Lemon Pepper Tilapia with parmesan is the perfect healthy meal (low-carb, gluten-free, and pescatarian!) for any day of the week. This easy recipe for oven baked tilapia fillet is simple, tasty, and bursting with flavor! You'll love the light parmesan topping, fresh flavors, and tender white fish.
Love baked fish? Also try my Blackened Swordfish, Garlic Parmesan Baked Halibut, and Easy Baked Salmon with Rosemary.
Lemon Pepper Tilapia
You can't go wrong with a simple fish dish for a healthy, low-carb, and gluten-free dinner... and this Baked Lemon Pepper Tilapia is the perfect place to start. This might look like a fancy meal but it only takes a handful of ingredients and less than 20 minutes to make.
You will love this combination of flavors. The tender white fish is mild and works so well with the salty parmesan cheese combined with the pop of flavor from fresh lemon AND classic Lemon Pepper from your spice cabinet.
Whether you are a pro at cooking fish at home or need a REALLY simple place to start, this is the meal for you. In fact, if you've never cooked fish at home, I challenge you to try this. It's just that simple and tasty. Since this is a baked tilapia recipe, it's made in the oven and is really hard to mess up. If you are looking for an easy pescatarian recipe, this is it.
I love that this dinner is no-fuss, healthy, and loved by both kids and adults. Yes, the twins eat my Lemon Pepper Tilapia up!
Why You'll Love This Baked Lemon Pepper Tilapia...
Tilapia is an easy and mild fish to cook and this Baked Lemon Pepper Tilapia is the perfect way to prepare it. You can find it inexpensively in most any grocery store and when cooked well it is delicious. This is a recipe that ANYONE can do. Most people like tilapia because they say it doesn't taste fishy. Plus with high grocery prices, you have to love a budget friendly recipe.
I picked Lemon Pepper for the seasoning on my Baked Tilapia because it's nostalgic for me. I have a soft spot for classic Lemon Pepper seasoning because my Mom used it to cook fish for us when we were having a nicer meal at home. She was all about shortcuts in the kitchen, and using Lemon Pepper is a great one to add lots of flavor to a fish dish without a lot of fuss.
This is a weekday meal you can feel good eating and serving your family. It's light and healthy but full of flavor.
Is Tilapia a Good Fish to Eat?
It can be! There is some information circulating about how some types of tilapia are treated with chemicals that can be dangerous. As with buying any fish, look at your labels and where your fish comes from and check for added chemicals. When tilapia is caught or most likely farmed in good conditions, it is very safe to eat. Read more about which types to pick here.
Tilapia is a very low mercury fish making it a great choice for young kids or pregnant women.
It's a great source of protein and is low in fat. It has omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which can help with heart health, joint strength, and vision.
If you are concerned about tilapia this recipe can also be made with any thin, flaky white fish like cod, trout, or red snapper.
Ingredients:
This Baked Lemon Pepper Tilapia uses only a handful of easy to find ingredients! Keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts.
- Tilapia: Tilapia is an easy to find and often inexpensive flaky white fish. It's mild with a neutral flavor. I usually buy it frozen because it makes it easy to keep around for a quick meal. To get it ready for making this recipe just thaw it out and pat it dry if it's wet. You can also swap out other flaky white fish in this recipe including cod, halibut or bass. Thicker fishes will require slightly longer cooking times though.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice brings out the flavors of the fish. I like to use an actual lemon, not bottled juice.
- Parmesan: I like adding classic grated parmesan to this healthy baked fish to give it a bit of a light crust without adding breadcrumbs or frying it. It also brings out loads of flavor. You don't need anything fancy just the regular grated parmesan in the plastic container.
- Lemon Pepper: Lemon Pepper is a classic seasoning blend that no spice cabinet should be without. If you like to make your own, I included directions to do that below.
- Dried Parsley: I add some dried parsley to my parmesan and lemon pepper mixture to make the topping a bit prettier.
- Olive Oil: You'll need just a touch of your favorite type of oil for baking the fish.
- Salt & Pepper
- Garnish: Fresh Green Onions, parsley, or lemon slices. The fresh herbs on top, add a nice colorful punch to the recipe.
