300-Calorie Lemon Garlic Tilapia (Printer View)

Light tilapia steamed with lemon, garlic, and green beans for a healthy, low-calorie meal.

# What you'll need:

→ Fish & Vegetables

01 - 4 tilapia fillets (4 oz each), fresh or thawed
02 - 12 oz fresh green beans, trimmed
03 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
04 - 1 lemon, thinly sliced

→ Marinade & Seasonings

05 - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
06 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
07 - 2 large garlic cloves, minced
08 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Garnish

11 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper until combined.
03 - Lay out 4 large sheets of aluminum foil. Divide green beans evenly among the centers of each sheet and top with sliced red onion.
04 - Pat tilapia fillets dry with paper towels. Place one fillet on top of the vegetables in each foil packet.
05 - Drizzle each fillet with the prepared lemon-garlic marinade and top with 2-3 lemon slices.
06 - Fold foil over fish and vegetables, sealing tightly to create sealed packets. Arrange packets on a baking sheet.
07 - Bake for 18-20 minutes until tilapia is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
08 - Carefully open packets (steam will be hot). Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Ready in 30 minutes total and genuinely tastes like you fussed over it when you barely did.
  • Steaming in foil means everything stays impossibly moist while the cleanup is basically nonexistent.
  • At 300 calories per serving, you can actually enjoy dessert guilt-free.
02 -
  • Pat your fish completely dry before assembly—I learned this the hard way when one fillet turned mushy because I skipped this step thinking it didn't matter.
  • The foil seal has to be genuinely tight or you lose all that steam, and the whole point of this method disappears into thin air.
03 -
  • Mince your garlic finely so it distributes evenly through the marinade rather than clumping in one spot on the fish.
  • Double-check your foil seal by running your finger along the edges—any gap and you'll lose steam, which means you lose the whole method's advantage.
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