Made with shrimp simmered in a buttery, lemon parsley sauce poured over pasta, Shrimp Scampi is one tasty and popular seafood dish. Though shrimp do make the dish, Regal Springs’ Tilapia can be easily substituted for a delicious and inexpensive alternative, which certainly helps families stay healthy while still enjoying a delicious meal.

Following this recipe from The Kitchn, preparing a baked Tilapia Scampi is quite simple and doesn’t take long to cook at all. Bon appetit!

Serves: 4 – 6

Ingredients:

2 Tilapia fillets, thawed and diced into one-inch pieces

1/2 cup unsalted butter

Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cloves garlic, very finely minced

Dash of crushed red pepper flakes, optional

1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3 tablespoons)

1/4 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley

Lemon wedges, to serve

Heat the oven to 425°F to broil the Tilapia. Move a rack into the top third of the oven, then rinse the fillets lightly and pat very dry with paper towels before transferring them to a large bowl.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Pour about half of the butter over the Tilapia and toss to coat. Season the fish generously with salt and pepper if you wish.

Return the remaining butter to low heat on the stove top. Stir in the garlic and warm for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the red pepper flakes (if desired) and lemon zest and stir over low heat for about 1 minute. Whisk in the wine and lemon juice. Keep warm over very low heat.

Spread the Tilapia in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until cooked through, stirring once.

Toss the Tilapia with the butter sauce and the parsley. Serve immediately over pasta or vegetables with lemon wedges on the side.

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can modify it slightly depending on your preferences—though it calls for shrimp, you can easily substitute any other white fish using this guide. However, as a more inexpensive alternative to shrimp, Tilapia makes a great low-fat protein for this classic dish.

Photo credit: Elena Shashkina / Shutterstock