How to Store Tilapia:
You can store fresh or thawed tilapia in the fridge for up 3 days. Frozen tilapia will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. In the fridge store, it is wrapped in butcher paper in the fridge or an airtight container. In the freezer, it's best to vacuum seal it or keep it in a freezer bag.
How to Cook Baked Lemon Pepper Tilapia:
This is an overview of how to cook Lemon Pepper Tilapia, but keep scrolling for the full printable recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. For easy cleanup, you can even line your pan with aluminum foil.
- Start with four fillets of fish. Pat them dry if they are wet.
- Squeeze the fresh lemon over the fish.
- Lightly rub or brush the fish with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper. The lemon pepper parmesan topping is pretty salty, so you don't need a lot.
- In a small bowl mix together parmesan, lemon pepper, and dried parsley.
- On a plate, carefully coat one side of a piece of fish with the lemon pepper parmesan mixture. Pat it down to make sure it sticks. Transfer the fish to a baking dish or baking sheet.
- Bake the fish for about 10 minutes or until it's flaky the fish flakes with a fork.
- If you'd like a browner crust, turn on your broiler and let it bake a bit more. Watch it carefully because it will only need a few minutes and can burn quickly.
- Top with green onions or fresh parsley.
Air Fryer Instructions:
You can also make this Lemon Pepper Tilapia in the air fryer. Here's how!
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Spray it with cooking spray.
- Prepare the Lemon Pepper Tilapia coating with the instructions above.
- Put the prepared fillets in a single layer in the air fryer.
- Cook the tilapia for 6-8 minutes depending on the size of your fillets. It will be done when it flakes with a fork.
- Remove the tilapia from the air fryer and garnish with fresh lemon slices and parsley or green onion.
Variations & Questions
I love this Lemon Pepper Tilapia recipe as written, but here are some questions and variations that are fun too.
Storage & Freezing
If you have any leftovers store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze leftover fish. Wrap individual portions in foil and store in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Allow to thaw out completely in the fridge before reheating.
How do I cook tilapia in the oven?
There are so many ways to cook tilapia but I love this simple way of baking it. All you have to do is add the parmesan lemon pepper topping and bake it at 400 degrees for around 10 minutes. If you have been looking for a simple way to add fish to your diet, this is it!
How do I know when tilapia is done?
The tilapia will be done when it turns opaque white and easily flakes with a fork. My best trick to cooking good fish is to not overcook it. Make sure you keep an eye on your Lemon Pepper Tilapia because oven temperatures can vary. Fish cooks fast! If you like to use a meat thermometer on your food, the fish will be cooked at 145 degrees.
Can I make my own lemon pepper?
If you are feeling extra ambitious or don't like using pre-made spices, you make your own lemon pepper. First, take 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and slowly dry it in the toaster oven. Then mix with two tablespoons of black pepper and one tablespoon of salt. Adjust the ratios to taste. Crush the mixture together until you reach the desired consistency.
Are you supposed to rinse fish before cooking?
No! Contrary to a lot of information, you are not supposed to rinse your fish before cooking. It does not remove any bacteria and it even can cause the water you rinse the fish with to spread bacteria around your kitchen. You do NOT need to rinse your fish. I do recommend patting it off with a paper towel for this recipe though so the topping sticks.
Variations:
This recipe works great with almost any white fish! If it's a thicker fish, you will need to cook it a bit longer.
- Mix Up the Seasoning: Instead of lemon pepper add Italian Seasoning Mix to the parmesan. You could also make it with Cajun Seasoning or Blackening Seasoning.
- Give it a Crust: Add some panko to the mixture for more of a breading and coat both sides of the fish.
- Make it Dairy-Free: For a dairy-free version make it without the parmesan.
- Swap out Butter: For a more indulgent version, add a pat of butter or brush the fish with butter instead of olive oil.
- Make it Garlicy: Add some garlic powder to your mixture.
- Make it Spicy: Add some red pepper flakes to the mixture to make it spicy.
This Lemon Pepper Tilapia is the Perfect Healthy Dinner!
This Lemon Pepper Tilapia is one of my favorite meals because it's simple, healthy, and dependable. Keep some sustainably sourced tilapia in your freezer to make this as a 15 minute meal on any weeknight. It can easily replace any fried or packaged fish you might be eating. This is such a fabulous easy baked tilapia recipe that's simply fuss-free but delicious.
