I know fish can get somewhat expensive and I wanted to keep my budget on the smaller end. I love salmon and tuna. After having Opah in Kauai, I love that too.
I would have used those types of fish in my tacos, however, my budget is on the smaller end and they are not budget-friendly. Instead, I used tilapia which is very budget-friendly and would do the job just as well. I remember trying tilapia for the first time on a cruise I had gone on and thought it was one of the worst fish to try. Thank goodness for me that I had endless choices to pick from. That’s the great thing about cruise lines, if you don’t like your dish at lunch or dinner, you can keep ordering other items on the menu, at NO extra cost!Wish we could just do that in real life, but not so fortunate!
In the end it started working out perfectly! The flavors came through nicely and left my friends wanting more.
I was full, but was still hungry for more!!
Lemon and Garlic Tilapia (Baked)
Servings: 3-6 servings
Ingredients:
- 3-6 Tilapia filets (6 oz. each)
- 6-8 cloves garlic, crushed and diced large
- 2 1/2 tbsp butter (4 tbsp – if no cooking spray)
- 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 tsp fresh Parsley (or dried)
- 1 tsp Oregano (fresh or dried)
- salt and pepper to taste
- cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°.
Melt 2 1/2 tbsp of butter on a low flame in a small sauce pan. (the rest will be melted and placed into the pan for baking if not cooking spray is available)
Add garlic and saute on low for about 1 minute. Add all but 1 tbsp of the lemon juice, shut off flame, and remove from heat.
Spray the bottom of a baking dish lightly with cooking spray (or remaining melted butter) and 1 tbsp of the lemon juice.
Place the fish on top and season with herbs, salt, and pepper. Pour the lemon butter mixture on the fish and top with fresh parsley for garnish
Bake at 400° until cooked, about 15 minutes. (or until semi-golden)