Description
Garlic Butter Oven Baked Tilapia is a quick, flavorful weeknight dinner featuring flaky tilapia bathed in a rich garlic butter sauce, bright lemon, and fresh parsley. This 25-minute recipe delivers restaurant-worthy taste with minimal effort: perfectly baked fish, a generous garlic butter glaze, and a zesty lemon finish. Gluten-free, budget-friendly, and batch-friendly for meal prep, it pairs beautifully with veggies, rice, or quinoa for a light, satisfying seafood supper.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 tilapia fillets
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- Lemon slices for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease a baking dish or line with parchment paper.
- Pat tilapia fillets dry and place them in a single layer in the baking dish.
- In a small bowl, mix melted butter, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and Italian seasoning.
- Spoon the garlic butter mixture evenly over the fillets.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
- Remove from oven and drizzle with lemon juice. Sprinkle with lemon zest and fresh parsley before serving.
- Serve with lemon slices if desired.
Notes
- If your fillets are thick, bake a few extra minutes and test for flakiness.
- For gluten-free cooking, ensure spices are gluten-free.
- Try cod or haddock as a substitute.
- Leftovers store in an airtight container for 2–3 days.
- Pair with steamed vegetables, rice, or quinoa for a complete meal.
- Optional: a pinch of chili flakes for a little heat.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 fillet
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 26 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
Keywords: garlic butter tilapia, oven baked tilapia, lemon tilapia, garlic butter fish, 25 minute dinner, easy seafood recipe, weeknight dinner, gluten-free tilapia, healthy tilapia recipe, lemon parsley tilapia