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Tilapia with Roasted Delicata Squash and Sage

Tilapia fillets roasted on a sheet pan with sweet delicata half moons, crisped sage, and shallots, finished with lemon for an easy savory breakfast.

By Camille McLaughlin, RDN, LD, registered dietitian nutritionist

Built forAIPBreakfast
Also fits High-Protein Low-Added-Sugar Low-Glycemic
Sage leaves crisp in the oil and go brittle enough to crumble over everything else on the pan. Delicata half moons roast until the cut sides caramelize and the thin skin softens enough to eat, tilapia stays mild and fine-flaked between them, and lemon zest and juice go over the sheet the moment it comes out.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe

The oven does the work while you are out of the kitchen. The squash goes in first and roasts on its own for 20 minutes, which is time enough to make coffee, get dressed, or unload the dishwasher, and then the fish goes on top and everything is done 9 minutes later. Tilapia is inexpensive and sold everywhere, so this is not a special-occasion plate. It is the one I make on a Tuesday when an elimination phase has started to feel like a chore and a sheet pan is all I have in me.

Delicata squash earns the name of the dish. It is the one winter squash with skin thin enough to eat, so there is no wrestling with a peeler, and the flesh has enough sugar in it to caramelize hard at the cut faces while the middle turns creamy. Sliced into half moons and given a hot oven and a single layer, it goes deep brown at the edges and tastes almost like a roasted sweet potato with a cleaner finish. The shallots roast alongside until their layers separate and go jammy, and the whole garlic cloves soften into something you can spread with a fork.

Tilapia is mild and fine-textured, which makes it a good listener on a pan like this, taking on the sage and the lemon rather than fighting them. It is also close-grained enough to hold together when you lift it, so long as you pull it out at the right moment. The sage leaves go on in the last stretch and crisp into dark, savory chips, which is the part everyone picks off the pan first. Between a full fillet of fish and a sweet browned squash underneath, this eats like dinner at eight in the morning, and it holds you the way dinner would.

Caramelized delicata squash half moons with browned edges and soft shallot slices, white tilapia fillets laid over them, scattered with dark crisp sage leaves and lemon zest. Save
Prep: 10 minsCook: 30 minsTotal: 40 minsMakes: 4 servingsServing: 1 fillet with squash

Ingredients

Serves4Amounts change with the number. The nutrition panel is per serving, so it stays the same.
  • 4 tilapia fillets (about 1 1/2 lb total)
  • 2 delicata squash (about 1 1/4 lb), halved, seeded, and sliced into 1/2-inch half moons
  • 2 large shallots, peeled and sliced into thick rings
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and left whole
  • 12 fresh sage leaves
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus zest of 1 lemon
  • 3/4 tsp fine sea salt, divided

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven and cut the squash: Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Halve the delicata lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and slice each half into half-inch half moons. There is no need to peel it, since the skin softens completely in the oven.
  2. Roast the squash and shallots: Toss the squash, shallots, and garlic with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and a half teaspoon of the salt, and spread everything in a single layer on a large sheet pan. Roast for 20 minutes, turning the pieces once at the halfway mark, until the cut faces are deep gold.
  3. Season the fish: While the squash roasts, pat the tilapia fillets dry on both sides and rub them with the remaining tablespoon of oil and the rest of the salt. Drying the surface is what lets the top color rather than steam.
  4. Add the fish and sage: Push the squash to the edges of the pan and lay the fillets in the middle. Scatter the sage leaves over the fish and the squash. Return the pan to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
  5. Check and finish: The tilapia is done when it is opaque through and flakes with light pressure, about 140°F (60°C) at the thickest point, a few degrees under the 145°F (63°C) the FDA gives for seafood, since tilapia is thin and climbs the last of the way on the pan. Squeeze the lemon juice over the whole pan, scatter on the zest, and serve each fillet with a pile of squash and a few crisp sage leaves.
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per recipe
Serving size1 fillet with squash
Calories334
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g18%
Saturated Fat 3g14%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 75mg25%
Sodium 515mg22%
Total Carbohydrate 18g7%
Dietary Fiber 3g12%
Total Sugars 1g
Includes 0g Added Sugars 0%
Protein 36g
Vitamin D 4.1mcg20%
Calcium 88mg7%
Iron 2.4mg13%
Potassium 1070mg23%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are computed from USDA FoodData Central and are estimates. Per serving (1 fillet with squash).

