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Baked tilapia is fast and flavorful and topped with just the right amount of spices.  It’s perfect served alongside rice, a baked potato, or seasonal veggies.

For a very long time the only kind of seafood I enjoyed eating was shrimp.  And it had to be fried.  And also drowned in ketchup.  It wasn’t until my best friend from college and I were on vacation in Washington, D.C. and had decided to walk to a pretty popular seafood restaurant that I branched out a little and went for it.  And by “it”I mean mahi mahi.

Ohmygoodnessgracious.  I got it fried {I know, I know} but I would have eaten it grilled because it was flaky and flavorful and probably better than shrimp.  There, I said it.  Fish just has this melt in your mouth quality if you cook it the right way.  I’ve sampled catfish, cod, mahi, and tilapia in restaurants and have yet to be disappointed.

But I’ve only ever made tilapia at home because it’s the cheapest kind to purchase frozen.  And us budget conscious foodies have to keep that in mind.  So when I saw tilapia on sale for just $4 for 4 filets my eyes lit up.  That is dirt cheap in the fish world so I snapped it up!  And I’ve been promising my roommate for awhile that I was going to make him some.

So I’m finally making good on this promise and showing you how a former fish hater makes the perfect baked tilapia!  This is great in the oven, on the grill in a foil packet, or even in a foil packet or cast iron skillet (aff) over a campfire.  Mine is super simple with just three ingredients.  Yeah.  You’re only 3 ingredients away from the perfect baked tilapia.  And really any white fish would taste good prepared this way.  Huzzah!

I personally don’t like to squeeze lemon over my fish {who started this anyway and why??} but I do love to serve it alongside a heaping helping of rice.  I’m slowly branching out with different flavors but this is easily my favorite go to when it comes to fish.

What’s your favorite way to prepare fish at home?

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Perfect Baked Tilapia

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients

• 4 4 oz tilapia filets
• 2 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbs butter

Instructions

1. Lay tilapia filets in the bottom of a foil lined baking pan.
2. Mix paprika and salt and sprinkle evenly over filets.
3. Dot each filet with ½ Tbs of butter.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes for fresh tilapia and 20 minutes for frozen.