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This Easy Baked White Fish with Tahini Sauce is topped with a creamy lemon tahini sauce, toasted pine nuts, and fresh parsley for a light Middle Eastern seafood dinner ready in 40 minutes. The fish bakes until soft and flaky while the tahini sauce comes together on the stovetop, making this a simple weeknight meal or an easy dish to serve guests.
This Easy Baked White Fish with Tahini Sauce comes together in 40 minutes with a creamy lemon tahini sauce, toasted pine nuts, and fresh parsley. Mild, flaky cod or tilapia bakes hands-off in the oven while you whisk together a simple tahini sauce on the stovetop, so there’s very little active cooking time involved.
The tahini sauce technique is one my Lebanese side of the family has used for years to turn plain fish into something worth serving guests. It’s light enough for a Tuesday night dinner and dressed up enough to serve when company is coming over. If you like seafood recipes you also might like this Air Fryer Cod Recipe, Mediterranean Baked Salmon, Baked Cod with Lemon or this Easy Blackened Cod.
Why You Will Love this Recipe
• Ready in 40 minutes. Simple prep and mostly hands-off baking make it an easy weeknight dinner.
• Foolproof tahini sauce. A few basic ingredients whisk into a smooth, creamy sauce every time.
• Big flavor from simple ingredients. Lemon, garlic, and toasted pine nuts turn plain white fish into something special.
Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need
Please see the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and instructions.
- Fish: This recipe uses white fish, and cod or tilapia work best. Both are mild and flaky, so they hold up to baking without drying out and let the tahini sauce come through as the main flavor instead of competing with a stronger-tasting fish. Halibut or haddock also work if that’s what you have on hand.
- Tahini: Tahini forms the base of the sauce and gives it an earthy, nutty depth that plain lemon and garlic can’t provide on their own. Look for a smooth, pourable tahini rather than one that’s thick or separated, since a stiff tahini makes the sauce harder to thin out evenly.
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice cuts through the richness of the tahini and balances its nuttiness with acidity. It also loosens the sauce slightly, so fresh juice works better here than bottled, which tends to be less acidic and won’t thin the sauce the same way.
- Warm water: Warm water is what actually turns tahini into a smooth, drizzle-ready sauce. Cold water causes tahini to seize and clump instead of loosening, so always whisk it in warm, a little at a time.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic gives the sauce a sharper, more fragrant bite than garlic powder, which is milder and slightly sweeter. Grate it finely so it blends into the sauce instead of leaving noticeable chunks.
- Pine nuts: Toasted pine nuts add crunch and a buttery, slightly sweet flavor that plays off the tahini’s earthiness. They’re traditional in Lebanese fish preparations like this one, but you can leave them out or swap in sliced almonds if needed.
Ways to Modify This Recipe
- Swap the fish: Halibut, haddock, or snapper all work in place of cod or tilapia if you want a firmer texture.
- Add spice: Stir a pinch of cayenne or a dash of harissa into the tahini sauce for a subtle kick.
- Skip the pine nuts: Sliced almonds or toasted sesame seeds work as a swap if pine nuts aren’t on hand.
- Make it dairy-free: Use olive oil instead of clarified butter to toast the pine nuts.
- Add greens: Serve over a bed of sauteed spinach or roasted zucchini to turn this into a one-plate meal.
- Boost the herbs: Add fresh dill or mint along with the parsley for a brighter finish. I also think that oregano or thyme work great.
- Make it spicier and smokier: Add a pinch of smoked paprika or cumin to the fish before baking for a warmer flavor profile.
How to Make Easy Baked White Fish
Step 1: Prepare Fish
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Place the fish filets in a large baking dish sprayed with cooking spray, spacing them out so they aren’t touching. Pat the filets dry with a paper towel first, especially if using thawed frozen fish, since excess moisture will steam the fish instead of letting it bake properly. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Bake
Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of your filets. Thinner filets like tilapia will be closer to 20 minutes, while thicker cod may need the full 25. The fish is done the moment it flakes easily with a fork and turns opaque all the way through. Pull it as soon as it hits that point, since it will continue cooking slightly from residual heat once out of the oven.
