Parmesan Crusted Tilapia —Fast and Easy

Name: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pound Tilapia, fresh or thawed frozen (4 fillets); 1 cup Parmesan cheese (grated fresh if possible); 1 tablespoon olive oil (or melted butter); 1 tablespoon paprika; 1 tablespoon dried parsley; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1/2 cup Optional Panko breadcrumbs (to replace half the Parmesan)

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Cooking time: 10

Are you looking for a delicious and easy dinner recipe? This Parmesan-crusted tilapia recipe has a crispy Parmesan coating flavored with paprika on a tender and flakey fish fillet.

An easy weeknight recipe that takes only 20 minutes to prep and bake in the oven. It uses fresh or thawed frozen tilapia fillets.

🐟Ingredients

Tilapia—fresh or thawed frozen fillets
Olive oil—or butter
Parmesan cheese—grated, fresh is preferred.
Pantry ingredients—paprika, parsley, salt, black pepper
Optional—Panko breadcrumbs, other herbs and spices

Flakey tilapia golden brown on a white plate.

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🐟Ingredients
👨‍🍳How to Bake Parmesan Crusted Tilapia—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
⏰How long to cook tilapia in the oven?
Options and variations
Using cod, salmon, or other fish
🍽️What to serve with tilapia?
Storage of leftovers
❓FAQs
🐟What is Tilapia?
📖 Recipe

Featured Comment from Sue :
"This recipe is amazing! I've made it several times using 3 different kinds of fish."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I find stovetop frying a pain, as I have to stand there and deal with the splatter. So, I will not pan-fry tilapia or other fish; I will oven-bake or grill every time.

This tilapia recipe has become a standard in our home. It's an excellent fit for any gluten-free or low-carb diet. It also fits healthy and low-calorie diets.

Check out these other easy tilapia recipes, like Baked Blackened Tilapia, Grilled Blackened Tilapia, or lemon butter tilapia. And don't miss my Baked Lemon Butter Salmon.

👨‍🍳How to Bake Parmesan Crusted Tilapia—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

1. If frozen, thaw the tilapia completely. Wash and pat dry the tilapia fillets.

2. Prepare a baking tray with a coat of oil or PAM cooking spray.

3. Grate Parmesan if needed.

4. Mix Parmesan cheese, paprika, parsley, salt, and black pepper in a shallow pan. Optional—use Panko breadcrumbs for half the Parmesan.

5. Brush tilapia with oil or melted butter and dredge in the Parmesan mixture.

6. Bake in a preheated 400° convection oven for 10-12 minutes until flaky.

For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.

⏰How long to cook tilapia in the oven?

It will turn very nice brown and take 10-12 minutes. If you check, the fish will also be flakey. If you are unsure, the internal temperature should be 145°plus.

Options and variations

Sweet paprika is commonly used, but try hot or smoked paprika for a different flavor. Try other spice mixes like lemon pepper, Old Bay, or cajan seasoning. Try some thyme, basil, oregano, or other herbs or spices you love—I frequently add a touch of garlic powder and cayenne pepper.

Change the Parmesan cheese to a mixture of half Parmesan and half Panko breadcrumbs for a breadier texture.

For a buttery flavor, replace brushing the fillets with oil and use melted butter instead.

Using cod, salmon, or other fish

This recipe can be used to make Parmesan-crusted cod, salmon, or haddock. The cooking time should be the same as long as the fillet thickness is under 1 inch.

Other firm white fish may be used, but if the fish is thicker, please see the 10-Minute Rule for Cooking Any Fish.

🍽️What to serve with tilapia?

Serve tilapia with a lemon slice or tartar sauce. For side dishes, try a fresh salad or a hot vegetable, like roasted asparagus, roasted cauliflower, or bacon-baked green beans.

Add a starch, such as Parmesan Baked Potatoes, baked rice, baked French fries, or roasted red potatoes. Then, round it out with bread, like healthy biscuits, Cheddar Bay Biscuits, or cornmeal biscuits.

Storage of leftovers

This dish is much better served fresh. The coating will not be as crispy and may fall off. But you can store leftovers by carefully sealing them in foil for 3 days. Then, to reheat, open the top of the foil completely and reheat in a 350° oven or air fryer.

❓FAQs

Can I use frozen tilapia?

Yes, frozen is fine if fully thawed. Thaw frozen fish in the refrigerator overnight.

How to cook in an air fryer.

Yes, an air fryer is a small convection oven. But the fillets need to be cooked in a single layer and should not be crowded. Preheat to 400°. Flip after cooking 4 minutes. They will cook faster, so start checking at 6-7 minutes.

What Parmesan cheese to use?

You need a good Parmesan since so much of the flavor is the cheese—quality matters.

I use a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano and shred or grate as needed. I use lots of Parmesan, which will last me at least six months.

What to do about mushy tilapia?

First, be sure to dry your fish entirely before coating.

Second, thoroughly preheat the oven before cooking, and do not cook at a lower temperature.

Third, do not overcook. If thinner fillets, use a temperature of 140° and an instant-read thermometer to get it right.

How do you get the topping to brown well and be crispy?

Follow the instructions about mushy fish, dry thoroughly, use a preheated oven, and cook at the recommended temperature.

However, due to the structure of the oven, some will not brown as well as others. Then, turn on the broiler for a minute or two.

🐟What is Tilapia?

Wild tilapia are usually freshwater fish inhabiting shallow streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes. Although native to Africa and the Middle East, they've been distributed worldwide and farmed almost everywhere.

Tilapia is frequently called "the chicken of fish" due to its mild taste and ease of mass production on farms.

While you can attack any farm-raised fish for the method, the facts still support farm-raised tilapia fillets as a good source of low-fat quality protein. Tilapia is lower in omega-3 than some other wild fish but lower in mercury.

📖 Recipe

This fast recipe is a modification of a Rachel Ray recipe that's easy for a weeknight dinner but with weekend eloquence.

Editor's Note: Originally Published on December 18, 2010, the blog's first year. The blog has grown 1000X since that time. Now updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia