This tilapia with lemon caper sauce is so good. It’s healthy, amazingly easy and light and flavorful. You’ve got to give this one skillet meal a try!
This dinner is as fancy as it is easy.
And I just can’t get over how light, fresh and filling it is too. And believe me filling is not usually what I think of when I think of eating fish for dinner, but between the fresh tilapia, super flavorful quinoa underneath and grilled asparagus. It was like somebody served me dinner at a fancy restaurant… only that I was both the chef and patron. Oh and the bus boy annnnnd the dish washer. Ummm yeah…
To Make This Tilapia with Lemon Caper Sauce You Will Need:
- 4 fresh tilapia fillets
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 large clove of garlic, squeezed through a garlic press
- 3/4 cup white wine – like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
- zest from 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- sliced lemon – for serving
Start by seasoning the tilapia fillets with a little s & p.
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet.
Add in the olive oil and preheat to medium/medium-high. I always adjust the heat during the pan-frying process so I don’t burn the fish.
Working in batches, lay the tilapia fillets down season-side-first and season the other side with salt and pepper.
Cook for 4 minutes before flipping and cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove and tent with foil before repeating with the remaining fillets.
Once the tilapia is cooked and keeping warm under the foil, add the chopped shallots and garlic to the pan.
Pour in the wine…
And then squeeze in the lemon juice.
Lemon zest, capers and chopped fresh parsley are next to go in.
Season this glorious sauce with plenty of salt and pepper to taste before bringing it to a simmer to thicken the sauce a tad.
Then I place the fish back into the pan with that wine-tastic sauce and spoon some of it over top before serving.
But this tilapia isss goood. It’s healthy, amazingly easy and light and flavorful. You’ve got to give this one skillet meal a try!
You won’t be sorry!
Enjoy! And if you give this Tilaipa with Lemon Caper Sauce recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Pan Seared Tilapia with Lemon Caper Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 fresh tilapia fillets
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 clove garlic, squeezed through a garlic press
- 3/4 cup dry white wine, like sauvignon blanc
- 1 lemon, zested
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- sliced lemon, for serving
Instructions
- Season both sides of the fish with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Melt two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil.
- Work in batches of two and carefully place the tilapia into the hot pan. Cook the tilapia for 4 minutes before flipping and cooking for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and repeat with the second batch. Keep the tilapia warm by covering loosely with foil.
- Add the minced shallots and garlic to the same pan and cook for two to three minutes or until fragrant and soft. Add in the wine and lemon juice, bring to a boil over medium-high heat until it thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the capers, parsley and lemon zest, then taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired.
- Place the fish back into the skillet and spoon sauce over top before serving with a few slices of fresh lemon and a light drizzle of olive oil.
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What a perfect dinner, I love what capers adds to a sauce like this!!
Thank you Cathy! I do too!
I love tilapia and I make it in a similar fashion, such a yummy healthy meal!
I’ve been trying to eat more fish, shrimp etc. for that same reason. However I defeat the purpose by eating my daughters leftovers. Ugh. 🙂
Mmm! Such an elegant, but easy meal!! It is beautiful and I love that caper sauce!
Thanks so much Tieghan!
Tilapia is definitely a favorite of mine and I love to pair mine with lemon and capers.
Great minds… 🙂
Love me some easy-fancy (or is it fancy-easy?) recipes! This one is going on the to-make list, for sure!
Love the easy and quick nature of this recipe and all the fresh flavors!
This looks so simple but the flavors are amazing!!
totally trying this out. Plus, it gives me yet another reason to drink some white wine. 😉
EXACTLY! Totally a wine-in-hand-sort of situation 🙂
Oh my ….I honestly didn’t think I would EVER proclaim a fish dish as food porn…but …yep…this is IT!…Capers…lemon…garlic…flat-leaf parsley…perfection choice of olive oil ….quality ingredients AND way less “swimming-in-a-stick-of-butter” versions so commonly found here in France.
Loving your healthy, colorful riff with a vengeance..and it will be on our table within the next two evenings…as soon as I can visit our local fish man!!
As always…thanks for your ultra-generous sharing. Unabashed, loyal fan of your blog.
I’ll take it Donna! Thanks! 🙂
the quinoa link isn’t working: is that your rainbow quinoa with pine nuts? our grill is broken (no!!!!), and we are waiting for the after-season Labor Day sales to buy a new one. and I don’t know how to cook in the summer without a grill. so (minus the grilled asparagus) thanks for this!
So, I made this for dinner tonight & it was delicious! I used a 2010 Beringer Chardonnay which worked perfectly. I also enjoyed a glass while cooking which made for a very enjoyable night. Thanks for a tasty recipe!
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Made this tonight on a whim as I had all the ingredients. I don’t cook fish very ofter but it was spectacular. Thank you. I dipped the fish in flour first before frying which I would recommend. I also left out the parsley as my wife is not a fan. Thank you for the great work.
Thank you! I’m going to have to try your version with the flour 🙂
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Ughhh your website is soo beautiful! Everything looks sooo delicious!!
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This is amazing! Do you happen to know the nutritional information on this meal?
Hi Stacy! Yes, I just updated the recipe card to reflect the nutritional information. Enjoy! 🙂
At 458 calories per serving (before quinoa), it should be very good! Hope I don’t ruin it by making it more appropriate for a healthy diet.
I don’t know how to give this the five stars but this is wonderful! My second time cooking it tonight. Thank you!
I’m so glad, Shannon!
This was delicious! Perfect combination of ingredients. Capers are my favorite and I really make sure that the sauce is nice and thick. Have made this a number of times already with different sides including asparagus and pearled couscous as well as mashed potatoes and bok choy. Really wonderful way to make tilapia which can be challenging as it usually falls apart so easily and can also be a little plain. Have shared with so many people. Thanks for sharing!