Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Baked Tilapia with Lime and Cilantro

When I was growing up, my family hardly ever had fish. When we did, it was usually fried or fish sticks from the store! So when I married, I didn't know how to fix fish unless it was fried. And I found fish rather intimidating, for some reason, so it's just been the last few years that I've added a few easy fish dishes to my recipe box. One such dish is Baked Tilapia with Lime and Cilantro. It's so easy and quick cooking that you can have a whole meal on the table in less than 30 minutes! The Tilapia only takes 10-15 minutes to bake, so if you pair it with rice and maybe a oven roasted veggie, like my Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar, or Oven Roasted Broccoli, dinner will be ready in no time! In fact the Tilapia and the asparagus or broccoli can baked in the oven at the same time, in separate pans. This recipe was for about 1 pound of Tilapia, which contained 5 small fillets. Preheat the oven for 425 degrees and get started!
Baked Tilapia with Lime and Cilantro
4 Tbs. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2-3 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. melted butter, optional
2-3 Tbs. chopped cilantro, or to taste
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
In a small bowl, mix the lime juice, the olive oil and the garlic together and let set for a few minutes, if you have the time. That will allow the different flavors in the sauce to "come together"! Place fish fillets in a 9x13 non reactive baking pan and pour the lime juice mixture over the fillets. Turn fish to distribute the juice evenly and make sure that some of the delicious garlic lands on the fish! Top with the chopped cilantro and pour melted butter over all. I just like the taste of butter and olive oil together, but this step is totally optional. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Bake at 425 degrees for 10- 15 minutes, until fish flakes easily. I actually let the fish set in lime mixture for about 10 minutes before bakingas I had another interruption, but the fish was fine. I did not want it to marinate because the fillets are so delicate and don't need to be tenderized. But it came out really delicious with the tangy lime and garlic flavor with the cilantro. This is a recipe that I normally use with grilled chicken breasts and I will marinate them for several hours and it's delicious too!


22 comments:

  1. I love tilapia, this looks like a really unique way to prepare it. The flavors are so light and fresh.

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  2. What an excellent recipe - I love cilantro and lime with anything.

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  3. This looks delicious. Tilapia is a wonderful fish - it is so versatile, and I haven't found a flavor that doesn't match with it yet. (I haven't tried chocolate. I don't intend to.)

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  4. Wow, that looks so delicious, tender, and healthy. Mmm, thanks for a great recipe!

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  5. Tilapia is my favorite fish. Thanks for sharing such a simple, healthy, an delicious meal.

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  6. This is one of the few fish readily available in this area, I do so miss a good selection of fresh fish, but one can't have everything. This recipe looks delightful, I can see how it would work with chicken too.

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  7. This looks amazing. I so love the flavor combination you chose. Tilapia is awesome to work with. It really looks quite deicious!

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  8. I have a whole tilapia... would this recipe work on the grill?

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  9. Hi Lori, thanks for visiting my blog! As for your question,I know that the lime wouldn't be able to penetrate the skin of the fish. If you want to try it, I'd put the fish in a resealable bag and pour in the marinade, making sure it got into the cavity of the fish. If you try it, let me know how it turns out.

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  10. Thank you for sharing!!! I have this in the oven right now and it smells delicious!!!

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    1. It was just as fabulous as it smelled!! Even my picky 13 year old daughter loved it! Thank you so much!!! I have a terrible time trying to cook fish and this was fantastic!

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    2. Thanks for stopping by Heather and taking time to leave a comment. I'm so glad you enjoyed this fish dish.

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  11. This is the first time I'm visiting your blog. I loved this recipe! For sure I will be back next time I feel like cooking something new! Thank you so much!

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    1. Thanks for visiting and letting me know you enjoyed this fish. Hope you come back often! :)

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  12. I made this last night and it was wonderful! My whole family loved it, including my 5 year old. Can't wait to make it again.

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    1. Beth, I'm glad this dish was a hit with your family. It's a good day when you can find something that the whole family likes, especially a 5 year old! Thanks for the comment!

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  13. once i picked off the green stuff it was pretty good

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  14. maybe i did something wrong but the cilantro was nasty

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  15. Hi Joshua,
    Some people don't like Cilantro, so if you are one of those people, just eliminate it. The tilapia is still plenty good with just the lime.

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  16. I made this, but also added pine nuts since I had some on hand....delicious : )
    Oh and I used celtic sea salt

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    1. Thanks for your comment....the pine nuts sounds really good with this fish!

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  17. Hi Lynda:

    Nice recipe, I will try it this weekend. I saw something similar at Costco but I didn't get it, and searching thru the web i found your blog.

    for the poster who doesn't like Cilantro, you can substitute it for Parsley

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I am so glad you stopped by. I hope you'll come back often. Thank you for your comments!