Bake Tilapia
How To Bake Tilapia
It is so much easier and healthier to bake tilapia, rather than fry it. The American Heart Association advises that you consume fish in your diet at least twice a week to help keep your heart healthy. However, recent studies have proven that tilapia is actually worse for you than eating a hamburger or bacon. Of course this does not mean that you have to eliminate it from your diet altogether, just be healthy about how you prepare it and do not eat if as often as you usually would if you were using it for health benefits. Of course, you will still need to get your healthy fish intake from another source two times a week.
Over the past few years, tilapia has gained popularity as more people are trying to become aware of their Omega 3 intake. Since this fish is more affordable than others and very tasty, it is a common fish choice in most supermarkets. Tilapia is an extremely easy fish to raise on farms due to the fact that they thrive in various conditions. The problem with farm-raised tilapia is that they are fed foods that are corn-based. These foods are very high in arachidonic acid and Omega 6 fatty acids, both of which are quite bad for you.
You do not need to deprive yourself of this delicious food though, just consume it in moderation. You should always choose to bake tilapia rather than fry it to cut down on the fat content of the final dish. Below are two simple recipes to bake tilapia that are not only delicious but much healthier than frying methods.
Lemon Tilapia Ingredients
- Thoroughly washed tilapia filets
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh lemon juice
- Lemon slices and coriander for garnish
- Your choice of vegetables
- Aluminum Foil
Preparation
- The first step to bake tilapia is to lay the filets on a large enough sheet of aluminum foil that you will be able to close it later to form a pocket.
- Sparingly brush both sides of each filet with olive oil.
- Squeeze the lemon juice on each filet.
- Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt and pepper. Do not over do it with the salt! Remember, this is supposed to be a healthier recipe instead of frying.
- Place whatever your choice vegetables were on top of the filets.
- Close the aluminum foil up to completely seal the filets and vegetables inside.
- Bake the aluminum foil pocket for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees until the tilapia is easily flaked with a fork.
- Place the vegetables and tilapia on a plate and then garnish with coriander and lemon slices.
Spinach Pecan Pesto Tilapia
This is another fabulous recipe to bake tilapia. It requires a pinch more preparation work and ingredients but the outcome is well worth it.
Things You Will Need For Pesto
- 3 cups of packed baby spinach leaves
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- ½ cup of pecan halves
- ½ cups of Parmesan cheese
- 2 medium cloves of smashed and minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
Things You Will Need For Tilapia
- 3 cups of packed baby spinach leaves
- 8 tilapia filets
- Fresh ground black pepper and salt
Preparation
- The first step to bake tilapia with this method is to lightly butter a baking dish and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Using a food processor, pulse together the pesto ingredients until the mixture is ground into a fine consistency.
- Arrange the spinach leaves that were designated to the tilapia part of the recipe to cover the bottom of the baking dish.
- Place the tilapia filets in the baking dish on top of the bed of spinach.
- Spoon approximately one tablespoon of pesto onto each filet and spread the mixture out.
- Lightly sprinkle with salt and ground pepper.
- Bake for around 15 to 20 minutes. The tilapia should flake quite easily with your fork.
- Serve with pasta, rice or vegetables.