This honey lime tilapia is unbelievably delicious. The flavor is so fresh and light and fantastic. Honey and lime basically belong to each other forever.

Admittedly, I’m a big time tilapia lover.

However I’m telling you, even if I didn’t love the fish, this flavor pairing and cooking method would convince me otherwise.

This honey lime tilapia is unbelievably delicious.

A baked tilapia fillet on a white plate, with lime slices on the side.

I’m no stranger to the honey lime flavor combo.

It’s trending presence in recipes is justified because honey and lime basically belong to each other forever and ever.

Even though this delectable, tender fish looks as if it’s been battered and fried, it’s actually a fairly healthful dish.

The tilapia, which has been marinated and infused with honey lime deliciousness, gets a quick dredge in seasoned flour – whole wheat in my case – before cooking {quickly} to golden perfection.

The flavor, oh the flavor!, is so fresh and light and fantastic that I had a really hard time not stealing my kid’s portions.

Too bad they loved this honey lime tilapia as much as I did.

There wasn’t any excuse to vie for dinner clean-up because there weren’t any leftovers to “put away,” if you know what I mean.

Incidentally, I served this with steamed broccoli and brown rice with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Simple, fast, healthy and tasty. Can’t ask for much more than that.

Baked tilapia fillets on a white plate, with lime slices in the middle of the plate.

One Year Ago: Garlic and Herb Butter Spread
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Three Years Ago: Tomato Bisque Soup

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Honey Lime Tilapia

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
4.62 stars (134 ratings)
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Ingredients

Fish and Marinade:

  • 4 tilapia fillets, about 4-5 ounces each
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, from 1 large lime
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoons honey
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced

Coating and Cooking:

  • ½ cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper and garlic. Place the tilapia in a gallon-sized ziploc bag and pour the marinade on top of the fish. Press the air out of the bag and seal. Refrigerate the fish for at least an hour and up to 4 hours. It helps to lay the bag in a flat dish and turn it over once or twice during the marinading time since the marinade won’t completely cover the fish.
  • Before cooking, whisk together the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish like a pie plate. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until rippling and hot. Dredge each tilapia fillet in the flour, coating both sides lightly. Cook the fillets for 3-5 minutes per side without moving the fish while it cooks on each side; this will ensure a more even browning. Adjust the cooking time as needed depending on the thickness of the tilapia and the heat of the skillet and work in batches if necessary so the skillet isn’t overcrowded.
  • Serve immediately with lime wedges.
Author: Mel
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Method: Stovetop
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 277kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 511mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g

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Recipe Source: adapted slightly from One Lovely Life, found via Pinterest

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