I have a simple, quick dinner for you! And it includes two of my staple food groups: butter and cheese.
Some people say that cheese and fish just don’t mesh. That does not include me. Cheese goes with everything. If I could, I’d eat a cheese sandwich on cheese bread and dip it in cheese soup.
In fact, I might do that later.
Remember when I made garlic basil butter for the balsamic gnocchi?
I figured that would be pretty darn good on fish. Especially with added cheese.
Because butter makes it better. And by “it” I mean everything.
True story.
Yes, there is butter and cheese in this, but that’s about it. The amount on each filet is less than a tablespoon so this still ranks high in my healthy weeknight meals. I’d much rather have a little of the real stuff.
Oh, and I must mention that this dish only has five ingredients – and you most likely have them all in your house. See? Fish isn’t scary. Fish is delicious.
I love serving mild fish with lemons because it reminds me of summers in Northern Michigan and days at the beach. It tastes fresh. It tastes like summer. And when the snow is still piled up to the middle of your windows after two weeks, summer is a luxurious thought.
Perfectly flakey and delicious.
Easy Baked Parmesan Tilapia
makes 4 tilapia filets
4 tilapia filets (I used fresh, but I think frozen should work too)
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup grated/shredded parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
lemon slices for serving
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pat tilapia dry (if frozen, it should be thawed first) with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Lay on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and bake for 10-12 minutes. While fish is baking, mix butter with garlic, thyme and parmesan cheese.
Remove fish from oven and gently flip. Spread about 1/2 tablespoons of butter mixture on the fish, and heat the broiler in your oven. Set fish under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes, or until cheese gets golden and bubbly.
Serve with lemon.
It’s so versatile too! You can serve it with rice, on a salad, in a sandwich, or even with a side of vegetables… if you like that kind of thing.
I’m Jessica and this is where I share my stuff. You will find a balance of healthy recipes, comfort food and indulgent desserts.
I feel the same way about cheese. The more the better. :)
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Definitely going to try this over the weekend, Just gorgeous
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I love fish too! Sometimes I wonder if I should just be Pescatarian. What a delicious and easy recipe.
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Im hoping after comp prep I will be able to look at white fish again!!!
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Jessica — January 27th, 2011 @ 3:45 am
Good luck! Competing totally ruined chicken and tuna for me.
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Hmmm…perhaps I’ll have to give fish another chance. Maybe.
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Jessica — January 27th, 2011 @ 3:45 am
You must!
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I love tilpapia b/c its cheap, mild tasting and easy to find. And adding butter and cheese…genius!
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YUM! This looks delicious. I absolutely love tilapia and am trying to cook fish more often…this recipe is perfect, thanks!
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GORGEOUS!
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CHEESE GOES WITH EVERYTHING!!! Love tilapia with veggies and rice…and drowned in cheese and spaghetti sauce or salsa ;)
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Jessica — January 27th, 2011 @ 3:42 am
That’s the truth.
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I love it! I need some more fish in my life !!
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You make a boring fish look SO good! I am printing this one!!
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I think that cheese and fish don’t mesh… so I have to taste this recipe cuz the photos are so tantalizing!
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I tried this recipe just last night and my boyfriend and daughter were fighting over the last piece of fish. It was so simple and quick – perfect for after a long day at the office. It tasted so good and the presentation is nice as well. I served this with roasted fingerling potatoes and green beans. The meal came together in less than 1 hour and everyone loved it. This is going in my recipe box. Thanks so much for sharing this idea.
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Jessica — January 27th, 2011 @ 3:19 pm
So glad you guys liked it!
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OMG. YUM!
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Made this last night using and hebed butter, loved it!
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Jessica — January 27th, 2011 @ 5:51 pm
Awesome!
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Just made this tonight- we have tried other Tilapia recipes these past couple of weeks and my husband said tonight “This was the best one yet!” Thanks!
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These look great! I haven’t been making nearly enough fish lately… This might be good inspiration for me to try to make it more often.
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Made this tonight…Oh.my. It was so good!! I was out of lemons, so I had to roll without, but it was delicious! Even the kiddos agreed ;) Thanks!
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Well I just picked up some tilapia and parm at the store today… Looks like I know what I’ll be making for dinner. I’ve always wondered about how well fish and cheese would work together, but this looks absolutely delicious.
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This looks so good! I don’t eat seafood very often but this looks fabulous (especially the cheese :D) Tilapia is definitely making it’s way on to my shopping list this week! By the way….where did you find that beautiful blue dish? I want them!
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Jessica — January 31st, 2011 @ 11:27 am
It was actually my grandma’s! I have them in blue and pink.
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Another great recipe! And so easy! All three of my little ones ate it too :). Will need to get more fish next time :).
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Made this tonight…except with salmon – and except with herbs de provence instead of thyme. It was incredible! I don’t even like salmon very much, but this was Very Tasty. =)
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Jessica — February 22nd, 2011 @ 1:08 am
So glad you liked it!
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I hate fish. It is gross. Sadly, my husband loves it and I am trying to learn to at least tolerate it. This recipe was awesome though. ( Wrote about it here) If fish always tasted like this I’d live in the ocean! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. Seriously. You rock.
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Just as you say butter makes anything better, we believe that cheese has the same effect. Therefore, this recipe is simply amazing in our eyes. We have some frozen tilapia fillets that would be perfect for this. This is very similar to a Florentine recipe, which again is fabulous because it involves cheese.
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I made this recipe tonight. YUM… So much flavor! :-)
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did you add mayo? there’s white cream in the bowl as well so thought you might of miss it.
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Where the nutritional info? Don’t see anything?
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