Tilapia makes an easy “any night” dinner for a few reasons. It is inexpensive, easy to prepare and has a mild flavor. Tilapia can be seasoned several ways from Mexican to Italian and it even works great for a fish fry. Today I’m keeping things really simple with butter garlic, lemon and just a hint of smoky, sweet paprika. If you prefer a bit of heat in your meal then swap out the paprika for a bit of red hot chili pepper.
Butter gives a very delicious taste to this dish but if you are trying to be health-conscious, you can replace butter with olive oil or even coconut oil. The taste will be very different but I assure you it will still be delicious. I even like this recipe with the addition of capers and a bit of white wine. The briny saltiness of the capers goes nicely with the richness of the butter. You can experiment and pretty much adjust this recipe any way you like to suit your family. Once in the pan it’s 15 minutes in the oven and ready for your table.
We like to serve this with rice because the sauce that’s left in the cooking pan is delicious poured over the fish and the rice giving everything a delicious buttery flavor. Tonight we’re having it with fresh green beans but any vegetable of your choice will do.
Tilapia With Garlic Lemon Butter
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste
- 1 tsp sweet paprika or for a bit of spice add red chili powder.
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
DIRECTIONS:
- Wash the Tilapia fillets and pat them dry.
- Arrange the fillets in a baking dish.
- Mix lemon juice, butter, garlic, paprika or red chilli powder, salt and black pepper in a bowl.
- Pour this mixture over the tilapia.
- Arrange lemon slices in between the fillets.
- Pre heat the oven to 375° Bake the fish for 15-20 minutes. Do not over cook the fish or it will dry out.
- Garnish with fresh parsley. Use the pan drippings to pour over the fish fillet once you have served it on the plate.
About the Author
Photographer Sally Roeckell specializes in contemporary lifestyle portraiture with an emphasis on food photography. Her Blog, Table and Dish is a website devoted to celebrating and curating the many ways that food binds us. Sally hopes that her recipes and images will inspire you to gather your friends and family in the kitchen to make memories, use the time to connect with busy kids, chat over mixing bowls, get messy, laugh, sing, set the table, clear the table, pass the salt, debate the days topics and pray. You can follow her here as a weekly contributor to 365Barrington and Heinen’s as well as via Table and Dish on Instagram and on her website at TableAndDish.com.
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