Say goodbye to bland + boring fish and hello to this quick, flavorful, and fresh white fish marinade! Bright lemon, buttery olive oil, spicy garlic, and fresh herbs transform basic white fish (like cod, tilapia or halibut) into delectable, tender filets with just a 15 minute marinade time. Perfect baked or grilled.
Step-by-Step Visual Guide: How to Make Fish Marinade
Testing Notes from Robyn
Tender, flavorful white fish that makes eating fish easy and fun – yes that’s possible!
Thanks to the Mediterranean diet, we know that eating fish is important, but to be honest, white fish isn’t always the most exciting fish to eat.
But here’s the ticket to actually eating white fish and thoroughly enjoying – a no-fuss marinade that takes so little effort on your part.
This flavorful fish marinade is truly perfect! It’s not too bold as to overpower the delicate white fish, and instead, it features the complementary Mediterranean-inspired flavors of lemon, olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs that elevate white fish to the next level.
Lemon is the star ingredient here, so make sure to use fresh juice!
I use both lemon juice and rind in the marinade, just make sure to zest the rind before juicing or else it will be hard to zest.
Then, additional lemon slices are layered in the baking dish under the fish for so much fresh lemon goodness!
After a quick 15-minute marinade (or up to 30 if you have a bite more time), the fish is baked or grilled for 10 minutes with a pat of butter to add even more flavor and some fat since white fish is very lean (and let’s be real, everything’s better with butter).
And the end result is super tender and flavorful filets swimming in light and rich juices that can be deliciously sopped up with crusty bread or fluffy rice.
The Best Types of Fish to Use
This flavorful marinade is good with any firm, non-oily white fish you want to bake.
I love the marinade with cod, as you see in these photos, but it would also be excellent with tilapia, snapper, flounder, haddock, halibut, or grouper.
Fresh fish is always best, but frozen fish also works, just make sure to plan for thawing the fish before marinating.
Ingredient Substitution Do’s & Don’ts
Each ingredient in the marinade is essential, so I don’t recommend leaving any ingredient out or making any swaps.
However, you can choose your preferred non-oily white fish, as mentioned above.
And for soft fresh herbs (which really are essential), choose either parsley, dill, or basil, or my favorite, a combination of all 3!
How To Prepare the Marinade Ahead of Time
Since the acid from the lemon can cook the white fish if marinated too long, it’s important not to marinate the fish longer than 30 minutes.
However, you can still get ahead and save time by preparing the marinade ahead of time.
Simply mix up the marinade and store in a sealed jar for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Easy peasy!
This Recipe Is…
15-Minute White Fish Marinade w/ Lemon & Herbs
Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped soft fresh herbs (recommended parsley, basil, dill, or a combination)
- 1 ½ pounds firm white fish (such as tilapia or cod)
To Add at The End
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
Make Marinade
- Zest and juice one lemon. Whisk together the lemon zest and the juice along with the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and herbs in a small bowl until smooth.
Marinate the Fish
- Pat the fish dry, then check for and remove and pin bones. If gilling: add half the marinade along with the fish to a 1-gallon zip-top bag or baking dish and set the other half aside. If baking, add all the marinade along with the fish to a 1-gallon zip-top bag or baking dish.
- Toss the fish to coat, then press as much air out of the bag (if using) as possible, or cover with plastic wrap (if using a baking dish). Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes.
Oven Baked Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425F.
- Slice the remaining lemon into rounds. Layer half the lemon slices into the bottom of a baking dish. Add the fish along with the marinade, top with remaining lemon slices, then dot with butter.
- Bake for 10 minutes per inch of fish thickness, or until the fish just flakes easily with a fork, being careful not to overcook. For example, if the fish is 1-inch thick, cook for 10 minutes, if 1 ½ inches thick, cook for 15 minutes, etc.
- Serve the fish with any accumulated juices if desired.
Grilling Instructions
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Oil or spray with cooking spray.
- Slice the remaining lemon into rounds. Place the fish on the grill, discarding remaining marinade. Cook on one side about 5 minutes, then flip, top with lemon sliced, and cook an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
- Serve the fish drizzled with the reserved marinade, dotted with butter.
Notes
Nutrition
The post 15-Minute White Fish Marinade w/ Lemon & Herbs appeared first on Real Food Whole Life.