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Easy Southern Baked Tilapia Recipe with Paprika and Lemon

Easy Southern Baked Tilapia

Tender tilapia fillets are brushed with melted butter or olive oil, seasoned with paprika, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and optional cayenne, then baked with lemon until flaky. This quick fish dinner serves four and takes approximately 25 minutes from start to finish.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 4 fillets, 5-6 ounces each Tilapia fillets, thawed
  • 2 tablespoons Melted butter or olive oil
Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon, optional Cayenne pepper
Finishing
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
  • As needed for serving Lemon wedges
  • 1 tablespoon, optional Fresh parsley, chopped

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Heat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a baking dish or line a sheet pan with foil or parchment.
  2. Pat the thawed tilapia fillets dry and arrange them in a single layer in the prepared pan.
  3. Brush the fish with melted butter or olive oil, then drizzle the fresh lemon juice over the fillets.
  4. Mix the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and optional cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the fish.
  5. Bake for 12–15 minutes, checking thin fillets at about 10 minutes. Remove the tilapia when it is opaque, separates easily with a fork, and reaches 145°F internally.
  6. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Notes

Patting the fish dry helps the butter and seasoning cling to the surface. Tilapia dries out quickly when overcooked, so begin checking thin fillets early and remove them as soon as they reach 145°F.