Anyone know the best way to cook tia pila fish? Just a simple recipe. No crazy spices or fancy garnishes. Just temp of oven and time of baking. Thanks

Baking fish is a snap, whether whole or fillets. And most people find that the more simply it is done, the better.

If the fish is whole, coat it with a little olive oil and lay it in a roasting pan or sheet pan. If you are baking fillets, season them lightly with salt and pepper, spread a small amount of butter or olive oil on the bottom of the pan and dot the fillets with a little butter or drizzle on olive oil. You can also sprinkle them with sherry and parsley. Bake them in a hot oven. With smaller fish and fillets, aim for 450°F (235°C); for larger fish, stay around 400°F (205°C). A whole fish is likely to be done after baking for 12-15 minutes per inch of thickness. A fillet will take about 10 minutes per inch. But you want to be very careful not to overcook and dry it out. An instant-read thermometer will read between 135°F and 140°F (57°C and 60°C) when it is done. Don't bake the fish until it is "flaky," for by that time, it is overdone.

When the fish is done, serve it with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon. You can get fancier if you like. In cooler weather, a hollandaise sauce, sauce Muscovite (a dressed-up hollandaise, if that's possible), or béarnaise sauce makes a rich, if heavy, accompaniment. In warmer weather, a salsa, pesto sauce or a little lemon-flavored mayonnaise goes well alongside.

If you'd like a more Mediterranean-inspired approach, combine a chopped onion, a couple of chopped garlic cloves, a diced red pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme (or a half teaspoon of fresh) in a pot with a little olive oil over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add a diced zucchini and cook for another 10 minutes. Add three coarsely chopped, seeded tomatoes and cook for five minutes longer. Season the mix with salt and pepper, then spread it evenly on the bottom of your roasting pan. Lay the fish on top and bake for 15 minutes per inch of thickness (at the thickest part). Serve along with the vegetables.

Tilapia?

Indigenous to East Africa, China Sea, Sea of Galilee. Also called St Peter's fish.

Mostly farmed now. The waters are overfished.

Farmed tilapia from China is likely to have a very muddy taste. Farming ruined the original prised lobster-like flavor of wild Tilapia. Remember it well from the late 70's, last century.

if it is muddy it needs hot strng spices to distract from the mud. If you find any that is not farmed Chinese it may stil taste a little like lobster. In this case broil with salt and pepper. The rule of fish cooking, about 7 minutes cooking for each inch at the thickest part. These thin filets cook quiclky.

For muddy Tilapia, treat like Catfish. Some tabasco, cumin, lemon. A Moroccan sauce like Charmoula works. Search google.

Enjoy. let us know how you like it. I rarely eat it any more. Too earthy.Hard to find anything but frozen farmed Chinese.

[This message was edited by stanbee on 11-16-03 at 02:44 PM.]