FOUR simple ways to make Baked Tilapia in Foil. Toss ’em on the grill or in the oven – but NEVER have dishes to clean!
Thanks so very much to the fantastic FoodSaver® folks for sponsoring this post!
I have always loved Baked Tilapia in Foil – heck, anything baked in foil! – for its simplicity, quick cooking time and minimal ingredients that turn into a healthy, delicious meal.
My favorite way to prepare it is to rub on some freshly minced garlic, top with pats of butter and lemon slices then add some asparagus and cherry tomatoes. So much flavor, plenty of healthy fish and vegetables, no cleanup and takes just ten minutes to cook!
Favorite flavors differ for the other members of my family, however, so I’ve included those for you, too. They include a simple topping of basil pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto or a butter and lemon-pepper combination. All are delicious and such a simple way to make a different Baked Tilapia in Foil flavor for every member of your family!
The recipe for Garlic Baked Tilapia in Foil with Asparagus and Tomatoes can be found at the bottom of this post. The others are even simpler so you really don’t need a recipe.
HOW TO BAKE TILAPIA?
Just top with either basil pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto or a mixture of melted butter and lemon-pepper seasoning. The amounts are up to you – use as little or as much as you like.
You can even top it with fresh lemon slices for an extra oomph of flavor. They all bake at 400F for about 10 minutes. So simple!
{ TIP: Use your favorite seasoning mix in place of the lemon-pepper. It’s the same suggestion I give for how to bake chicken wings so they’re crispy & amazing – you can have a different flavor for every member of your family with minimal effort! }
I have something else wonderful to share with you, too. I’ve discovered the ease and excitement (yes, it’s been exciting!!) of using the NEW FoodSaver® FM5000 Series Food Preservation System. Here’s the story.
One day last week, I went to Costco. And came home with $400 of so many delicious types of fruits, vegetables, meats and fish. HEAVEN. Incredibly fun to shop and bring home so many goodies.
A friend had gone with me (which makes any kind of shopping more fun). She’d stopped by my house before we left and she noticed my new FoodSaver® Food Preservation System on my counter. We started sharing stories of how much food we waste because it’s so tough to use every last bit before it goes bad. I don’t even shop at Costco that often; normally it’s the grocery store for me, yet I still find myself tossing food in frustration.
Especially fresh HERBS. Who can use that ginormous bunch of parsley or cilantro before it goes bad??
I can.
At least, now I can ever since I started using my FoodSaver® Food Preservation System. My girlfriend and I had so much fun vacuum sealing EVERYTHING when we got home that day.
(She even bought the system for herself while we were at Costco; you can buy it there, too!)
The tilapia for this recipe? Vacuum sealed it into two bags with four filets each. Fresh raspberries? They went into one of the FoodSaver® Fresh Containers (more on those later). The cute little “cocktail cucumbers” I picked up? FoodSaver® Fresh Container!
And those muffins that come in two packs that are impossible to keep fresh because there’s no easy way to cover them tightly? I vacuum sealed them into bags, two to a bag, and my girls have been enjoying them before school in the morning.
Wait…muffins in a vacuum sealed bag? Won’t they get crushed, you ask?
Not even a little bit! The new FoodSaver® FM5000 Series Food Preservation System has a feature that allows you to “Pulse Vac™” so that YOU control when to stop the air removal. I simply stop when the muffins are tightly sealed in the bag but not so much that they’re crushed.
The FoodSaver® brand sent me the FoodSaver® FM5000 Series Food Preservation System as well as FoodSaver® Fresh Containers, bags and a few more accessories. They’re all WONDERFUL (I’m obsessed with the jar sealer and the wine cork) and I love them so much that I’ve already placed two more orders of my own to make sure I always have whatever I need at my fingertips. The main system is surely plenty but I am so smitten that I just couldn’t help myself.
Especially when I saw how simple it was to keep the asparagus for this Baked Tilapia in Foil nice and fresh as if I’d bought it that day!
