You'll love this easy baked grouper recipe, prepared Mediterranean-style with a few spices and bold fresh flavors, including garlic, lemon juice, tomatoes and olives!
Ready in just over 20 minutes, this healthy, low-carb baked fish recipe is perfect for any night of the week. If grouper is not available, I have other options for you below along with lots of ideas for salads and sides to serve along! Be sure to read on for the step-by-step tutorial.
Whenever I'm out at my local grocery store, I make a point of stopping at the fish counter to chat up my fishmonger friend. Last time, I happened upon some beautiful looking grouper fillets and my mind immediately went to something quick and fuss-free like a baked fish dinner.
This baked grouper recipe gets its bold Mediterranean kick from a few spices and a combination of favorites: fresh garlic, tomatoes, olives, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil.
It's super easy to put together. Ready in just over 20 minutes! Plus, my family absolutely loves it!
And if you're following the Mediterranean diet, or if you're looking for a low-carb fish recipe, this one should be on your list to try.
What is Grouper? And what can I substitute for it?
I'm a big fish person, but I have to say, grouper is something truly special.
I use the more readily available red grouper, a white fish from the sea bass family. It's lean, moist, and has a lovely mild and slightly sweeter flavor.
Grouper lends itself to a variety of preparations--I love it grilled, pan seared, or baked. This time, I obviously went for baked grouper, a healthy and light options for those who are looking for low-carb meals!
If grouper fillet is not available to you, you can substitute it in this recipe for red snapper fillets, cod, halibut, haddock, or sea bass. Textures and thickness may vary, so be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed (fish is ready when its flesh turns opaque and you can easily flake it using a fork; internal temp should register 145 degrees F.)
Ingredients for this Mediterranean-style Grouper Recipe
This light baked grouper recipe requires a few ingredients that you may already have on hand! But the secret is definitely in the bold Mediterranean flavors. Here's what to need to make it:
Grouper Fillet: I used 1.5 pounds of red grouper fillet here. This recipe is versatile, so you can substitute grouper for another fish if you need to. Some good options, as I mentioned earlier: red snapper fillets, cod, halibut, haddock, or sea bass.
Spice Mixture: Because grouper is a mild-tasting fish, it can take on a variety of seasonings and flavors. Here, we give it a quick coating in some Mediterranean spices including cumin, oregano, and paprika for color and depth.
More Mediterranean Flavor Makers: in addition to the spice mixture, we add in fresh minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, and excellent extra virgin olive oil. This trio is essential to creating the bright and bold Mediterranean flare to this recipe.
For this recipe, I used Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil for its rich and fruity finish, plus it lends just the right amount of fat to help this extra lean fish.
Toppings: For more color and even more flavor, we top our fish fillets with a combination of sweet cherry tomatoes and sliced kalamata olives. The olives here contribute a distinctive rich, salty, slightly tangy flavor--a bit of Greek twist. If you're not a fan of olives, you can feel free to omit them or use capers in their place.
Fresh Herbs: Not a big surprise here, the final finishing touch to this baked fish recipe is fresh herbs. I love using dill here; it's grassy with a bit of anise-like licorice flavor works well with fish. That said, when dill is not available, you can absolutely use a different fresh herb like a handful of fresh parsley, basil, or even mint.
How to Make This Baked Grouper Recipe: Step-by-Step
This Mediterranean baked fish recipe can be made in just over 20 minutes! It's as easy as 1, 2 , 3. Here is how:
Step 1: Prepare and Season the Fish Fillets
Pat fish fillets dry and season on both sides with kosher salt.
Prepare the spice mixture of cumin, oregano and paprika in a small bowl, then season the fish well on both sides.
Step 2: Add Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, and Toppings
Put the seasoned fish in a lightly-oiled baking dish (I used this 9" x 13" cast iron dish for even cooking <-affiliate link)
Top the fish with fresh minced garlic, making sure to spread the garlic well. Add juice of 1 lemon, and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (I highly recommend Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil for its rich, fruity finish), then top with the sliced tomatoes and kalamata olives.
Step 3: Bake
Place the baking dish on the middle rack of a 400 degree F heated-oven. Bake for about 12 to 13 minutes or until the fish turns opaque in color and flakes easily using a fork.
TIP: You've heard me say this earlier, no one likes dry fish so avoid overcooking your grouper. If you're not sure, use an instant read thermometer (affiliate link); fish is ready when its internal temp registers 145°F, which should be measured at the thickest part of the fish fillet.
What to Serve with Baked Grouper?
This grouper recipe makes a light and delicious dinner any night of the week. I can think of more than a dozen sides and salads to go along. Here are a few ideas:
Salads: Shirazi salad; Mediterranean Lentil Salad; Mediterranean 3-Bean Salad
Sides: Crispy Brussels Sprouts; Baked Zucchini with Thyme and Parmesan; Greek Lemon Rice; Italian Roasted Veggies
Since this is a quick recipe, be sure to prepare your sides and salads before your fish goes in the oven. Enjoy!
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Mediterranean-Style Baked Grouper with Tomatoes and Olives
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 or 5 1x
Description
Easy baked grouper recipe, prepared Mediterranean-style with a few spices and bold fresh flavors, including garlic, lemon juice, tomatoes and olives.