I love to round out this meal with a simple microwavable steamed veggie and rice or a baked potato. It also goes great with some of the recipes below... all of which can also be made in around 15 minutes.
I hope you love it as much as I did!
Serve it With:
- Parmesan Garlic Roasted Asparagus
- Everything Bagel Roasted Potatoes
- Sautéed Kale with Lemon and Garlic
- Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Parmesan Ranch Cauliflower
- Mediterranean Chopped Salad
- Lemon Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
- Parmesan Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
More Healthy Fish Recipes:
- Lemon Pesto Salmon
- Blackened Salmon
- Garlic Parmesan Halibut
- Easy Baked Salmon with Rosemary
- Blackened Mahi Mahi
- Blackened Swordfish
- Everything Bagel Salmon
- Salmon with Rainbow Veggies in Foil
- Balsamic Glazed Salmon
- Baked Salmon with Creamy Greek Yogurt Dill Sauce
- Foil Packet Fish
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!
Lemon Pepper Parmesan Tilapia
Ingredients
- 4 tilapia filets (about 4 ounces)
- 1 lemon
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- salt and pepper
- garnish: sliced green onion
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
- Rinse the tilapia and pat dry with paper towels. Put it on a plate or cutting board to prepare it.
- Squeeze the fresh lemon over the fish.
- Lightly rub or brush the fish with the olive oil and lightly salt and pepper. The lemon pepper parmesan topping is pretty salty, so you don't need a lot.
- In a small bowl mix together parmesan, lemon pepper, and dried parsley.
- Carefully coat one side of a piece of fish with the lemon pepper parmesan mixture. Pat it down to make sure it sticks. Transfer the fish to a baking dish.
- Bake the fish for about 10 minutes or until it's flaky.
- Optional: Turn oven to broil to quickly brown crust. Be careful though! You could quickly burn and overcook the entire dish!
- Top with green onions and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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Gail Montero says
Love that you added step-by-step photo instructions which makes this recipe so easy to follow! Love the flavors, too!
Natalie says
We always have fish on Fridays. I'm saving this recipe and I will make it tomorrow. Looks really delicious, perfectly seasoned and prepared. Super easy to make too. Thanks!
Tatiana says
I love how Parmesan cheese tastes with white fish, especially Tilapia. Affordable dinner for the whole family , delicious!
Louise says
My kids loved this! All 5 of them, which is super rare!
THANK YOU!
Dana says
Delicious flavor combo on this tilapia. So simple and delicious.
Byron Thomas says
By far one of the easiest and most delicious ways to prepare tilapia. Thank you!
Claudia Lamascolo says
I love fish with lemon pepper it certainly brings out the best flavors and this recipe was so easy to follow I will make it again!
Amanda Dixon says
I'm officially putting this on the dinner rotation! The Parmesan topping was so delicious, and I love how it came together so quickly and easily. Perfect weeknight dinner!
Gloria says
Lemon pepper is such a great seasoning blend. Simple yet so effective. This sounds like a great fish dinner to me.
Jasmine Martin says
Ooooo I never thought about making lemon pepper tilapia before. I'm definitely going to have to try this since my family loves tilapia.
Monica Simpson says
I haven't had tilapia in so long. This dish sounds perfect for a lighter meal.
Marta says
Everything looks and sounds delicious. I can't wait to try it. What other fish besides tilapia would you recommend?
JulieWunder says
Any white fish would go great with this preparation! Thin ones like trout or flounder would have similar cooking times.
serena says
I love how easy this is to prepare. Delicious and quick. Can't ask for much more than that!
Amber Myers says
Oh yum, this looks incredible! I just love the lemon pepper flavor.
Sarah says
I just made this for my family and it was a big hit! I came across fresh tilapia fillets and this was my first time baking tilapia and using fresh...I always buy frozen. Thank you for the recipe!
JulieWunder says
That sounds wonderful! I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment.
Esther says
This looks fantastic! Thanks for joining the link-up!
Dick says
Fixed this last night, Julie. It was superb. Thanks for the recipe.
Dick
JulieWunder says
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for coming back by to let me know how it turned out!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
I was just looking for new ways to prepare tilapia! This looks so good!
JulieWunder says
Thanks Jessica!
Annmarie says
I have made something similar to this before- it is SO good!!!
JulieWunder says
I make this in different ways all the time! With the crust it turns out really moist.
