Baked Tilapia Lemon Butter (Printable)
Tender tilapia fillets baked with lemon butter, garlic, and fresh herbs for a simple seafood dish.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fish
01 - 4 tilapia fillets (5 to 6 ounces each), fresh or thawed
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Lemon Butter Sauce
04 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 lemon, zested and juiced
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
08 - 1 teaspoon paprika
→ Garnish
09 - Lemon slices
10 - Extra chopped parsley
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking dish large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer.
02 - Pat tilapia fillets dry with paper towels. Arrange them in the baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and paprika.
04 - Pour the lemon butter sauce evenly over the tilapia fillets. Top with lemon slices.
05 - Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and is opaque throughout.
06 - Remove from oven, garnish with additional parsley, and serve immediately.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It comes together in under thirty minutes, which means you can go from exhausted to impressed without the stress.
- The lemon butter sauce is so elegant that your guests will assume you spent hours in the kitchen, when really you were relaxed the whole time.
- Tilapia is mild enough to let the sauce shine, yet sturdy enough that you won't accidentally turn it into fish paste.
02 -
- Don't overcook the tilapia or it'll turn from tender to dry in what feels like thirty seconds—start checking at 15 minutes and keep an eye on it.
- If your lemon is hard, microwave it for 20 seconds before juicing to get more juice out and make the zesting easier.
03 -
- Buy your tilapia the day you plan to cook it—fresh fish is everything, and it makes an immediate difference in how tender and flavorful it turns out.
- If you're cooking for guests, you can have the sauce ready and the fish prepped an hour ahead, then just pop it in the oven when you're ready to eat.