I have so many more things I want to share with you about my new FoodSaver® Food Preservation System and I promise you I will! I’m creating four more delicious recipes for FoodSaver® and I’ll be sharing all my best FoodSaver® tips and tricks with you. For now, I’ll end with one of my favorite FoodSaver® brand accessories: the FoodSaver® Fresh Containers.
These containers are nothing short of miraculous. Don’t get me wrong, I love the bags (especially now that they have resealable bags you don’t have to cut) but these containers are fantastic.
So far I’ve kept tiny cocktail cucumbers, fresh berries, parsley and cilantro and green onions in mine. All of those are foods that, in the past, may have gone bad before I had the chance to use them all.
The containers have a unique “dimple” vacuum seal indicator that assures an air tight seal. You can see it in action in the video at the top of this post. I’m already on day NINE and I still have fresh berries and parsley I haven’t used – and it’s all as fresh as the day I bought them!
I hope you enjoy this simple recipe for Baked Tilapia in Foil! I’d love to hear from you if you either own a FoodSaver® Food Preservation System or if the information I’ve provided here has piqued your interest in owning one! Don’t forget, you can pick one up at Costco or simply head over to the FoodSaver® brand site and check them out there!
If you love easy recipes and your Instant Pot, don’t miss my new Instant Pot cookbook!
Garlic Baked Tilapia in Foil with Asparagus and Tomatoes
You can also top your tilapia filets with any type of pesto or a tablespoon of your favorite seasoning mixed with two tablespoons melted butter. Make a different flavor for everyone at once!
Ingredients
- 4 tilapia filets
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 12 pats of butter, about 1/2 cup
- 8 lemon slices
- 1 pound thin asparagus stalks, cut into thirds
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F (or preheat grill to medium).
- Place each tilapia filet on a piece of tinfoil large enough to fold and enclose tightly.
- Season each filet with salt and pepper.
- Divide remaining ingredients by four. Top tilapia filets with garlic, then butter and lemon slices. Add asparagus and tomatoes to packets, then seal packets tightly (see video for demonstration).
- Place packets on grill or on a baking sheet in the oven. Bake 10 minutes or until tilapia is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
- Serve in foil packets or remove and place on serving plates. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 217 Saturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 85mg Sodium: 101mg Carbohydrates: 12g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 4g Protein: 38g
Ashley says
Tilapia is one of the worst fish you can eat PERIOD It will eat almost anything and most tilapia sold in the US(approx 90%, or more) comes from China. Research before you eat
Kristy Bernardo says
Hi Ashley, thank you for your comment. I am well-versed in the practices of tilapia farming which is why I am careful about where I purchase mine. Like many other products, the consumer should make informed purchases according to what is best for them. Tilapia is still a healthy choice; admittedly it has less omega-3’s than other fish but it is high in protein and low in fat, making it a choice I stand behind. Having said all that, this is a good recipe that can be made with most any type of white fish and I hope you give it a try. Cheers, Kristy
Victoria says
Hello! I see that you put bake for 10 mins but on what degree for the oven?? I plan on cooking one of these tonight!
Victoria says
Oops!! My apologies.. now my phone is letting me see the written instructions!
Kristy Bernardo says
No worries at all! Glad you found it :)
Kristy Bernardo says
Hey Victoria! Step one is to preheat to 400F. Hope that helps! Let me know how you enjoy it :)
Shannon says
I put mine in for 10 min at 400 degrees. It was no where near done not even close.
Kristy Bernardo says
The timing will depend on the thickness of your tilapia but even a thicker filet will not take much longer or it will be overcooked.
Fay says
Same issue about time. Nowhere near done after 10 minutes – the vegetables, not the fish. Nice concept but won’t make it again.
Kristy Bernardo says
Hi Fay, as I told the previous commenter, I’ve made this many times and have always had fish that’s completely cooked through. If your filets are thicker, they won’t be done as quickly (I purchase my filets at Costco if that helps).
Allie says
This looks great, but I’m concerned that asparagus won’t get cooked through in 10 minutes. Does it come out really crunchy?
Kristy Bernardo says
Nope! When I roast asparagus by itself, I actually only cook it for 5-6 minutes at 425F. It’ll be crisp-tender, which is what you want. A very slight crunch while being tender. Hope that helps!