How To Make Baked Tilapia

Ingredients

• Tilapia filets: Like with buying nearly any variety of seafood, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind when buying tilapia filets. I like to look to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch for details, but as a few rules of thumb: farmed tilapia is fine, though wild-caught is great if you can find it; avoid tilapia from China (instead go for tilapia farmed in Peru, Ecuador Mexico, Indonesia, or Honduras); and go for fresh over frozen if you can (though both should work here). When in doubt, talk to your fishmonger or the person working the seafood counter at your local grocery store for help. Heads up: you can also use tilapia loins here, as that just refers to the thickest part of the filet.
• Kosher salt: I like to use kosher salt (rather than iodized or sea salt) in my kitchen because it has larger crystals than other salts, so it almost never ends up tasting too salty. If you don’t have it, start with half the amount of whatever salt you do have to guarantee your fish won’t be over seasoned.
• Butter: I personally like to use butter here, but I have been known to use olive oil (like we did in the video above) too, especially when I want to keep my meal dairy-free. Use whichever you prefer.
• Red pepper flakes: I like the kick these bring to this mild fish, but feel free to skip if you or your family are sensitive to spice.
• Lemons: You’ll need two lemons for this recipe, one used mostly for its juice and zest, and the other used for slicing. If you’re tempted to skip the sliced rounds, don’t! Not only do they make for an extra special presentation, they also add extra flavor to your fish during the cooking process.
• Parsley: To me, one of the biggest differences between a good at-home meal and a great one is the garnishes. They might seem like overkill, but they’re truly what make a dinner feel extra special, so I try to always keep some greenery in my fridge to sprinkle over top of my meals. Parsley’s a forever fave, but use what you’ve got!

Step-By-Step Instructions

First, get your oven preheating to 400°. Place your tilapia on a baking sheet, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside while you prepare your garlic and lemon butter.

I like to get all my ingredients ready first (and I’ve got a variety of little pinch bowls I keep handy in my cabinet just for this purpose), but feel free to add things directly into your mixing bowl as they are ready. Here’s the order I like to do things in: first up, lemons. Since you’ll end up with an unused half a lemon here, zesting, slicing, and juicing them before your garlic means you can use that half another time without having it taste weird. Then mince your garlic—larger, uneven pieces are okay here, because we’re really in it for the flavor, but feel free to show off those knife skills if you’ve got them.

Then mix everything together (again, feel free to skip the red pepper flakes if you need). I like to use a fork to break up the lemon zest and make sure there are no clumps of it hiding out anywhere.

Pour your garlic and lemon butter over your trayed tilapia, then place your lemon rounds on top, trying to get a few on each filet. Bake until its internal temperature reaches 145°F, anywhere from 10-20 minutes. If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, start checking at the 10 minute mark—you’re looking to see that your fish has turned opaque and that it’s easily flaked with a fork.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe above.

What To Serve With Baked Tilapia

Roasted vegetables. You’ve already got the oven going, why not throw some veggies in there while your fish is cooking too?
Summer green salads. A flaky tilapia filet and a fresh, green salad is the stuff light dinner dreams are made of.
Any of our best sides for seafood. From coconut rice to bok choy to risotto, we’ve got options for every occasion here.

Storage

Cooled leftover filets can be kept in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, bake, covered with foil to avoid it drying out, in a 350° oven until warmed through.

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