Baked Tilapia with Lemon Garlic Butter (Printer-friendly)
Tender tilapia fillets baked in zesty lemon garlic butter sauce. A light, flavorful meal ready in minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fish
01 - 4 tilapia fillets (about 5.3 oz each), fresh or thawed
→ Lemon Garlic Butter
02 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
06 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
→ Garnish
09 - Lemon slices
10 - Additional fresh parsley, chopped
# How to Prepare:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking dish large enough to accommodate tilapia fillets in a single layer.
02 - Pat tilapia fillets dry with paper towels and arrange them in the prepared baking dish.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, minced garlic, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
04 - Pour the lemon garlic butter mixture evenly over the tilapia fillets.
05 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
06 - If desired, broil for 1 to 2 minutes for a golden top, monitoring closely to prevent burning.
07 - Garnish with lemon slices and fresh parsley before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce creates this silky pool of flavor that somehow makes even budget-friendly tilapia taste like something youd order at a waterfront restaurant.
- You can pull this together in about 25 minutes flat, which has saved me countless times when I forgot to plan dinner until everyone was already hungry.
02 -
- Overcooking tilapia turns it from delicate to rubbery in literally one minute, so start checking at the 10-minute mark even if the recipe says 12-15.
- The residual heat in the dish continues cooking the fish even after you take it out of the oven, so pulling it slightly early preserves that moist, tender texture.
03 -
- Creating shallow slits across the top of thicker fillets before pouring the sauce helps the flavor penetrate deeper into the fish instead of just sitting on top.
- Warming your serving plates for about 30 seconds in the oven keeps everything at the perfect temperature from kitchen to table, especially important with delicate fish that cools quickly.