Ready in just over 20 minutes, this healthy, low-carb baked fish recipe is perfect for any night of the week. Be sure to view the step-by-step tutorial and suggestions in the post.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb grouper fillet (or a similar fish)
- kosher salt
- 1 tbsp dry oregano
- 1 to 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- Juice of 1 large lemon, more for later
- Extra virgin olive oil (I used Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil)
- 6 to 8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 6 to 8 pitted kalamata olives, sliced
- Chopped fresh dill (about ¼ oz or so)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Pat the fish dry and season with salt on both sides. In a small bowl, combine the spices (cumin, oregano, paprika, and black pepper), and season the fish with the spice mixture on both sides.
- Place seasoned fish in a lightly-oiled baking dish. Add minced garlic on top, then add lemon juice and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (I used Early Harvest Greek EVOO). Arrange cherry tomatoes and olives on top of the fish fillets.
- Bake in heated oven for 12 to 13 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and easily flakes with a fork.
- Remove from heat and add fresh dill (or your favorite herb). Enjoy!
Notes
- Cook's Tip: How do you know when fish is ready? Its flesh should be opaque and should flake easily using a fork. Internal temperature should register around 145 degrees F at the thickest part of the fish.
- What to Substitute for Grouper? If grouper is not available, you can use red snapper fillets, cod, halibut, or haddock fillets in this recipe. Textures will vary. Adjust cooking time as needed and use an instant read thermometer (per tip above) to determine when your fish is ready.
- Visit Our Online Shop to browse our Greek extra virgin olive oils, all-natural and organic spices and more!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 13 mins
- Category: Fish and Seafood
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Love this recipe! I load the roasting pan with spinach and I've oil and then place the fish on top of it. One pan dinner with rice!
Sounds wonderful! Thanks, Donna!
Suzy!!! we loved, loved , loved this recipe.
I used kingklip ; its a fish similar to cod that we have in South Africa
I left out the cumin , because i didn"t have any.
It turned out amazing, Thank you!!!
Oh, I'm so glad, Tina! Thank you for sharing!!
Can filet of sole be used fo this dish?
Sure! That should work! You may just need to adjust the cooking time, depending on the thickness of the sole fillet.
It was very easy to follow, but it was not my favorite. Grouper is pretty delicate for those spices. simple frying or blackening is more my style. For some folks, they might enjoy it and so I would say try it. It needed a bit more salt the olives add some but for the pieces without it was quite out of balance. If I am doing something with these spices and fish it'd more likely be swordfish.
That looks wonderful!
Thanks, Lisa!
Probably the best grouper dish I have ever made. Substituted manzanilla olives and basil and finished the plate with a sprinkle of feta chunks. Caught my own grouper and picked the tomatoes, basil and lemon from my garden, so I was off to a good start. The layers of flavor were surprising especially the cumin. I will add this to my regular rotation. Delicious!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Sara!
AWESOME way to prepare grouper, try it!
Very easy to make. Didn’t have dill on hand, so I used flat parsley instead, still very good!
Thanks, Maryanne!
Grouper should be treated differently. It’s not salmon and deserves either a strong sear or a long cook time. It was a simple and straight forward recipe, good for beginners. Unfortunately, the true character of the grouper was not highlighted but rather subdued. Will not make again but do recommend to try at least once.
This recipe is meant to be an easy one as you highlighted, Blake. But there are many wonderful ways to work with grouper and we will be sharing some at a later time.
The spices overpowered the dish. Would not make again.
I couldn't find grouper so I used halibut. This was incredible. It was perfect & not overly seasoned. My boyfriend usually hates fish. But he loved this and scraped his plate 🙂
Awesome! Thanks, Angela!
The spice blend was not indicated, so we did a 1:1:1 for the oregano, paprika, and cumin. The cumin was far too strong for the fish.
Hello, Mark. The measurements for the spice mixture as indicated in the recipe card are: 1 tablespoon dry oregano, 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1/2 tsp black pepper. I think you would have gotten a different result using the measurements indicated.
I used the measurements indicates. I thought the flavors needed to amalgamate somehow. The oregano was overpowering.
Thanks for the feedback, Elizabeth.
I am a great fan of cumin, but the amount in this recipe was way too much. Perhaps you meant teaspoons rather than tablespoons?
Andrea, thank you for catching that! I actually went back to the recipe notes, and you are RIGHT! It is meant to be 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin. I've made the correction. Thank you for catching that.
This was fabulous. I changed it up a bit - I made it for my parents and they aren’t fond of a lot of spices. I had a huge fresh grouper filet - 3 lbs - so it took about 20 -25 mins to cook. Used olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh garlic, black olives sliced in half and cherry tomatoes sliced in half, capers and then squeezed a huge Meyer lemon on top.
It is such a beautiful dish with all the gorgeous colors. I sliced three lemon slices over the top and baked it with those as well. Served it with some brown rice- absolutely delicious.
Thanks for sharing your variation, Lisa! Happy to hear it was a hit :).
Amazing flavor profile, quick and healthy!!!
Thanks so much, Kathy!
It taste really delicious! The flavors are just perfect!
Thanks, Jen!