the passenger that expects to be eating Sole and has an allergy to Tilapia? Very dangerous practice that could potentially end badly. 

You are very correct that passengers should be able to trust that what is identified as the main ingredient. The passenger immediately knew the difference but that should not be their responsibility.

 

I do not know the solution if staff is under the pressure to lie about it or face the wrath of the more senior food staff.

[barbeyg]

It could have easily been a supply issue instead of intentional misrepresentation.  And with the current workforce shortage, advising about the substitution could have been 'lost' somewhere between the head of the dining room and the waiters.  Not making excuses for them, but I've seen so much of this in our headquarters myself.  People are stretched so thin that they have the attention span of a gnat.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by barbeyg

[PWP-001]

34 minutes ago, barbeyg said:

It could have easily been a supply issue instead of intentional misrepresentation.  And with the current workforce shortage, advising about the substitution could have been 'lost' somewhere between the head of the dining room and the waiters.  Not making excuses for them, but I've seen so much of this in our headquarters myself.  People are stretched so thin that they have the attention span of a gnat.

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps that why the Arugula & Radicchio Salad was just a bowl of romaine lettuce.

When I told the waiter it wasn't the right salad, he said that's what they had, no arugula.

But after dinner the dining room manager came over, apologized and said they will have a nice arugula salad for me the next evening.

 

So... supply chain shortages?  No.  Cost cutting?  Yes.

 

On another note, I was surprised by all of the poor, tasteless puns apparently making fun of the tilapia issue.  Then I remembered that there's a certain percentage of cruisers that are just happy to heap on piles at the food trough to feed their face and girth, no matter what it is. 

[time4u2go]

3 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

After enjoying cod for dinner and then again for lunch in the MDR, I was looking forward to sole to polish off my bottle of white wine.

 

But I was served tilapia.  I pushed it aside and ate the remainder of the plate.  The waiter questioned me, and told him it's not sole.  He offered to ask in the kitchen, and I told him not to bother as they would just tell him assuredly it's sole.  He said something to his head waiter who came over looked and said assuredly:  yes, that looks like tilapia.

 

So if you're someone who avoids eating tilapia as I do, be careful.

 

Later I asked myself, how could the Executive Chef pull that off?  He can't just alter his provisioning list and start ordering a fish that's not on the menu.  But then I remembered tilapia IS on the provisioning list as I've seen it on the buffet.

 

The price difference is $1 to $2 per pound with sole being the more expensive fish.  So depending upon the size of the ship and popularity of "Pan-seared Sole," this could certainly help food cost for an Executive Chef looking to boost his incentive bonus.

 

Just food for thought. 

That's pretty bad.  I can immediately tell the difference, and I also would not be happy about it.

[firefly333]

I lived in hawaii where you could catch tilapia and they threw it back as it's a bottom feeder. They assure me farm raised here is different but I too still wouldnt eat it. 

[poocher]

🤷‍♀️ basic white fish 🤷‍♀️. Vehicle for a tasty sauce!

[Engineroom Snipe]

2 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I lived in hawaii where you could catch tilapia and they threw it back as it's a bottom feeder. They assure me farm raised here is different but I too still wouldnt eat it. 

In New Jersey, flounders are bottom feeders that are on the plate of many shore restaurants known for their seafood cuisine. Hawaii probably has a better variety to choose from.

[parrotfeathers]

Well I'll say it.   I like pan seared tilapia.   It's commercially grown now and not fed "waste."    I like fried catfish too!

Edited November 30, 2022 by parrotfeathers

[HappyTexan44]

Also, how do know what she was served was farm-raised?   It gets caught in the nets.   Dolphin for example can't be sold because there isn't a market for dolphin.   But Tilapia could just be sold as Tilapia.   
Regardless, I think it is a disgusting fish.  

Edited November 30, 2022 by HappyTexan44

[Engineroom Snipe]

19 minutes ago, HappyTexan44 said:

Also, how do know what she was served was farm-raised?   It gets caught in the nets.   Dolphin for example can't be sold because there isn't a market for dolphin.   But Tilapia could just be sold as Tilapia.   
Regardless, I think it is a disgusting fish.  

There are many Tilapias being prepared for the plate who wished everyone felt like you! 😉.