Variations

  • Butternut instead: Use peeled butternut cut into half-inch cubes when delicata is out of season, and give it 25 minutes before the fish goes on.
  • Herb swap: Use rosemary sprigs in place of sage for a piney, more assertive pan that suits a cold morning.
  • Greens on the pan: Add a few handfuls of kale tossed in oil for the last 8 minutes so the thin edges crisp alongside the sage.
  • Apple and shallot: Add a sliced apple with the shallots for a sweeter pan that plays off the squash.
  • Coconut finish: Spoon warm coconut milk over the squash at the table for a richer plate on a day you want more staying power.

Storage & Leftovers

Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, with the squash underneath and the fish on top so the fillets are not sitting in liquid. The sage loses its crispness overnight but keeps all of its flavor.

Reheat on a sheet pan in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 6 to 8 minutes rather than in the microwave. Tilapia is thin, so it goes from warm to rubbery quickly, and the dry oven heat brings the squash edges back instead of softening everything into one texture.

Cooked squash freezes acceptably and cooked tilapia does not, so if you want a head start, roast a double batch of the squash and shallots and freeze half in a flat bag for up to 3 months. Roast the fish fresh on the morning you want it.

Notes & Tips

A few notes from my kitchen for a sheet pan breakfast, mostly about heat, spacing, and knowing when to stop.
  • Use one big pan: Two crowded pieces of squash steam each other and stay pale. Spread everything out or use two pans, since browning is most of the flavor here.
  • Slice the squash evenly: Half-inch half moons roast in 20 minutes. Thicker pieces are still firm when the fish is done, and thin ones burn at the edges before the middle sets.
  • Dry the fillets well: Wet fish steams and sticks. Ten seconds with a paper towel on both sides is the difference between lifting a whole fillet and scraping up pieces.
  • Add the sage late: Sage leaves burn in about 12 minutes at this temperature. Going in with the fish gives them just enough time to crisp and go dark green.
  • Leave the garlic whole: Smashed whole cloves roast sweet and soft, where minced garlic scorches on a hot sheet pan and turns bitter.
  • Pull the fish early: Carryover heat keeps cooking the fillet on a hot pan. Take it out when it is just barely opaque and it will be perfect by the time you plate it.

Nutrition & Mindful Eating

Sweet caramelized squash under a mild white fish, with sage crisping in the last few minutes and lemon going over the top of it all.
  • Fish and squash roasted on the same pan give you two different kinds of satisfaction. The tilapia brings the protein and the substance, the delicata brings sweetness and fiber, and the fat from the oil is what carries the sage flavor into both.
  • Tilapia is mild, fine-textured, and dense in protein, and it is an easy fish to like for people who think they do not like fish. It also brings selenium and B12 along without ever tasting strong.
  • Delicata squash is deep orange inside, and that color is beta-carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A. Roasting it in oil is what makes that pigment available to you, which is a good reason not to cook it in water.
  • The thin skin on delicata is edible once roasted, and it is where a fair amount of the fiber sits, so slicing rather than peeling gets you a better texture and a more filling plate at the same time.
  • Crisped sage tastes savory and faintly peppery and gives the pan a depth that usually requires a sauce. Lemon zest going on at the very end is what keeps a sweet roasted squash from reading as dessert.
  • As you eat, notice how much sweeter the browned edges of the squash taste than the soft centers, and take the plate somewhere you can sit rather than eating it standing over the pan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I really not need to peel delicata?

You do not. Delicata has thin skin that goes tender in the oven and disappears into the flesh, which is the whole reason to buy it over butternut. Scrub the outside, halve it, seed it, and slice. If a squash is unusually thick-skinned, roast it 5 minutes longer.

Can I use a different fish?

Yes. Cod, haddock, and flounder all work at the same weight and cook in about the same time, though flounder is thinner so check it at 6 minutes. Salmon works too and needs the same 8 to 10 minutes, and it stands up to the sage well.

My fish came out dry. What happened?

Tilapia fillets are thin and carry very little fat, so the window between done and overdone is a couple of minutes wide. Pull the pan when the fish is just opaque and still glossy in the center, and let it rest on the hot pan while you squeeze the lemon.

Can I make it ahead?

Roast the squash and shallots the night before and refrigerate them on the pan. In the morning, heat the oven, spread them out, lay the seasoned fish on top, and roast for 10 to 12 minutes. It is one dish and about 15 minutes of actual attention.