Baked Tilapia Lemon Butter (Print version)

Tender tilapia baked with lemon butter and garlic for a light, flavorful seafood dish.

# Ingredient List:

→ Fish

01 - 4 tilapia fillets (5.3 oz each), fresh or thawed
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - Salt, to taste
04 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Lemon Butter Sauce

05 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 lemon, zested and juiced
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
09 - 1 teaspoon paprika (optional)

→ Garnish

10 - Lemon slices
11 - Extra parsley, chopped

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking dish large enough to arrange the fillets in a single layer.
02 - Pat the tilapia fillets dry with paper towels. Place them in the baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over the fillets and season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
03 - Combine melted butter, minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped parsley, and paprika (if using) in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly.
04 - Pour the lemon butter sauce evenly over the tilapia fillets. Arrange lemon slices on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork and is opaque.
05 - Remove the dish from the oven, garnish with additional chopped parsley, and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The fish stays impossibly tender and flakes apart on your fork without falling apart on you.
  • Lemon and garlic do all the heavy lifting so you're never stuck with bland seafood.
  • Honest weeknight dinner that tastes like you actually planned ahead.
02 -
  • Wet fish steams instead of bakes, so that paper towel step isn't optional—it's the difference between tender and mushy.
  • Don't overbake it; the moment the thickest part flakes easily, you're done. Fish keeps cooking for a minute after you pull it out.
03 -
  • Buy your tilapia the day you're cooking it if you can; the difference between day-fresh and day-old fish is noticeable on the plate.
  • If you forget to zest the lemon before juicing it, just use twice the juice—the flavor is still there, just more liquid and less textural.

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