Tender tilapia filets with a flavorful lemon pepper blend and garlic butter sauce. This Lemon Pepper Tilapia recipe is perfect for a quick, easy, and healthy dinner with loads of fresh flavor. The rich lemon butter garlic sauce balances with the pucker of lemon pepper seasoning to compliment the subtleness of tilapia. Absolutely delicious!
As an added bonus, this recipe has less than 10 ingredients and is budget friendly too. Makes healthy eating easy + attainable which is what we’re all about! There’s nothing I love more than a simple recipe that makes me feel good too.
For another easy and delicious pescatarian friendly recipe, check out this Seared Salmon with Spring Pea and Lemon Cream Sauce. Simple pan seared salmon with a salt & pepper seasoning gets a crisp brown outside and flaky inside that’s juicy and tender. The lemon cream sauce is bursting with fresh flavor from spring peas, garlic, shallots, and lemon zest for a delicious base to this salmon!
Lemon Pepper Tilapia Ingredients
Tilapia – A thin cut of white fish with a fairly neutral flavor. I love the subtleness of tilapia for this recipe but feel free to substitute for any thin white fish filet.
Lemon Pepper Blend – The pop of flavor in this Watkins Lemon Pepper Blend is so good! Has a bit of pucker to it that activates all the flavors in this recipe, but feel free to use any lemon pepper blend or seasoning brand that you have access to.
Kosher Salt – The base seasoning of every great recipe is salt and pepper! The lemon pepper is a great combination but you’ll still want a bit of salt.
Cornmeal – Adds an incredible crispy coating to the fish filets while remaining gluten free. I love the subtle flavor and crisp texture of cornmeal for these filets.
Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce Ingredients
Butter – I used an organic unsalted butter for this lemon garlic sauce but feel free to use dairy free butter if needed.
Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves are needed for the rich and delicious flavor in this sauce.
Lemon Juice – Adds an extra kick of fresh lemon flavor.
Lemon Pepper Blend – The star ingredient of this recipe overall, Lemon Pepper creates the main flavor profile alongside the garlic.
Dried Parsley – This is optional but if you enjoy parsley then I highly recommend adding it. It adds to the complex flavors of lemon, pepper, and garlic.
Kosher Salt – I like to season with salt and use unsalted butter for better control over salty flavor. Make sure that if you do use salted butter you skip this additional salt though!
Black Pepper – I wanted this lemon garlic butter sauce to have lots of flavor and pop so I added extra black pepper. This helps balance out with the extra lemon juice added.
How to Make Lemon Pepper Tilapia
- Pat tilapia filets dry with a paper towel. Mix lemon pepper, salt and cornmeal together and coat each side of the tilapia filets with the dredge mixture.
- Over medium-high heat, heat a well-seasoned cast iron pan or a non-stick pan. Once the pan is hot, spray the pan using avocado oil spray and transfer the tilapia filets to the pan, cooking in batches if necessary in order to not overcrowd the pan. Allow filets to cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Flip the filet to the other side to complete cooking, turning again if necessary to prevent the cornmeal crust from burning.
- While the fish is cooking, prepare the garlic lemon butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and saute minced garlic until golden brown. Once the garlic is browned and fragrant, remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in lemon juice, lemon pepper blend, kosher salt, black pepper and dried parsley (if using) until well-combined.
- Once the fish has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit and the garlic butter is prepared, serve the filets topped with garlic lemon butter – a little goes a long way, it’s a very rich topping that is balanced out by the pucker brought from the lemon juice and lemon pepper blend.
What is Tilapia?
Tilapia is an underrated fish with so many good points about it! Often we feel the need to snag the most expensive fish in order to have it be the “best”, but that’s not always the case.
