This healthy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia recipe is spicy, lemony, and so delicious! Fresh Tilapia marinated with lemon, butter, and garlic with a hint of spice, then baked to perfection.
This Baked Tilapia recipe is everything that you would want to serve your family for any meal as it is not only delicious and easy to make but is also a light and healthy dish everyone can enjoy!
Drizzled in lemon and garlic, you can only imagine how flavorful they made the tilapia taste. This oven baked Tilapia recipe has a tangy, bright lemon flavor with a rich, flaky, and filling texture that you will come back to again and again.
The marinade sauce browns while cooking with the fish, releasing a garlicky aroma and a sharp citrus note from the lemon juice.
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Easy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia
This is a perfect dish to serve after a long day at work when you no longer have the energy to spend hours in the kitchen making a family meal. Delicious and can come together in under 20 minutes, you have plenty of time to sit around the table with your family and talk about your day with a good meal in front of you.
You may also serve this recipe for special occasions and even holidays, as it goes well with almost any side dishes you plan to serve your guests. It is flavorful and elegant to look at on the table as if straight out of a 5-star seafood restaurant.
Why Does This Recipe Work?
- This is a quick, easy and simple recipe that you can make in under 20 minutes. It is a very convenient dish to cook at home after a busy day at work or school.
- What a light and delicious meal this dish will make. Tilapia is known for its low carb, thus making this recipe a keto-friendly one.
- An easy way to make oven-baked tilapia.
- This dish has a mild taste that you will love with a flaky and tender texture to the fish. Just cook this recipe the right way as per instructions, and you will have the best out of this dish.
- A healthy comfort meal with mouthwatering flavor and gluten-free!
- This recipe goes well with so many other side dishes. You may serve it on top of boiled white rice or even serve it with a simple piece of bread.
- Healthy dinner made with simple ingredients.
What's in This Recipe?
Tilapia Fish Fillets. Though tilapia fillets tend to be uniform in size, the thicker portion of the fillet, known as the "tilapia loins" can be cut in half for a thinner size. Whole fillets are preferable for this recipe, although loins can be used instead.
Fresh Lemon Juice. Lemon juice is needed to make this recipe less fishy taste and smell but brighter and more flavorful in taste instead. You can add lemon zest as well if you like.
Butter. Butter helps in combining all the dry ingredients in this recipe, and it also gives the whole dish a tender and buttery texture with some added moisture that makes the fresh fish meat taste delicate. You can use salted or unsalted butter.
Garlic. Make sure that you are going to use fresh garlic for this recipe since crushing it will give us more flavor. Crushing the garlic instead of mincing it will give the whole dish a balance and a more distinct flavor and aroma.
Paprika. Add paprika to your marinade to give your tilapia some warmth. Don't add too much if you do not want this recipe to be spicy.
Salt. Salt is important to balance all the ingredients in this recipe.
Black Pepper. Add black pepper to help the paprika produce some heat for a more complex flavor of this dish.
Parsley. Garnish with fresh parsley. Parsley helps in toning down the fish after the taste of the tilapia. It is perfect if you love the taste of the fish but dislike its aftertaste.
How To Make Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia?
One: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
Two: To make the garlic butter marinade: In a small bowl, mix together garlic, paprika, lemon juice, melted butter, salt, and black pepper and set aside.
Three: Rinse the tilapia fillets well and pat them dry using a paper towel. Arrange them in a single layer on a 20x30 cm baking sheet.
Four: Now, pour the marinade over the Tilapia fillets and then top them with lemon slices.
Five: Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes; garnish with chopped parsley and some red pepper flakes (optional), and serve.
Top Tips!
- If you are going to use frozen tilapia fillets, you need to remember to put them in the refrigerator well in advance so that they can slowly defrost.
- Tilapia overcooks quickly, so always be mindful of the time. Overcooking tilapia will give you a dry and very flaky texture.
- Be generous with the garlic and add more to the mix for a better flavor and aroma.
Recipe Variations
- Do you love spicy dishes? Then garnish this with red pepper flakes alongside the parsley. Seasoning the tilapia fillet with paprika or chili powder before adding the marinade will also help give you the desired warm and spicy taste.
- Add minced ginger to your marinade for a more spicy, peppery flavor.
- You may use olive oil instead of butter for the marinade.
- If you want this dish to be cheesy, you may add grated parmesan cheese to the marinade mixture. The result, once cooked, will be cheesy and flaky in texture.
- You may add some fresh herbs, such as fresh basil or cilantro.
- Add a pinch of dried thyme, Italian seasoning, rosemary or garlic powder.
Serving Suggestions
This dish is versatile to serve on the table. It goes well with almost anything from simple brown, white, or turmeric rice to sauteed green beans, and corn. For a lighter meal option, you may serve it with garlic bread.
Spicy Roasted Cauliflower will also taste good with this dish, while Crispy Garlic Parmesan Potatoes will complement its delicate texture and taste. Crispy Roast Potatoes with Garlic and Thyme will also be an excellent partner for this recipe as they both share the garlicky flavor and aroma.
Storage
To Store: You may refrigerate this dish for up to three days in an airtight container.
To Freeze: Freezing it is not advisable since it will only make the texture dry. Fish recipes are better served freshly cooked for better taste and texture.
Recipe FAQs
Certainly, you can reheat this baked dish, but it won’t taste the same. The tilapia will become drier with each subsequent reheating.
Yes, and the fish is even healthier when baked. However, this is very dependent upon the methods and ingredients you will be using in the preparation of the fish. The ingredients in this particular recipe promote a healthy dish made with tilapia.
If you haven't heard what tilapia is, you have to know that while tilapia originally swam in the fresh waters of Africa, nowadays you may find them being farmed in almost every continent. Its popularity stems from the fact that it is simple to cook, has a mild flavor, is high in protein and yet low in calories, and is inexpensive.
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Recipe
Best Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia
Ingredients
- 3 tilapia fillets
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter , melted
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lemon , cut into thin slices
- 1 teaspoon parsley , chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F.
- To make the marinade: In a small bowl, mix together garlic, paprika, lemon juice, butter, salt, and black pepper and set aside.
- Rinse the tilapia fillets well and pat them dry using a paper towel.
- Arrange the tilapia fillets on a 20x30 cm baking tray.
- Now, pour the marinade over the Tilapia fillets and then top them with lemon slices.
- Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes; garnish with chopped parsley and some red pepper flakes (optional), and serve.
Notes
- If you are going to use frozen tilapia fillets, you need to remember to put them in the refrigerator well in advance so that they can slowly defrost.
- Tilapia overcooks quickly, so always be mindful of the time. Overcooking tilapia will give you a dry and very flaky texture.
- Be generous with the garlic and add more to the mix for a better flavor and aroma.
Variations
- Do you love spicy dishes? Then garnish this with red pepper flakes alongside the parsley. Seasoning the tilapia fillet with paprika or chili powder before adding the marinade will also help give you the desired warm and spicy taste.
- Add minced ginger to your marinade for a more spicy, peppery flavor.
- You may use olive oil instead of butter for the marinade.
- If you want this dish to be cheesy, you may add grated parmesan cheese to the marinade mixture. The result, once cooked, will be cheesy and flaky in texture.
- You may add some fresh herbs, such as fresh basil or cilantro.
- Add a pinch of dried thyme, Italian seasoning, rosemary or garlic powder.
Jean
Good recipe; I added a pinch of chilli powder.
Cristine
I doubled the recipe and added a tablespoon of honey as well. All my family love it; I will definitely make it again.