Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia (2024)

This Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia Recipe is super easy to make and comes together in under 20 minutes. It’s low-carb, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and very flavorful.

About Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia

Flaky and moist, this Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia is one of the easiest and most flavorful dishes you can make for dinner.

This tilapia recipe is spicy, tangy, and garlicky and comes together in under 20 minutes using simple ingredients.

Don’t let the word spicy intimidate you! The spice is not overpowering, and you have full control over the spice level. You can adjust it to your heat tolerance.

Mix a handful of ingredients in a bowl, pour them over the fish fillets, and pop the tray in the oven until your dinner is ready. Yes, It is that easy!

This lemon garlic oven-baked tilapia is a healthy and quick meal you can make for your weekday dinners or serve as a side dish for your weekend brunch. You can even grill it on a pan instead of baking it.

Not only is this recipe super simple to make, but it is also low-carb, gluten-free, and keto-friendly. It is 250 calories per serving, with only 12 g of fat. You can easily double or triple it too.

Here are some more of my favorite easy tilapia recipes that you may like to try

• Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
• Teriyaki Tilapia

If you are looking for more delicious fish recipes, here are some more for you

• Fish Fingers
• Honey Garlic Fish
• Spicy Fish Fry
• Furikake Salmon
• Paprika Salmon
• Salmon Mac And Cheese
• Spicy Baked Basa

Ingredients

Tilapia Fish Fillets – This recipe is prepared with boneless tilapia fillets (fresh or frozen). You can also use tilapia steaks or tilapia loins instead of fillets. The cooking time will be slightly longer in this case.

You can replace tilapia with any other firm white fish (snapper, grouper, cod, halibut, pollock, etc.) if you wish to. Adjust cooking time for the steaks or fillets’ size.

I like to use Tilapia because it’s not expensive, does not taste fishy, and I get frozen fillets easily.

For The Marinade – To marinate the fish, you will need lemon juice, unsalted butter, garlic, hot paprika (or use Kashmiri red chili powder), salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.

Use fresh garlic, which adds flavor and complements the butter well.

You can substitute butter with extra virgin olive oil for a healthier or dairy-free alternative.

If unsalted butter is unavailable, use salted butter with less salt in the marinade.

You can adjust the amount of lemon juice and paprika per your taste.

Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best taste.

Parsley – Finally, garnish it with some fresh parsley. You can also use fresh cilantro leaves instead.

Replace the seasoning with creole seasoning, taco seasoning, lemon pepper, or Italian seasoning for a taste change.

You can also add some grated parmesan cheese to the marinade.

How To Make Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia

Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).

Rinse 8 oz (250 g) of tilapia fillets with water and pat them dry using a paper towel.

Line the tilapia fillets on a 9×13-inch baking tray.

Note – if using frozen fillets, thaw them before using them.

Stir together

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon hot paprika (or Kashmiri red chili powder)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

in a small mixing bowl.

Pour the marinade evenly over the Tilapia fillets.

Arrange 3-4 slices of lemon over the fish.

Keep the tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until the fish is white, opaque, flaky, and fork-tender.

Remove the tray from the oven. Garnish the baked tilapia fish with pepper flakes, lemon slices, and chopped parsley (or cilantro), and serve hot.

Pro Tips By Neha

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.

Make sure to dry the fillets after rinsing them. You can dab them with a kitchen towel to remove the extra water.

Try to use same-size fish fillets for uniform cooking.

Do not overcook the fillets; they will turn chewy if overcooked.

There is no need to flip the fillets while cooking.

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

This recipe can be made with chicken as well. The cooking time will be more, though.

Increase or decrease the amount of hot paprika to suit your taste. You can skip it, too, if you dislike spicy food.

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

If you don’t like spicy, you can replace hot paprika with regular paprika.

If you like the fish tangier, use lime juice instead of lemon juice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to serve this baked tilapia is with Instant Pot Basmati Rice, Brown Rice, or Quinoa. Some roasted green beans, cherry tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, roasted zucchini, or roasted broccoli on the side, and you have a healthy dinner ready in no time.

You can also serve it with delicious pasta, spaghetti, or rice pilaf.

Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes are also a great side to serve with it.

You can also make tacos using this baked tilapia fillet recipe.

For a healthy meal, serve this oven-baked tilapia and a refreshing salad like this Cucumber Avocado Salad or Strawberry Walnut Salad.

Storage Suggestions

Once the baked fish cools down properly, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

To freeze, arrange the filets in a single layer on a tray and freeze until frozen solid. Then, transfer the fillets in a zip lock back. Remove as much air as possible before sealing and freeze for up to a month.

To reheat, pop the bowl in the microwave for 1 minute or pop the tray back in the oven for 10 minutes at 200°F.

Thaw the fish if it’s frozen before reheating.

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