To start with, Tilapia refers to a large group of fresh water fish that all belong to the cichlid family. So if you see variation in Tilapia whether in store, at restaurants, or online, that’s why. Now for the three main reasons I love this fish filet:
- It’s affordable which makes living a healthy and/or pescatarian lifestyle that much more attainable! Don’t get me wrong, I love salmon and the more expensive filets but Tilapia can be just as delicious. And just because it’s a cheaper option doesn’t mean it lacks in flavor or quality. Be mindful of where you source it from then prepare/cook it right and you’ll be just as happy with it compared to other filets!
- The neutral flavor is mild and takes on whatever seasoning you prepare it with. Talapia is great for anyone wary of a “fishy” taste because everything about it is so mild. This is why it’s also important to properly season it though, otherwise the filets will be rather plain!
- As far as preparation goes, Tilapia is one of the easiest. The filets are usually already prepared to cook, you simply need to pat them dry with a paper towel then season. Cooking Tilapia is just as easy since the filets are thinner and cook fast. You can saute, bake, or grill Tilapia just be careful the filets don’t overcook and dry out!
What is Lemon Pepper
One of my favorite ways to switch things up in the kitchen is through seasoning. Whether it’s a singular spice, a blend of spices, or even dried herbs, proper seasoning can impact the entire flavor of a recipe.
If you’ve never cooked with Lemon Pepper then please take this as your sign to do it! It’s such a simple yet flavorful blend that can compliment so many different recipes. The blend is most often made with granulated lemon zest/peel, ground black pepper, and a touch of salt. Different brands and suppliers will have their own unique take on it but those three are the main components.
With this lemon tilapia recipe I used the Watkins 1868 Organic Lemon Pepper Blend and loved it. Feel free to use whichever blend you can find though!
What to Serve with Lemon Pepper Tilapia
These tender tilapia filets make for a great main to any dish. Have fun and get creative with different sides to serve alongside it!
A few of my favorite blog recipes to make with this Lemon Pepper Tilapia include:
Maple Roasted Squash Salad – A refreshing salad filled with maple pecan roasted butternut squash, four different types of greens, crunchy honey crisp apple slices, and goat cheese crumbles. Everything is tossed with a light homemade dressing sweetened with maple syrup and a touch of cinnamon.
Roasted Garlic Potato Salad – Warm roasted potatoes and spring greens are tossed in a creamy garlic dressing that’s light yet flavorful. I’d go easy on the lemon garlic butter sauce when pairing the tilapia with this side dish. The garlicky potatoes are plenty enough!
And if you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you and it helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Lemon Pepper Tilapia 🙂
Ingredients
Lemon Pepper Tilapia
- 4 tilapia filets
- 2 tsp Lemon Pepper Blend
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ⅓ cup cornmeal
- Avocado Oil spray
Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce
- ¼ cup 4 tablespoons butter (sub DF if needed)
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- ½ lemon juiced
- ¾ tsp Lemon Pepper Blend
- ½ tsp dried parsley optional
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Pat tilapia filets dry with a paper towel. Mix lemon pepper, salt and cornmeal together and coat each side of the tilapia filets with the dredge mixture.
- Over medium-high heat, heat a well-seasoned cast iron pan or a non-stick pan. Once the pan is hot, spray the pan using avocado oil spray and transfer the tilapia filets to the pan, cooking in batches if necessary in order to not overcrowd the pan. Allow filets to cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Flip the filet to the other side to complete cooking, turning again if necessary to prevent the cornmeal crust from burning.
- While the fish is cooking, prepare the garlic lemon butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and saute minced garlic until golden brown. Once the garlic is browned and fragrant, remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in lemon juice, lemon pepper blend, kosher salt, black pepper and dried parsley (if using) until well-combined.
- Once the fish has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit and the garlic butter is prepared, serve the filets topped with garlic lemon butter – a little goes a long way, it’s a very rich topping that is balanced out by the pucker brought from the lemon juice and lemon pepper blend.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @themindfulhapa on Instagram and hashtag it #themindfulhapa!
Facebook Pin Recipe
Very delicious I don’t like fish but love this one.serve with baked beans and potatoes salad?
So happy you loved this recipe!!! 🙂 – Casey