Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Tilapia

Remember when I made super easy garlic compound butter? The last leftovers of it turned into the simplest slow cooker meal yet: place garlic butter on tilapia, wrap in aluminum foil, cook. You can also use the same method in the oven, but it was nice to put it in the slow cooker and walk away for a couple of hours to get some chores done. It also doesn’t heat up the house as much, although that’s not such a concern at this point in the year.

This dish only needs a couple of hours to cook, so it’s not something to leave all day. It is a great slow cooker meal if you’re home a couple of hours before dinner but want something easy, or if you’re home with your kids and need your hands free. The fish came out flaky and moist, and was a healthy and filling meal along with steamed broccoli and brown rice.

Recipe:

Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Tilapia

Serves 3-4

4 tilapia fillets
2 T garlic compound butter, chopped into small pieces*
Salt and pepper to taste

Pull out a large sheet of aluminum foil. Place fillets in the middle (I had to stack mine to make it fit in my slow cooker), generously salt and pepper, and evenly divide butter pieces over fillets. Wrap foil around fish, sealing all sides, and cook on high for 2 hours.

*Or mix 2 T butter with 2 minced cloves of garlic and 2 t of chopped parsley.

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24 Comments on Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Tilapia

sabita
January 31, 2011 at 4:05 pm (14 years ago)

Beautiful and simple like mine…short n yum…
sabita recently posted Tofu Palakmy version of palak paneer-Spinach Tofu
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Belinda @zomppa
January 31, 2011 at 5:51 pm (14 years ago)

I bet that just falls right apart!! So flaky and buttery!
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Medeja
February 1, 2011 at 4:30 am (14 years ago)

I dont know how to prepare fish at all :)) and this fish looks like quite healthy dish 🙂
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Joy
February 1, 2011 at 9:55 am (14 years ago)

This looks fantastic! I just picked up some haddock at the market on Saturday and I am always looking for a slow cooker meal… it’s a perfect match! The simple nature of the garlic butter makes for an elegant meal. Looking forward to this one!
Joy recently posted Apple Cinnamon Muffins
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jan
October 6, 2011 at 6:01 pm (13 years ago)

would like to know if you are wrapping each fillet with foil and then stacking the foil packages in the crockpot? can i put lemon in this recipe also.?? or do i stack the fillets on top of each other in one foil package?
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- Stephanie
  October 6, 2011 at 8:35 pm (13 years ago)
  
  @jan – I stacked the fillets and wrapped them up in one foil package. Lemon would be a great addition to the recipe. Enjoy!
Kendra
January 4, 2014 at 9:57 am (11 years ago)

Should I allow a longer cook time if cooking more than 4 filets?
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- Stephanie Saunders
  January 4, 2014 at 9:06 pm (11 years ago)
  
  Kendra, how many are you cooking? You shouldn’t to increase the cooking time if you’re just adding 1 or 2.
Nathalie
February 27, 2014 at 8:53 am (11 years ago)

Is it really ok to put aluminum foil in the crockpot? I’m assuming that’s the slow cooker you’re referring to.Also, if I cook this in the oven how much time and at what temperature? Thank you.:-)
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- Stephanie Saunders
  March 1, 2014 at 3:40 pm (11 years ago)
  
  Nathalie, yes you can use aluminum foil in a CrockPot. I haven’t made these recipe in an oven, so I can’t say how long and at what temp. I can say it works great in a CrockPot though!
Amber
March 10, 2014 at 5:37 am (11 years ago)

Is the cook time for fresh fish or frozen? I have frozen filets and wanted to know the cook time for frozen?
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- Stephanie Saunders
  March 10, 2014 at 7:30 pm (11 years ago)
  
  Amber, it’s for fresh fish. You should thaw frozen meat before putting it in a slow cooker.
ymisiuki
September 11, 2014 at 12:56 pm (10 years ago)

If I cook 8 fillets do I have to double the cooking time on the slow cooker?
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- Stephanie Saunders
  September 13, 2014 at 3:24 pm (10 years ago)
  
  I haven’t tried it with 8 fillets, but I don’t think you’d have to double the cooking time. Just check to make sure they’re cooked all the way through after 2 hours.
Peter
January 4, 2016 at 9:27 am (9 years ago)

Cooking food wrapped in tin foil contaminates the food. Especially acids such as lemon or tomatoes. Wrap the food in parchment paper first and then in tin foil to avoid direct contact. Besides, cooking delicate fish in a slow cooker is definitely overkill and not necessary.
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Rachelle
January 16, 2017 at 6:55 pm (8 years ago)

Do I need to put a little bit of water in the crock pot first then put the fish pack in?
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Mandy Carpenter
November 8, 2017 at 11:29 am (7 years ago)

I am soooo glad to learn I can cook fish in the crockpot! We live in an RV, and I try to save propane for heat, so I use my crockpot daily! My husband and I miss our favorite fish recipes! Definitely trying out this method!
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Nichole
January 12, 2018 at 4:20 pm (7 years ago)

This recipe is so simple and yummy. I’ve made it several times now and am making it again tonight. I like to add a little lemon pepper too. Thanks for this recipe.
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