Baked Tilapia Lemon Butter Garlic (Printer-friendly)

Tender tilapia baked in a zesty lemon garlic butter sauce, perfect for a quick dinner.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Fish

01 - 4 tilapia fillets, approximately 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 fresh parsley, chopped

# How to Make It:

01 - Set the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a baking dish large enough to arrange the fillets in one layer.
02 - Dry the fillets with paper towels, place them in the baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, and season both sides with salt and pepper.
03 - In a small bowl, blend melted butter, minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and paprika if desired.
04 - Evenly pour the lemon butter sauce over the fillets and top with lemon slices.
05 - Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork and is opaque throughout.
06 - Remove from oven, garnish with additional parsley, and serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under thirty minutes, which means weeknight dinner stress actually goes away.
  • The fish stays moist and flaky because you're baking it in butter and citrus instead of letting it dry out.
  • It tastes restaurant-quality without any of the restaurant-level fussiness or complicated techniques.
02 -
  • Wet fish steams instead of bakes—always pat your fillets completely dry with paper towels before they go in the oven.
  • The timing is the hardest part only because every oven is different, so start checking at 15 minutes; the fish will keep cooking a bit even after you pull it out.
  • Lemon juice can curdle butter if you add it to hot melted butter and let it sit; mix everything together fresh and pour it straight over the fish to keep it smooth and silky.
03 -
  • Use a fish spatula when you plate—it's angled and thin so you can slide it under the fillet without breaking it apart, which matters for presentation and eating.
  • If your fish fillets are very thick or very thin, adjust your baking time accordingly; thick ones might need 20 minutes, thin delicate ones might be done in 12.

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