Baked Tilapia with Lemon Garlic Sauce

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy seafood recipe, easy weeknight recipe, how to cook tilapia

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 13

Total Time: 18

Servings:

Calories: 178kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Baked Tilapia with Lemon Garlic Sauce is a true weeknight winner meal. It comes together in about 20 minutes. It's adaptable to your tastes and what you have on hand. It's not-fishy tasting, so kids often love it. And it's through-the-roof delicious!

Print Recipe

Equipment

1 baking dish 9"x13" works well

Ingredients

Cooking spray
4 6 oz tilapia fillets
salt and pepper
1 tbsp oregano dried
2 tbsp unsalted butter melted
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice from half of one lemon
1 tsp lemon zest from half of one lemon
3 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup capers drained, or more, if desired
3 lemon wedges cut from other half of lemon
2 tbsp parsley chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Lightly oil the baking dish with the cooking spray.
Arrange the tilapia in the dish. (It's okay if the edges overlap a little).
Liberally sprinkle salt all over the tops and bottoms of the fillets. Lightly sprinkle with pepper and oregano all over the fillets.
In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, extra-virgin olive oil, white wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic. Carefully pour the liquid all over the fish in the dish. Top with the capers.
Bake, uncovered, for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and an internal temperature of 145°F is reached. Remove and serve at once, drizzling the sauce over the fillets. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you like the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Other types of fish that work wonderfully in this recipe include cod, snapper, halibut, grouper, and even salmon. Depending on the size of the fillet, you may need to bake the fish longer. The internal temperature should reach 145°F.

You can easily leave out any of the sauce ingredients if you desire. We recommend having a total of 5 tbsp. If you omit the wine, then increase the lemon juice. We don't recommend omitting the lemon juice.

1 tbsp of garlic powder can be substituted for the fresh garlic.

Because the dish comes together so quickly, we don't recommend preparing it in advance. You can do the small amount of prep (chopping garlic) ahead of time. But it's best when prepared fresh and then served immediately.

Leftover cooked tilapia will keep for about 24 hours in the fridge. We don't recommend freezing leftovers.

Nutrition