Step 3: Create the Sauce
While the fish fillets bake, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, and grated garlic in a small bowl. Add the warm water gradually, a tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. Warm water is what loosens the tahini into a smooth, pourable sauce, cold water will cause it to seize and clump instead. Keep adding water until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and drizzles easily. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
Step 4: Toast the Pine Nuts
In a small pan, melt the clarified butter over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes, until evenly golden brown. Pine nuts go from perfectly toasted to burnt in under a minute once they start browning, so stay at the stove and keep them moving. Remove from heat immediately and set aside.
Step 5: Drizzle Tahini Sauce and Serve
Transfer the baked fish to a serving platter. Whisk the tahini sauce once more since it thickens slightly as it sits, then drizzle it evenly over each filet. Top with the toasted pine nuts and fresh chopped parsley. Serve immediately while the fish is warm and the sauce is still glossy.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Adding cold water to the tahini: it seizes into a thick, gritty paste instead of a smooth sauce. Always use warm water.
- Overcooking the fish: check at the 20 minute mark. Fish is done the moment it flakes easily with a fork, and it keeps cooking slightly after you pull it from the oven.
- Walking away from the pine nuts: they go from golden to burnt in under a minute once they start browning. Stir constantly.
- Using thick, frozen-thawed fillets without patting them dry first: excess moisture waters down the sauce once it’s drizzled on.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigeration: Let the fish cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezer: To freeze make sure the fish is cooled completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer safe bag. You can store it for 2-3 months.
- Reheat: To reheat you can wrap the fish in foil and slowly heat in the oven at 275 degrees F for between 10-15 minutes. You also can microwave the fish or quickly heat in a pan on the stove.
Recipe FAQ
The fish is best baked fresh, but you can make the tahini sauce up to 2 days ahead and store it in the fridge. Whisk it again before serving since it thickens as it sits.
Yes. Thaw it fully in the fridge overnight and pat it dry before baking. Excess moisture from frozen fish will thin out the sauce and make the fish steam instead of bake.
Melt butter or olive oil in a small pan over medium heat, add the pine nuts, and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes until evenly golden. They burn quickly once they start browning, so don’t step away.
At 375°F, most white fish filets take 20-25 minutes, depending on thickness. It’s done when it flakes easily with a fork.
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Easy Baked White Fish Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 white fish filets, cod and tilapia work well
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon butter, or olive oil
- chopped parsley
Instructions
- Place fish filets in a large baking dish sprayed with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
- While fish is baking, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, warm water, grated garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl; set aside.
In a small pan, melt clarified butter over medium heat and add pine nuts. - Toast nuts until evenly browned by stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes; set aside.
- When fish is cooked, place on a platter and drizzle the tahini sauce evenly over each filet.
- Top with toasted pine nuts and fresh chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Refrigeration: Let the fish cool completely before storing, since sealing it while warm traps steam and makes the sauce watery and the fish soggy. Store in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. Keep the sauce on the fish rather than storing separately, since tahini sauce thickens as it sits and is easier to loosen again once it’s already coating the fish.
- Freezer: Make sure the fish is fully cooled before freezing. Wrap each filet tightly in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn, then place in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Store for up to 2-3 months. Freezing works best if you freeze the fish and sauce together, since tahini sauce can separate slightly on its own when frozen and thawed.
- Reheat: Wrap the fish loosely in foil and reheat in the oven at 275°F for 10-15 minutes. Low, slow heat keeps the fish from drying out or overcooking a second time. You can also microwave individual portions in 30-second increments, or warm gently in a pan over low heat, though the oven method best preserves the fish’s texture.
- If the tahini sauce thickens too much after storing, whisk in a teaspoon of warm water at a time until it loosens back to a pourable consistency.
- Fish reheats best when it isn’t fully submerged in sauce beforehand. If serving leftovers, reheat the fish first, then drizzle fresh or re-thinned sauce on top.
- Toasted pine nuts lose their crunch once refrigerated. If making ahead, store extra toasted pine nuts separately in a small airtight container and add them fresh when serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
An easy seafood recipe!
thank you for sharing this recipe. what would be a good sub for pine nuts?
You can skip it all together otherwise maybe walnuts or silvered almonds.
I went looking for a fish with tahini sauce recipe, and I’m so glad I found this one! It is delicious! My family loved it.
Glad you liked it Jeanne! It is a good one.