Jaime says
I'm definitely giving this a try. We have tilapia in the freezer and need new recipes.
JulieWunder says
It is really easy and good! Great for right after work!
Jess @hellotofit says
I love tilapia, and how easily it adapts to other yummy flavors/seasonings. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!!
JulieWunder says
Thanks Jess!
Jessie says
I don't know what it is, but tilapia is one protein that I really dislike touching. The final outcome is great, but getting there... um not so much. Ha!
JulieWunder says
I actually totally understand. I dislike touching fish too. I use a pair of tongs to cut down on the ew factor. I use them for any fish/seafood I make.
Farrah says
I'm out of tilapia, but I love how easy this recipe is! Definitely gonna try it out once I have it again! :]
JulieWunder says
Thanks Farrah! Let me know how it goes for you!
Renee @ Bendiful Blog says
Oh now this I need to try. I have a bunch of Tilapia I just picked up in bulk. Yummy I love lemon pepper.
JulieWunder says
Me too! My Mom didn't cook a lot, but that is one spice she used. It feels cozy to me 🙂
Jen@jpabstfitness says
I'm always scared to cook fish, because I'm not a huge fan...but I want my kids to be exposed to all types of foods. This recipe looks easy enough to try 🙂
JulieWunder says
So easy and tilapia is very mild.
I also suggest trying my foil packet fish, pesto salmon and no-fail salmon for first fish cooking experiences. 🙂 As soon as the fish flakes- it is done. 🙂
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says
I will occasionally eat tilapia bc it doesn't taste like fish LOL. Weird vegetarian thinking. This looks super easy and good
JulieWunder says
haha. I totally, yet sadly, understand.
I eat fish because it makes my life so much easier and I actually really like it. I only eat it a few times a week though 🙂
Lean Lena says
We make tilapia a lot in my house - such a quick, easy and delicious dinner! Our favorite is breaded tilapia that we buy pre-breaded. I think you just converted me from that to this recipe. Thank you so much for detailed instructions and for sharing your recipe with Tasty Tuesday, Julie!
JulieWunder says
This is a really easy way to get that same flavor with less other "stuff" 🙂 Thanks for the linkup!
Blane Sherer says
Looks good. Keep those healthy recipes coming.
JulieWunder says
Thanks Blane!
Jessica @Myhealthypassion.com says
This looks sooo delicious! I am always looking for ways to spruce of tilapia!
JulieWunder says
Thanks Jessica. I am too. Thanks for stopping by today! Hope to "see" you again.
Annmarie says
I planned on making fish tonight but hadn't figured out a recipe yet! Looks like this will be it- thanks for sharing 🙂
JulieWunder says
I had all of this stuff in my pantry too! Hope you enjoy it!
Danyelle Musselman says
Sounds amazing and simple! I will be making this this week… Tilapia is one of the only fish my family will eat!
JulieWunder says
It is so mild that almost everyone likes it!
Dan Steadman says
looks good...just have to look for an alternative for parmesan (goat cheese) for my 3 y/o. My week has been so-so so far, but it's not how you start, it's how you finish...can't wait for this weekend
JulieWunder says
You could probably just use the panko crumbs and lemon pepper... but I didn't test it that way.
Sue @ This Mama Runs for Cupcakes says
This looks yummy! I love fish. I've started using wild atlantic cod recently instead of tilapia to avoid the farm raised fish, but I miss the tilapia!
JulieWunder says
Yum cod! What a great choice!
Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie says
This looks yummy! I love that you could mix it up to use with any fish really.
JulieWunder says
Absolutely. Just adjust the cooking time for the thickness of the fish.
Susie @ SuzLyfe says
People can be such haters of both tilapia and of pairing cheese with fish (which I can understand). But cheese and fish in the right instances (like this) are perfect! And lemon pepper is such a fabulous flavor...delicious!
JulieWunder says
Just some light parmesan that's all 🙂 I didn't know about fish and cheese haters... if they tried my fish, they would come to the dark side.
Joanna @Makingmine says
I need to incorporate more fish into my diet, but I don't really know the first thing about cooking it. This recipe sounds delicious!
JulieWunder says
It is soooo easy. You can also try my foil packet fish, pesto salmon and my dads no-fail salmon. 🙂
Thanks Joanna.