[orville99]

39 minutes ago, HappyTexan44 said:

 It gets caught in the nets.   Dolphin for example can't be sold because there isn't a market for dolphin.   But Tilapia could just be sold as Tilapia.   
Regardless, I think it is a disgusting fish.  

You do realize that is exactly how Sole is caught commercially, and Mahi Mahi is Dolphin - the fish, not the mammal.

Edited November 30, 2022 by orville99

[barbeyg]

1 hour ago, parrotfeathers said:

Well I'll say it.   I like pan seared tilapia.   It's commercially grown now and not fed "waste."    I like fried catfish too!

Fried catfish (in peanut oil) and ground mullet here, as well.  Mullet has been thought of as trash fish in some places, but where I come from, it was considered "Biloxi bacon".  MS born and raised on the gulf coast.  😁

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, barbeyg said:

It could have easily been a supply issue instead of intentional misrepresentation.  And with the current workforce shortage, advising about the substitution could have been 'lost' somewhere between the head of the dining room and the waiters.  Not making excuses for them, but I've seen so much of this in our headquarters myself.  People are stretched so thin that they have the attention span of a gnat.

 

Totally agree on the supply issue, but wait staff should be instructed to point out substitute at time of order

[smokeybandit]

Don't get me started about them swapping Patagonian Toothfish for Chilean Sea Bass.

[Engineroom Snipe]

4 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Don't get me started about them swapping Patagonian Toothfish for Chilean Sea Bass.

 

I had to do a quick search and was shocked by the price per pound difference. That is a pretty big incentive to slide the formal on your table compared to the latter.

[HicksRA]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I lived in hawaii where you could catch tilapia and they threw it back as it's a bottom feeder. They assure me farm raised here is different but I too still wouldnt eat it. 

Much worse than free ranging bottom feeders, Farm raised tilapia are fed the feces from the other fish that are being raised in the farm. I refuse to eat it. 

[HicksRA]

2 minutes ago, dada2199cc said:

 

Cows eat grass and turn it into butter, cream and meat.

 

Do you refuse to eat that, too?

Grass is covered in feces.

That’s a long reach just to make a snide remark. 

[nelblu]

This thread is going to s--t.🐟

[orville99]

40 minutes ago, diesel1973 said:

As mentioned, flounder is a bottom feeder. So is Halibut !! Both are up there as my favorite fish. Have 35# of Alaskan halibut in my freezer.

And, if the Alaskan Sole fishermen catch too much Halibut in their Sole nets, their factory ship has to stop fishing and their fishery gets shut down.

[Engineroom Snipe]

4 minutes ago, nelblu said:

This thread is going to s--t.🐟

 

I do not think I can argue against your well-articulated observation of the 'end' result.

 

 

[DirtyDawg]

This thread will soon be; "sleeping with the fishes!'"

 

[Engineroom Snipe]

3 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

This thread will soon be; "sleeping with the fishes!'"

 

Wait for it...........,,  wait for it..............,  "the fin-ish is coming."

[darkNstormy14]

Unfortunately, I can one-up this story.   

 

On top of the many bad/unfortunate things that happened on the Thanksgiving Wonder of the Seas cruise, on night 7 I ordered the "Fish and Chips" at the MDR to share with my wife.  The menu describes the Fish and Chips as cod (actually, I can't remember cod or halibut, but that's not relevant) and no mention of any other type of fish/shellfish. 

 

I cut into the first piece, very tasty, flaky white fish.  Going to grab another piece, I notice it has a green/red tint coming thru the batter.  I cut it open and its.... a fried lobster tail - reclaimed from night 6.  In addition, there were also battered shrimp in the basket. 

 

My wife has a shellfish allergy that she disclosed on Night 1, but our server never re-iterated the allergy.  Contrast that with NCL and Celebrity which (almost annoyingly) clarified allergies every single night (and that's with different servers every night too).  Granted I was the one who ordered the dish and not her, but I did mention we we're sharing it. 

 

Our waiter sends the head waiter over and he says that the menu says it includes shellfish.  I asked to see the menu which confirmed that shellfish is not mentioned, nor is any mention of "assorted" mentioned.  They really didn't offer anything to us.  We were more concerned that they are serving heavily battered (i.e. disguised) shellfish on a Fish and Chips item where folks with allergies might order/eat it and have to get dropped off to another island and delay the cruise for 6k people, like what happened to us.