Tender Flaky Baked Lemon Butter Tilapia will become your new go to dinner for busy nights!
When chatting with friends and family, conversation often naturally goes the direction of food. What to eat for dinner, eating healthier, cooking without so much stress, the list goes on. And a common topic of conversation also goes a little something like everyone thinking they should eat a little more fish. And then someone will say they don’t like fish. And someone else may say they don’t know how to cook fish. And usually, both of these things are common misconceptions! People that don’t like fish often just haven’t had it cooked properly, and something who doesn’t know how to cook it can easily learn how easy it is! This Baked Lemon Butter Tilapia is the perfect fish for both these people!! Light, flavorful, and easy to make, this Lemon Butter Tilapia might just become a new staple in your dinner time menu.
The first step is simply to make this lemon butter spread that goes on the fish. Let a little butter set out until softened and add the seasonings. I like to use the butter with canola oil for this, it’s just the right balance of oil to butter and makes it easy to spread on the tilapia.
Equipment needed for this recipe
- sheet pan
- foil
- spatula
- oven
This is one of those dinners that’s so quick to prepare and easy to clean up, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been making it all along. If you are new to cooking fish, here’s a few reasons that tilapia, and this Baked Lemon Butter Tilapia are the perfect place to start.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- tilapia is easy to find
- the flavor is mild and not to “fishy”
- This recipes uses minimal ingredients that are easy to find
- It’s quick to make and clean up
Baked Lemon Butter Tilapia
Ingredients
- 4 tilapia fillets (about 4 oz each) thawed
- 2 tablespoons butter with canola oil softened
- 1 teaspoon old bay
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Pat dry fish with paper towel and place on baking sheet lined with foil
- Mix together butter and seasonings
- Spread carefully over fish
- Squeeze half of lemon onto fish (about 1 tablespoon juice)
- Slice remaining lemon and place on top of each fillet
- Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on thickness until fish reaches 145 degrees F and flakes easily with a fork
Notes
Nutrition
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Check out a sneak peek at a few of our seafood dishes like pan seared salmon or halibut!!
I loved the simplicity of this recipe, yet it is filled with delicious flavors. It will be my Go- To recipe for sure.
Thanks Deepika! Yes, it’s so easy yet everyone loves it!
Looks really yummy. Love the flavor combo.
Thanks Roxana! It’s one of my favorites!
The topping on this talapia is a real winner! Talapia is so versatile, I know this recipe will quickly become a favorite for dinner.
It’s such a simple fish to cook! Thanks Sharon!
I also think that it is impossible not to love fish. You are absolutely on point. If someone doesn’t like fish – they never tried it cooked right. And there are so many wonderful recipes like yours!
Thanks Helena!
This fish is pretty hard to get over here in the U.K., but I have eaten t a lot in the states and always enjoyed it.
Awesome Dannii! What kinds of fish are most common in the UK?
I made this recipe tonight. We loved it! My teenager even asked for seconds:) The only thing I did differently was I added a tablespoon of fresh rosemary to the herb mixture. Delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Awesome!! So glad you loved it and the rosemary sound great!!
Can I substitute chicken for the fish?
Hi Joe! I think that should work, but will need to adjust your cooking time depending on what kind of chicken you are using.
What is seasoned pepper?
Hi Carol! It’s a blend of black pepper and bell peppers along with a few other spices. Here is one you can purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lawrys-Seasoned-Pepper-2-25-Ounce/dp/B00FWLX5RW/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1523489437&sr=8-4&keywords=seasoned%2Bpepper&th=1
Flavorful, easy dish to make. Will make again.