Grilled Tilapia is quick and easy for a great summer dinner in a flash! This flaky white fish recipe is drizzled with a creamy piccata sauce for a decadent dinner in less than half an hour.
There are so many amazing grilling recipes to make in the summer, but sometimes I just want a quick and easy grilled dinner. This Grilled Tilapia is served with a creamy, lemony piccata sauce your family will love! If you’ve ever made tilapia on the grill and watched the flaky fish fall apart, I’ve got the tips you need for the perfect grilled white fish in a flash.
If you love this grilled tilapia recipe, try my succulent smoked turkey, grilled garlic shrimp skewers, watermelon and feta salad, and grilled chicken tenders.
You can also make Pan Fried Tilapia, or Fish Piccata on the stovetop if you’d rather not grill today!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Healthy grilled dinner. This low-calorie dinner is gluten-free, too! I use cornstarch to thicken the sauce that’s covering this omega-3 rich meal.
- Ready in minutes. Some grilled and smoked recipes take hours, but this grilled fish only takes about 20 minutes to make! I like to make the sauce on the grill while the fish cooks. So easy!
- Budget-friendly recipe. You can use fresh or frozen tilapia filets for this grilled fish recipe. I always have some on hand for a quick weeknight dinner for the family.
The Ingredients
- Tilapia: This flaky white fish is a great budget-friendly dinner that absorbs any flavor you add to it! Halibut also works really well with this grilled fish recipe.
- Oil: This is the key ingredient to keep your grilled tilapia from sticking to the grates! You’ll want to add some olive oil to the fish and the grill itself for the flakiest white fish that doesn’t stick.
- Salt and black pepper: I like to keep the seasoning simple on this grilled tilapia. Kick it up a notch with a little paprika, garlic powder, or onion powder, too.
For the piccata sauce
- Butter: For the most luscious sauce, you need a little butter. It really helps everything bind together, too.
- Garlic: Everything’s better with garlic!
- Stock: I use a little chicken stock for the best sauce flavor. You can also keep this dish pescatarian with a vegetable broth, too.
- Cornstarch: Skip the flour and make this gluten-free piccata sauce with cornstarch. It thickens this bright lemon sauce without the gluten.
- Lemon: I use lemon 2 ways in this sauce with the lemon juice and the zest.
- Heavy cream: The creamiest sauces use a little heavy cream. You can always use half and half if you’d rather, but it won’t be quite as thick.
- Capers: You can either add the capers to the sauce directly or garnish the grilled tilapia with them at the end. Either way, you can’t have piccata without capers.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Grill tilapia
Follow these steps for the best grilled tilapia that does not stick:
- Oil the tilapia. First, pat all the tilapia filets dry with paper towels. Coat the fish with oil, and season all sides with a little salt and pepper.
- Prep the grill. Then, preheat your outdoor grill. Make sure all the grates are clean and they’re oiled well, too. This keeps the fish from sticking.
- Grill tilapia. Next, grill the fish for a few minutes per side. Be sure not to flip or move the fish too much or too early. Wait until you see browned sides of the fish before flipping.
Tip!
A trick to keep the tilapia from sticking, is to place it on a wire rack, generously salt it, cover with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for an hour or two. This will help extract the moisture from the fish and make it less prone to sticking to the grill.
- Melt butter for sauce. To make the piccata sauce, sauté the garlic in melted butter briefly before adding vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Make cornstarch slurry. Whisk cornstarch and cold water together until dissolved. Whisk the slurry into the stock and continue whisking until thickened.
- Add lemon juice and cream. Once the sauce is slightly thickened, add the lemon juice and heavy cream to the mix. This helps stabilize the butter and keep it from separating. Season with salt and pepper, and cook a couple minutes more until it’s thickened.
- Add more butter. When the sauce is done, remove it from the heat and add the rest of the butter. Swirl it around until it melts into a velvety smooth sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust flavors as needed.
- Garnish and serve. To serve, spoon the piccata sauce over the grilled tilapia filets and sprinkle with capers and parsley.
