Lemon Butter Garlic Tilapia
Lemon Butter Garlic Tilapia has so much savory deliciousness! Lemon, butter, white wine, and garlic – how much better can it get? This is a one pan meal that is so simple to throw together and makes cleanup super easy. And, to top it off, it’s done in 30 minutes!
Lemon Butter Garlic Tilapia
Oh My! This is soooo delicious! And soooo easy! This is a one pan meal that makes things super easy, both cooking and cleanup. Being a 30 minute meal as well, this is a perfect option for those crazy midweek days that you need things to go together quickly.
Is This A Keto Friendly Meal?
Yes, it is. While this meal was not created as a Keto meal, it certainly does fit the criteria. The small amount of wine adds only a negligible amount of carbs per serving, it’s not even worth counting. You can make this dish often!
If you’re still concerned about the wine, swap it with chicken stock or more lemon juice.
Lemon Butter Garlic Tilapia Pro Tips
This is a simple and delicious meal that comes together quickly. Here are some tips to make your experience fun and easy to to ensure your fish is firm, moist, and flaky once it’s cooked!
Pan Searing Fish Properly. One important step that many people miss when preparing fish is to make sure the fish is dry. Take a few paper towels and dry off the fish before you cook. It may sound counter-intuitive, but wet fish makes it come out mushy. And if you’re pan frying it, it will stick. It only takes about a minute or two to dry off a few fillets.
Another mistake is cooking the fish straight out of the fridge. Cooking fish while it’s still cold will cause it to cook unevenly. The outside will get dried out and hard before the inside is fully cooked. So take the fish out about 30 minutes before you plan on cooking it.
Spice or No Spice. I love adding spice to my food. It enhances the experience for me. I know many of you enjoy it as well, but, like me, have others in the family that do not. My kids like a little spice, but more often that not, they will turn it away. I love cooking meals like this because I can add the spice I enjoy without making everything spicy and not have to make two separate meals. I simply put crushed red pepper flakes on the two fillets for my wife and me while leaving the other two untouched by the pepper for my kids. Win win!
Using Tilapia. Tilapia has unjustly received a tarnished reputation due to misinformation online. What? Everything online isn’t true? Well, we all know better than that by now. If you have concerns about using tilapia, please keep scrolling and read the section below on “Is Tilapia OK to Use?”
What Ingredients Are in Lemon Butter Garlic Tilapia?
- Tilapia
- Butter
- Fresh Garlic
- White Wine
- Lemon Juice
- Fresh Curly Parsley
- Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
- Fresh Lemon
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Fresh Curly Parsley
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Tilapia – Any white fish would work well with this recipe. I prefer a thinner fillet, but really you can use whatever is available. But it has to be a fish that flakes easily. Here’s a few options:
- Flounder
- Halibut
- Haddock
- Cod
- Sole
- Hake
White Wine – I use chardonnay. You can use any other dry white wine. Or, if you want to watch your carb intake, swap it out for chicken stock or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
How Is Lemon Butter Garlic Tilapia Made?
- Heat the oven to 375°F.
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Stir in the garlic and let it cook for about 3-5 minutes until it becomes fragrant. Be careful to not allow it to burn.
- Add the white wine and simmer for about 2 minutes. This will burn off the alcohol.
- Add the lemon juice and parsley. Stir it in and remove the skillet from the heat.
- As the sauce is cooking, rinse off the tilapia fillets and pat them dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper and place them in a baking pan.
- Once the sauce is finished cooking, pour it over the fillets.
- Cut the lemon in half lengthwise. Cut one half in slices and place around the fillets. (The rind gets bitter as it cooks, so placing them on the fish could make the fish bitter where the lemons are.)
- If desired, sprinkle red pepper flakes on the fish.
- Place the baking pan in the oven uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
- Slice the other half of the lemon into 4 wedges. Add these as garnish along with some fresh curly parsley.
Is Tilapia OK to Use?
The rumor that spread is that tilapia are bottom feeders. That is so untrue! Awhile back, when the tilapia demand exploded, it was discovered that some smaller tilapia farms in China were feeding their fish chicken waste, among other things. However, there are 2 extremely important things to keep in mind. First, that does not make tilapia bottom feeders. Second, regulations were put in place to prevent those farms from exporting their fish.
Even if they were bottom feeders, we regularly eat shrimp that really are bottom feeders that eat, well, garbage. So, yes, tilapia is a great, healthy choice.
Tilapia – A Healthy Option
Tilapia is an excellent fish to choose and is typically inexpensive as well. It has plenty of Omega-3 fatty acid which helps lower cholesterol and prevents it from building up in the first place. It is significantly lower than other fish like salmon; however, unlike salmon that you shouldn’t eat more than twice a week, you can eat as much tilapia as you’d like!
Tilapia has been farmed for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians raised tilapia in farms. It is believed to be the fish in the Bible that Jesus ate, even being nicknamed “Saint Peter’s Fish.”
Tilapia is great if you’re looking to follow a healthier lifestyle. In addition to lowering cholesterol, it also lowers triglycerides. It offers a great option if you’re looking to reduce or eliminate red meat and are looking for ways to have protein in your diet. Whether you’re pursuing a lifestyle that is heart healthy, low fat, or low carb, tilapia is an excellent choice!
Useful Kitchen Tools
I don’t know what I would do without these amazing kitchen tools. I use all of these at least once a week, some I use every day. None of these are sponsors. However, the links below are brands I trust and use regularly. I highly recommend these product to make your life in the kitchen easier.
Other Amazing Recipes That You’ll Love!
Wine Poached Cod with Sweet Tomatoes
Beer Battered Cajun Fish and Chips
Lemon Butter Garlic Tilapia
Ingredients
- 4 fillets Tilapia
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 4-6 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup White Wine
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Curly Parsley, finely chopped
- 1-2 Tablespoons Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
- 1 Fresh Lemon
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Fresh Curly Parsley for garnish
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 375°F.
-
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Stir in the garlic and let it cook for about 3-5 minutes until it becomes fragrant. Be careful to not allow it to burn.
-
Add the white wine and simmer for about 2 minutes. This will burn off the alcohol.
-
Add the lemon juice and parsley. Stir it in and remove the skillet from the heat.
-
As the sauce is cooking, rinse off the tilapia fillets and pat them dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper and place them in a baking pan.
-
Once the sauce is finished cooking, pour it over the fillets.
-
Cut the lemon in half lengthwise. Cut one half in slices and place around the fillets. (The rind gets bitter as it cooks, so placing them on the fish could make the fish bitter where the lemons are.)
-
If desired, sprinkle red pepper flakes on the fish.
-
Place the baking pan in the oven uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
-
Slice the other half of the lemon into 4 wedges. Add these as garnish along with some fresh curly parsley.
This was delicious! Loved the spice of the crushed red pepper with the garlic and butter! And my kids loved it without the red pepper, too! Thanks!