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This Parmesan Crusted Tilapia is tender and flaky on the inside and with a crisp cheesy crust on the outside. You’ll have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes!
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This Parmesan Crusted Tilapia is one of my very favorite ways to cook fish. It’s full of flavor and easy to prepare, and doesn’t taste “fishy” at all! Even my husband, who typically hates fish, devours it every time I make it. The cheesy Parmesan crust turns a beautiful golden brown under the broiler, keeping the tilapia tender and flaky inside. And it cooks up fast; from start to finish this dish takes less than 20 minutes! Serve with a side of rice, some veggies or a simple green salad and you’ll have a delicious, easy dinner on the table in no time!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Tilapia filets
- Parmesan cheese
- Panko bread crumbs
- Butter
- Mayonnaise
- Fresh lemon
- Old Bay seasoning (or seasoning salt)
- Paprika
- Salt and pepper
Where to Find the Best Tilapia
I love cooking with tilapia because it’s an easy fish to find, it cooks up quickly and tastes delicious. I like to get tilapia fillets from the fresh seafood section in the grocery store. Ask the meat counter to give you fillets that are still frozen. You don’t want to go home with the thawed fish and then freeze it again and then thaw it once more when you are ready to eat. Make sense? Cut out an unnecessary step and ask for it frozen from the back. Trust me, it will have a fresher taste.
Best Cooking Methods
For this recipe, we cook the fish under the broiler for a few minutes on each side or until the internal temp of the fish is cooked to 145-degrees F with the meat thermometer placed in the thickest part of the filet. You want the entire center of the fish to be opaque and flake easily. This parmesan crusted tilapia recipe can also be made in the air fryer. Air-fry at 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until the center is cooked through.
What Goes Well with Parmesan Crusted Tilapia?
You can serve some of our delicious Homemade Tartar Sauce with this fish, but it’s so full of flavor you may not even need it. Try some of these yummy side dish recipes to serve alongside your Parmesan Crusted Tilapia. I always make a couple of extra fillets to use in this Easy Fish Tacos recipe the next day.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tilapia
We recommend thawing your plain tilapia before cooking it. Once thawed, you place under the broiler for 6 minutes total or until the internal temperature of the fish is 145-degrees F.
We always thaw the tilapia before cooking if it hasn’t been pre-breaded. This assures even cooking. If it is pre-breaded like the kind you get at Costco, you can cook it directly from frozen or according to package directions.
Seasoned rice is always a solid option for fish. A vegetable side dish like grilled or Roasted veggies is also popular to serve with fish.
Read More: 35+ Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Our favorite way to reheat leftover fish is in the air fryer. Just place the leftovers in an air fryer basket and drizzle with a little olive oil if desired. Air fry at 400 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until cooked through. Microwaving leftovers is not recommended for reheating fish.
Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- sea salt and fresh black pepper (to taste)
- 1 pound tilapia fillets about 4 filets
- Old Bay seasoning or your favorite seafood seasoning salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- paprika to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside
- Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Arrange fillets in a single layer on prepared pan and generously sprinkle Old Bay seasoning over the top only.
- Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over, sprinkle on the Old Bay seasoning again, then broil for a couple more minutes.
- Remove the fillets from the oven and pat about 3 tablespoons of the breadcrumb mixture on the top side of each fillet. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.
- Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately. Garnish with lemon wedges (optional).
Notes
- Buy frozen tilapia from the meat and seafood department at your local grocery store. the “fresh” fish they have in the display cases were most likely previously frozen and thawed for display. It is best to thaw the fish yourself.
- Keep a meat thermometer handy to check the internal temp of the fish. You want it to be 145 degrees F. It tastes best when it’s not overcooked.
- Though we love Parmigiano Reggiano for most dishes, the powdery parmesan cheese from a canister works best for this recipe. It crisps up with the breadcrumbs instead of melting.
Nutrition Information
More Fish Recipes
Looking to add more fish to your weekly meal plans? Here are some of our favorite fish recipes!
Yum!! This was so delicious!
Yum! I had some tilapia to use and came across this recipe. It was so good. I will definitely make it again.
Help! This recipe is still not working!
Please elaborate— what is happening??
Instead of showing the box with the recipe, it shows this:
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Ok it should be fixed now 🙂 Thanks for catching that!
Yes!! Thank you! Love this dish. I’ve made it a few times.
Where is the actual recipe?
Some of our recipes went missing when we converted plugins.. I will do my best to get it back on!