Cook Tilapia in the Oven

Tilapia is a light, white fish that absorbs flavor very well. It cooks quickly and is relatively easy to prepare. You can prepare tilapia in the oven by baking it, broiling it, or baking it in foil packets. It is important to choose the appropriate preparation method based on your resources and tastes.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • 4 tilapia fillets
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) butter or margarine, melted
  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) black pepper
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • 2 plum tomatoes, sliced (optional)

Steps

Baking in Foil Packets

  1. Preheat the oven to 450º(232ºC). Prepare four squares of heavy duty aluminum foil that are large enough to wrap around each fillet.
    • Nonstick aluminum foil works best since the tilapia will not stick to it.
  2. Rub the fish with the melted butter. Coat the fish in the melted butter to prevent it from sticking and to help flavor it.
    • Since the fish will not be exposed to direct heat with this method, it will not brown and you do not necessarily need to use butter. You could substitute the butter for olive oil as a healthier alternative.
  3. Season the fish. Drizzle the lemon juice over the fillets evenly and sprinkle with pepper.
    • If desired, you could also use fresh chopped herbs, like basil. Use no more than 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of herbs.
  4. Layer the tomato slices over the fillets. Layer 3 to 4 slices over the top of each tilapia fillet.
    • You do not need to add the tomato, but the benefit of cooking tilapia in foil packets is that you cook vegetables with the fish while infusing the fillets with the flavor.
    • You can also layer chopped green onion, chopped sweet onion, or chopped bell peppers over the fish.
  5. Fold the packets and transfer them to a shallow baking sheet. Loosely wrap the foil around the tilapia and tomatoes and fold together to form packets.
    • Leave a small gap of air at the top of each packet to prevent too much steam from building up inside.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes.[1] Cook the fish until it is completely white and able to be flaked apart with a fork.
  7. Serve warm. Open each packet to allow the steam to escape and slide the fish, tomatoes and all, onto a serving plate.
    • Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Baking

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).[2] Prepare a shallow baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
    • You could also spray the baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line it with nonstick aluminum foil. Use finer quality aluminum foil to minimize the odds of the acidic lemon juice reacting with the foil.
  2. Rinse the fillets. Run the tilapia fillets under cool water.
    • Gently dry them by patting the fillets with clean paper towels. Make sure that the fillets are completely dry.
    • Rinsing the fillets is an optional step, but it comes in handy if the fillets are partially frozen and in need of thawing or if they are fresh and covered in a sticky coating.
  3. Mix the lemon juice and melted butter. Combine the two ingredients in a ramekin, custard dish, or other small bowl and stir together until they appear mostly combined.
    • It is best to use butter for this recipe since it will help the fish brown inside the oven.
    • For a stronger lemon flavor, you could up the amount of lemon juice to 3 or 4 Tbsp (45 or 60 ml).
  4. Transfer the fillets to the prepared baking sheet. Place the tilapia on the sheet in a single layer, spaced apart evenly.
  5. Season the tilapia. Pour the butter and lemon juice mixture over the fillets, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the tilapia with the black pepper.
    • If desired, you can add other seasonings to the tilapia at this time, as well. Flavors that complement the taste of lemon include onion, garlic, parsley, dill, basil, and oregano. For concentrated powders like garlic powder or onion powder, use no more than 1/4 tsp (1.25 ml). For herbs, use 1 tsp (5 ml) dried or 1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh.
  6. Bake the fish. At this temperature, tilapia should be done in about 20-30 minutes.[3]
    • When done, the tilapia will be completely white all the way through and should flake apart evenly with a fork.
    • If desired, you can add the Parmesan cheese to the fish during the last 5 to 10 minutes.
  7. Serve warm. Baked tilapia can be served hot out of the oven or after it has cooled down almost to room temperature.

Broiling

  1. Preheat the broiler. Lightly coat a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.
    • Allow the broiler to preheat for a full 5 to 10 minutes.
    • Many broilers only have an "on" setting, but some have separate "high" and "low" settings. For this recipe, preheat the broiler to "high."
    • Since tilapia is lower in fat than meat or poultry, it will not produce much melted fat. As a result, the cooking spray is necessary to prevent it from sticking to the broiler rack inside the broiler pan.
  2. Rinse the tilapia. Remove any sticky residue by lightly rinsing the tilapia fillets under cool, running water.
    • Pat completely dry with clean paper towels.
  3. Mix together the lemon juice, butter, and black pepper. Combine the ingredients in a small dish.
    • You can also add other seasonings, like chopped herbs or onion powder, if desired. Use no more than 1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) concentrated powders, 1 tsp (5 ml) dried herbs, or 1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh herbs.
  4. Transfer the tilapia to the broiler pan. Place the fillets on the broiler pan rack in an even single layer. Coat with the the lemon-butter mixture.
  5. Broil the tilapia fillets for 4 to 6 minutes, flipping once.[4] Place the pan on the top rack of the oven, no further than 4 inches (10 cm) from the top heating element. At the 2 or 3 minute mark, flip the fillets and continue broiling.
    • Use a fish spatula or other flat, heat-resistant spatula to turn the fish. Do not use tongs since they may cause the fish to break apart.
    • Turning the fillets is an important step because it ensures even cooking on both sides.
  6. Sprinkle the tilapia with Parmesan cheese and continue broiling. After sprinkling the fillets with the cheese, broil them for an additional 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
    • The fish must also be done at this point. Tilapia is done once it turns completely white and can be easily flaked apart with a fork.
    • Note that the Parmesan cheese is only optional. If you do not use it, however, you will still need to cook the fish for the additional 2 minutes.
  7. Serve warm. Allow the fish to cool slightly, 2 or 3 minutes, before serving.



Things You'll Need

  • Ramekin, custard dish, or another small bowl
  • Shallow baking sheet
  • Broiler pan
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • Parchment paper
  • Aluminum foil
  • Flat, heat-resistant spatula
  • Fork

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://eatathomecooks.com/2009/06/tilapia-with-veggies-baked-in-foil-packets.html
  2. ↑ http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lemon-garlic-tilapia/
  3. ↑ http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/133631
  4. ↑ http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broiled-tilapia-parmesan/

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