Our household is filled with severe seafood lovers so I discover myself whipping up seafood recipes on the common. This one for lemon garlic butter baked tilapia is one which nobody can get sufficient of!
Tilapia is a fragile and extremely delicate fish which implies that with out the precise seasonings or sauces, it will possibly simply be tremendous boring. But this baked tilapia recipe is something however uninteresting!
Instead, I’ve included daring taste by smothering the fish in a buttery, lemon-laced sauce studded with garlic, lemon zest, and smoky paprika earlier than baking it. The consequence? The most moist and flavorful filet you’ll ever make — and an entire lot of blissful eaters on the dinner desk!
What Makes This Tilapia Crave-Worthy
Trust me — when you do that tilapia, you’ll be placing this recipe on repeat.
- Bold seasoning. I jazz up this mellow fish with the daring smokiness of smoked paprika and the brightness of tomatoes which might be baked proper in the identical dish.
- Low in carbs. If you’re trying to restrict carbs — otherwise you’re internet hosting friends who’re — this may be your go-to dish. It’s filled with taste however completely keto and low-carb pleasant.
- Super straightforward. There are only some steps to make the dish and it has a short cooking time, making it excellent for weeknights or once you’re internet hosting friends.
- Incredibly moist. Thanks to the way in which that it’s cooked with the sauce, this tilapia dish seems as tender and moist as should you’d poached it.
Ingredients for Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Tilapia
This easy listing of substances comes collectively to make a show-stopping dinner that nobody will ever guess is as straightforward as it’s!
- Tilapia Filets – This delicate fish is the star of the present. You can discover it within the seafood part of your grocery retailer. If it’s frozen, enable it to thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than making ready it.
- Cherry Tomatoes – The acidity from the tomatoes balances the dish however in addition they turn out to be barely candy when cooked.
- Coarse Kosher Salt – Salt helps to convey out the flavors of tomatoes and the seasonings.
- Ground Black Pepper – Pepper provides a little bit of light warmth to the dish, balancing out the opposite flavors.
- Unsalted Butter – Butter is the bottom of the sauce and helps to maintain the tilapia moist whereas it’s baking.
- Garlic – You can both mince or grate the garlic, however make certain you have got uniform items so it’s evenly distributed within the sauce.
- Fresh Lemons – You’ll use each the juice and zest from lemons to create a concentrated citrus taste.
- Smoked Paprika – The smokiness of the paprika helps to construct a extra complicated taste profile within the sauce.
- Fresh Parsley – This non-obligatory garnish provides the dish a pop of colour and a contact of herbaceous taste.
How to Make Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Tilapia
One of one of the best elements of this recipe is how rapidly you may make it.
- Add fish and tomatoes to baking dish. Put the fish filets right into a ready baking dish. Place the tomatoes within the dish with the tilapia. Sprinkle the fish and the tomatoes with salt and pepper.
- Make butter combination. Place the butter right into a small bowl and microwave in intervals till melted. Add the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and smoked paprika to the melted butter.
- Pour butter over fish. After stirring till all substances are mixed, pour the butter combination evenly over the fish and tomatoes.
- Top with lemon slices. Slice the remaining half of a lemon and prime the filets with the lemon slices.
- Bake. Place the fish within the preheated oven and bake it for the beneficial time.
- Serve over spaghetti squash, rice, cauliflower rice, or a pasta like buttered noodles.
How Long to Bake Tilapia
Generally, tilapia takes about quarter-hour to bake in an oven set to 400 levels Fahrenheit. The cooking time might be barely longer or shorter relying on the scale of the fillets.
You’ll know that tilapia is able to come out of the oven when it has reached an inner temperature of 145 levels Fahrenheit on an instant-read thermometer caught into the thickest a part of the fish. Also, tilapia that’s totally cooked will flake simply with a fork.
What’s Good to Eat with Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Tilapia?
