Spicy Baked Tilapia Recipe

Costco has these big bags of tilapia that are inexpensive, so I bought some. I’ve never done much with fish, living so far inland for most of my life. My significant other grew up next to an ocean, so he thinks all the fish we get around here is crap anyway. But he’ll happily eat tilapia, I’ve found.

As I was searching for recipes, I kept coming across the use of mayonnaise in baked fish and I was kind of grossed out by it even though I really dig mayo. It just seemed like so much. But if I put my “Alton Brown” hat on for a moment, I can see that the mayo is really just a delivery system for the spices and flavor. In its firm state, it suspends everything over the fish until it bakes down and becomes oil, which adds a nice browning (along with the butter) effect. At any rate, the mayo makes it awesome. Give it a try.

• 6-7 tilapia fillets
• lemon or lime juice
• 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce (like Texas Pete or Frank’s Red Hot. If using Tabasco, only use a smidge.)
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter a glass baking pan.
3. Place fillets in dish without overlapping.
4. Drip lemon or lime juice over fillets. If using fresh, I will use the juice of an entire fruit. If using concentrate, I just put a little squirt over each fillet.
5. Bake the fish about 15 minutes or until it’s starting to get flaky.
6. While it’s baking, put the butter, mayo, cheese, onions, hot sauce and seasonings in a bowl and mix well.
7. When the fish are just flaky, take them out and spread the mayo mix on each fillet.
8. Bake about 10 minutes more or until the tops start to take on a golden brown look.

Note: If you want to switch it up a bit, use lime juice on the fish, substitute finely chopped jalapenos for the onions and add a handful of chopped cilantro to the mayo mix. Serve with yellow or spanish rice or use in fish tacos. Yum!

I have also used vegenaise (see picture below) with success — it’s egg-free.