Baked tilapia with whole spices

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02
  
       Title: BAKED TILAPIA WITH WHOLE SPICES
  Categories: Fish
       Yield: 4 servings
  
            Stephen Ceideburg
       2 ts Peanut or other vegetable
            -oil
       1 md Carrot, peeled and cut into
            -4-inch sticks
       4    Green onions, cut into
            -3-inch sections
       8    Quarter-size slices ginger
            -(no need to peel)
       1 ts Whole allspice
       3    Star anise pods, broken up
     1/2 ts Whole peppercorns
       2 sm Dried chiles, any loose
            -seeds removed
       2    Tilapia, cleaned and scaled
            -(2 1/2 to 3 pounds in all)
            Salt
       3 tb White wine
     1/2 c  Fish or poultry stock
       1 tb 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 instant-reading 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
  
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