Tips and Tricks
To keep your tilapia from sticking to the grill, follow these easy tips every time:
- Use indirect heat. When you’re working with thin fish filets, you don’t need high heat! A grill over medium heat will still get the beautiful grill marks without burning the filets.
- Oil everything. To get the best grilled tilapia that doesn’t stick, you want to use plenty of oil! Cover the fish in oil, and be sure to oil the clean grill grates, too.
- Use foil packets. If you want to be positive your fish won’t stick to the grill, use aluminum foil packets. Remember the nonstick side of foil is the dull side, not the shiny one! You can also use a grill basket which seems to work well. You’ll get that same grilled flavor without the broken filets.
- Remove from the grill sooner than you think. One of the best tricks I’ve learned for grilled tilapia is to take it off the grill sooner than you’d imagine. Once the fish is brown, you can flip it. When it’s completely opaque, it’s done! You can always check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer, too. It should be at least 145°F/63°C.
Frequently Asked Questions
The key to grilled tilapia is the oil! If your fish and grates are both covered in oil, the fish should stay together while cooking. I’ve also learned not to flip the fish too early or it will stick to the grates and crumble. Don’t flip the tilapia until it’s slightly brown on the sides.
Much like chicken, tilapia is pink when it’s raw but white and opaque when it’s cooked. To be sure your tilapia is completely cooked, you can always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature is at least 140 degrees F. It should flake easily with a fork when cooked.
The light flavor of tilapia goes well with simple side dishes like cilantro lime rice, broccoli mac and cheese, or a creamed corn recipe. Since this fish is ready in less than 15 minutes, I try to keep the side dish easy, too. You can even keep it all on the grill with these veggie kabobs!
More great grilling recipes
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Follow these tips for the best grilled tilapia that doesn’t stick or break! This super easy summer dinner is one of my absolute favorites. Make sure to Pin this recipe so more people can enjoy it!
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Grilled Tilapia With Creamy Piccata Sauce
Ingredients
For the fish:
- 4-5 tilapia fillets thawed (or use halibut)
- 2 tablespoons oil any neutral tasting oil like vegetable oil, canola, safflower
- salt and pepper to taste
For the piccata sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 lemon juiced, and zest of half a lemon
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves chopped
Instructions
- Pat all the tilapia filets dry with paper towels. Coat the fish with oil, and season all sides with a little salt and pepper.
- Preheat the grill. Make sure all the grates are clean and they’re oiled well, too. This keeps the fish from sticking.
- Grill the fish for a few minutes on each side. Be sure not to flip or move the fish too much or too early. Wait until you see browned sides of the fish before flipping. Remove onto a plate.
To make the piccata sauce
- Sauté the garlic in melted butter briefly before adding vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Whisk cornstarch and cold water together until dissolved. Whisk the slurry into the stock and continue whisking until thickened.
- Once the sauce is slightly thickened, add the lemon juice and heavy cream to the mix. This helps stabilize the butter and keep it from separating. Season with salt and pepper, and cook a couple minutes more until it’s thickened.
- When the sauce is done, remove it from the heat and add the rest of the butter. Swirl it around until it melts into a velvety smooth sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust flavors as needed.
- Spoon the piccata sauce over the grilled tilapia filets and sprinkle with capers and parsley.
Notes:
- Use indirect heat. When you’re working with thin fish filets, you don’t need high heat! A grill over medium heat will still get the beautiful grill marks without burning the filets.
- Oil everything. To get the best grilled tilapia that doesn’t stick, you want to use plenty of oil! Cover the fish in oil, and be sure to oil the clean grill grates, too.
- Use foil packets. If you want to be positive your fish won’t stick to the grill, use foil packets. Remember the nonstick side of foil is the dull side, not the shiny one! You’ll get that same grilled flavor without the broken filets.
- Remove from the grill sooner than you think. One of the best tricks I’ve learned for grilled tilapia is to take it off the grill sooner than you’d imagine. Once the fish is brown, you can flip it. When it’s completely opaque, it’s done! You can always check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer, too. It should be at least 145°F/63°C.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
mary says
How much cold water? Nothing indicated in recipe.
Diana says
You will need 1-2 teaspoons of water. Enjoy!