One of the explanations I really like serving tilapia is that its delicate taste implies that it mingles properly with all kinds of various facet dishes. For veggies, strive serving it with peas and onions, pan fried broccolini, or marinated inexperienced beans.
For starchy sides, it pairs fantastically with lemon couscous, creamy risotto, and Hasselback potatoes. On chilly evenings, I additionally prefer to serve it with soup — strive pairing it with a bowl of cauliflower soup, creamy potato leek soup, or minestrone.
Variations
Tilapia is the right clean canvas for creativity within the kitchen. You can combine and match your personal favourite substances to create any taste profile you want.
- Citrus – Instead of lemon juice and zest, strive utilizing limes, oranges, and even grapefruit.
- Heat – Add a spicy kick to the fish by incorporating cayenne pepper powder or pink pepper flakes.
- Garnish – Swap out the parsley and use contemporary herbs like cilantro or basil as an alternative.
- Seasoning – Give the sauce a little bit of Italian aptitude through the use of Italian seasoning or make a Mexican-inspired model with taco seasoning mix.
- Sauces – Try baking the fish with a special sauce. Bloves sauce, honey garlic sauce, or selfmade eel sauce are all good choices.
Common Questions About Lemon Garlic Butter Tilapia
No, you shouldn’t rinse tilapia, or any fish or different seafood earlier than cooking. This may cause meals questions of safety that might end in contamination and illness.
Tilapia can turn out to be dry whether it is cooked for too lengthy, so be sure you control the cooking time and its inner temperature. Also, cooking it in a wealthy sauce will assist to maintain the fish moist.
Using tilapia that was by no means frozen will assist to forestall sogginess. However, in case you are utilizing frozen tilapia, be sure you totally thaw it earlier than cooking and use a paper towel to soak up extra moisture on the floor of the thawed tilapia fillets.
Storage and Freezing
You can simply make this easy fish dish and retailer it to eat all through the week both with sides, over a salad, or repurposed into different dishes like tacos.
Also, should you’re cooking for a crowd or have a busy weeknight on the horizon, you may put all the substances collectively within the baking dish and refrigerate it for as much as 24 hours till you’re able to bake.
How to Store Baked Tilapia
Store the baked fish within the fridge for 3-4 days in an hermetic container.
Can I Freeze Baked Tilapia?
Freeze the fish for as much as three months in a resealable freezer bag or freezer-safe container.
More Fish Recipes
We take pleasure in consuming fish and seafood for dinner very often round right here. These are a number of of our favourite recipes.
Creamy Dill Salmon
This Creamy Dill Salmon combines a fast lemon dill sauce and salmon for a primary dish that is straightforward sufficient to be an everyday weeknight meal!
See The Recipe!
Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Tilapia
This tasty and EASY Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Tilapia often is the most moist and flavorful fish you’ll ever make! Super easy substances!
Servings:
Preheat the oven to 400°F and coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Place the tilapia filets into the ready dish, permitting the thinner sides to overlap.
Arrange the cherry tomatoes across the fish.
Season with the coarse kosher salt and black pepper. Set apart.
In a small microwave-safe dish, soften the butter in 30 second increments.
When melted, take away and whisk within the garlic, zest from one lemon, juice from one lemon and the paprika. Pour the butter combination over the fish.
Cut the final 1/2 lemon into skinny slices and place on prime of the filets.
Bake the fish for 14-17 minutes or till the filets are white and simply flaked with a fork.
Serve over spaghetti squash, rice, cauliflower rice or pasta.
If you’ve tried this recipe, come again and tell us the way it was within the feedback or star scores.
I served my baked tilapia over roast spaghetti squash tossed with contemporary basil, olive oil and parmesan cheese.
Calories: 334 kcal, Carbohydrates: 6 g, Protein: 35 g, Fat: 20 g, Saturated Fat: 12 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 130 mg, Sodium: 386 mg, Potassium: 648 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 2 g, Vitamin A: 733 IU, Vitamin C: 28 mg, Calcium: 40 mg, Iron: 1 mg
