Recipe - Baked Tilapia With Whole Spices

Stephen Ceideburg
2 teaspoon Peanut or other vegetable
oil
1 md Carrot, peeled and cut into
4inch sticks
4 Green onions, cut into
3inch sections
8 Quartersize slices ginger
(no need to peel)
1 teaspoon Whole allspice
3 Star anise pods, broken up
One half teaspoon Whole peppercorns
2 small Dried chiles, any loose
seeds removed
2 Tilapia, cleaned and scaled
(2 One half to 3 pounds in all)
Salt
3 tablespoon White wine
One half cup Fish or poultry stock
1 tablespoon Butter (optional)

This will work with other whole lean fish, including small rockfish or
farmed striped bass, and cuts or 'roasts' of halibut or pink salmon. Adjust
the cooking time according to the thickness and density of the fish.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Rub a baking dish well with the oil, add the vegetables and whole spices,
and toss to coat them lightly with oil.

Arrange in an even layer. Rinse the fish well inside and out, pat dry,
season lightly with salt, and place on top of the vegetables.

Add the wine and 3 tablespoons of the stock. Make a loose tent of foil over
the tail of the fish and place in the oven.

Bake, rotating the pan once halfway through the cooking time, until a
skewer easily enters the thickest part of the fish, 25 to 30 minutes.

If you have an instantreading thermometer, it should read 145 degrees F.to
150 degrees F.in the center near the bone. Transfer the fish to a warm
serving platter.

Strain the contents of the baking dish into a small saucepan; discard the
spices and vegetables. Add the remaining stock, bring to a boil and reduce
by a third. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Swirl in the
butter if desired and pour over and around the fish on the platter.

PER SERVING: 220 calories, 40 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat (0 g
saturated), 98 mg cholesterol, 8 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.

Jay Harlow writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, 12/16/92.

Posted by Stephen Ceideburg

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini