Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia + Video

This easy Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia takes all of 5 minute of preparation time before you pop it in the oven. Pair it with sautéed vegetables and steamed rice for a hearty meal. Here is a step by step and video recipe of how to make Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia.

This Lemon Garlic Tilapia is not even a recipe. You just have to mix a handful of ingredients in a bowl, pour them over the fish fillets, pop the tray in the oven and a healthy dinner is ready. Yes, that easy 🙂

Also if you don’t have access to Tilapia, feel free to use any other white fish. It’s mostly about the marinade guys. I like to use Tilapia because it’s not super expensive, do not taste super fishy and I get frozen fillets easily where I live.

We loved this dish at home so much that I am going to do it a couple of times this week. Or wait, why me? Even Bhavye can do it for us.

This Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia is a delicious recipe and is one of the many Oven Baked Tilapia Recipes that you can do in your kitchen. Here are some pointers that you should know before starting to make this dish.

What is Tilapia?

“Tilapia are mainly freshwater fish inhabiting shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes and less commonly found living in brackish water. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisanal fishing in Africa, and they are of increasing importance in aquaculture and aquaponics. Tilapia can become a problematic invasive species in new warm-water habitats such as Australia, whether deliberately or accidentally introduced, but generally not in temperate climates due to their inability to survive in cold water.

Tilapia is the fourth most consumed fish in the United States dating back to 2002. The popularity of tilapia came about due to its low price, easy preparation, and its mild taste.” – Wikipedia

How long to bake Tilapia?

The fillets of Tilapia may vary in size and hence baking time slightly varies for everyone. I bake the fish until the flesh turns white and flaky, which happens usually between 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees C (350 F).

If you have a candy thermometer, you can check the temperature of the inside of the fish and it should be 62Degrees C or 145 Degrees F.

Do check your fish filets after 15 minutes and if the flesh doesn’t look white and flaky, keep it in the oven for some more time. Do not over bake the fish otherwise it will become too dry and chewy.

How to make Baked Tilapia in Foil

This is a great recipe for BBQ. You can wrap the fillets individually in foil with some sauce on top and pop the foil packets in the BBQ for 15-20 minutes.

Flip it once midway to make sure the fish is cooked from all the sides. If you are going outdoors for BBQ, these packets are very easy to carry along.

Can you re heat baked Tilapia?

Although I would recommend having it just out of the oven, reheating it is definitely an option. Just pop the bowl in microwave for a minute or pop the tray back in the oven for 5 minutes at 200 degrees F for re heating the fish.

What goes with Baked Tilapia?

You can serve this baked tilapia with some boiled white rice or any other grain like quinoa, couscous etc. I also like to serve some sautéed vegetables along with it to make it a fullsome meal.

You can also make Tacos using this Baked Tilapia Fillet Recipe.

How to make Baked Tilapia without butter?

Butter gives a very delicious taste to this dish but if you are on a healthy regime, you can very well replace it with olive oil. The taste will be very different but I can assure you it will be delicious.

Tips to make best baked Tilapia

Make sure to dry the fillets after washing them. You can dab them with kitchen towel to take out the extra water.

Do not overcook the fillets. they will turn little chewy if over cooked.

You can try swapping the butter with coconut oil, olive oil etc.

This recipe can be made with chicken as well.

Increase or decrease the amount of red chilli powder to suit your taste. You can totally skip it too if not fond of spicy food.

You can swap tilapia with any white fish to make this recipe.

If you don’t like spicy, you can replace chilli powder with paprika.

Equipments required to make Baked Tilapia Fish

You will need a baking tray and an oven to make this dish. In India, I use this oven and the tray that comes along with it. If you live in the US, this is a good brand to consider.

Variations of Baked Tilapia

Mexican Style – To make Mexican Style Tilapia, arrange the fillets on a baking tray. In a pan over stove top, heat olive oil. Add sliced onion and chopped garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add sliced tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add salt, red chilli powder and black pepper. Add olives and capers and some brine from the capers. Spread this mixture over the fish fillets and bake until fish is cooked. 

Parmesan Crusted – I have a detailed recipe to make Parmesan Crusted Tilapia here. Do check it out.

Other Tilapia Recipes that you may like

Pan Fried Tilapia

Roasted Tilapia with Mustard Sauce

Blackened Cajun Tilapia

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

You might also like

Spicy Baked Basa

Honey Garlic Fish

Dukkah Crusted Chicken

Shrimp Quinoa Fried Rice

Italian Baked Eggs

Homemade Sour Cream

How to make Lemon Garlic Tilapia Step By Step

Ingredients for marinade added in a bowl.

Marinade ready.

Drizzle the marinade over the Tilapia fillets.

Baked to perfection.

Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia Recipe

4.23 from 187 votes

Print

Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia

This Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia takes all of 5 minute of preparation time before you pop it in the oven. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Continental

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 504 kcal

Author Neha Mathur

Ingredients

• 4-6 Tilapia Fillets
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 3 tbsp Butter
• 1 tsp Garlic Minced
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper Freshly Cracked
• 1 lemon Cut into thin slices
• 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley Chopped

Instructions

1. Wash the Tilapia fillets and pat them dry.

2. Arrange the fillets in a baking tray.

3. Mix lemon juice, butter, garlic, red chilli powder, salt and black pepper in a bowl.

4. Pour this mixture over the tilapia.

5. Arrange lemon slices in between the fillets.

6. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 Degrees F).

7. Bake the fish for 15-20 minutes.

8. Garnish with fresh parsley.

9. Serve hot.

Recipe Notes

You can increase the amount of lemon juice if you like it even more tangy.

Do not overcook the fish otherwise it will become dry.

Use the residual liquid to pour over the fish fillet once you have served it on the plate.

Serve this dish as an appetizer or with steamed rice and sautéed vegetables as main course.

 

Nutrition Facts

Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia

Amount Per Serving

Calories 504 Calories from Fat 207

% Daily Value*

Fat 23g35%

Saturated Fat 12g75%

Cholesterol 215mg72%

Sodium 332mg14%

Potassium 1122mg32%

Carbohydrates 7g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 69g138%

Vitamin A 1135IU23%

Vitamin C 39.9mg48%

Calcium 58mg6%

Iron 2.6mg14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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