Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia is the perfect weeknight dinner recipe, made with simple ingredients like fresh tilapia, gluten free breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese for the perfect crispy coating, ready in under 30 minutes!

If you love this tilapia recipe, be sure to check out my favorite fish recipes! Like this Air Fryer Tilapia, Oven Baked Coconut Shrimp, and Low Country Shrimp Boil!

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia is an easy dish to make on a busy weeknight, but tastes like you just stepped into a fancy restaurant. It’s crispy on the outside with flakey, buttery tilapia on the inside. The parmesan adds a delicious flavor and gets really crispy when pan-seared with the butter. Serve with a salad for lunch, or roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes for dinner!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Tilapia Fillets. Choose fresh fish fillets that are 4-6 ounces each. You can go bigger, but you might need some extra breading ingredients. 

The fresher the fish, the better the taste. You can also use other flakey white fish with this recipe. I try to go with a mild fish for a more mild flavor, but that’s a personal preference. 

Olive oil. We’re pan-frying, so extra virgin olive oil helps make the parmesan breadcrumb crust nice and crispy. The olive oil also helps keep the butter from burning while cooking.

Unsalted Butter. The butter adds flavor to the fish and also helps keep it from sticking to the pan while cooking. You can also add some fresh lemon juice and lemon zest here for a lemon butter flavor.

Eggs. These help the breadcrumbs stick to the flour coating, and act as a binding agent.

Gluten Free Flour. Use a regular all-purpose gluten free flour. Dredging the fish in flour first helps make a really crispy crust, and seals in some of the juices so the fish ends up really flakey and tender. 

Grated Parmesan Cheese. I’ll be honest, I use the fast and easy jar of grated parmesan from the grocery store. But if I was making this for a dinner party, I would use freshly grated.

To grate the parmesan faster, add it to the food processor and pulse. Grated and shredded parmesan would both work for this parmesan mixture.

Gluten Free Breadcrumbs. I’m using plain gluten free breadcrumbs and adding my own seasoning. The breadcrumbs are mixed with the parmesan to create a really delicious crispy crust on the fish.

Gluten free panko breadcrumbs would also work for this breadcrumb mixture. Use gluten free panko if you want an extra crunchy coating!

Spices. I’m using some basic spices for this recipe, but you could really just use some salt and pepper if you want to keep it plain. Otherwise, I like to use onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, dried oregano, thyme, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and just a pinch of allspice. 

It is worth noting that garlic powder and granulated garlic are different. Garlic powder will be more impactful, so if you have granulated garlic at home, use a little more than the recipe calls for.

You could also use fresh herbs instead of dried. 1 teaspoon of dried herbs = 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.

How to Make Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

1. Set out three shallow bowls. In one, beat eggs. In the second, whisk together the spices and flour. In the third, whisk together breadcrumbs and parmesan. Take a tilapia filet and coat in flour.
2. Shake lightly to remove excess, then dip it into the egg mixture.
3. Then coat with the cheese mixture, gently shaking off excess bread crumbs. Place the breaded tilapia on a plate and repeat with all of the fillets. Add butter and olive oil to a large frying pan over medium heat. Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to work in batches. Once the butter is melted, add the fillets to the frying pan.
4. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the breadcrumb coating begins to brown. Then flip over and repeat on the other side. Fish is done when cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, and the breadcrumb coating is golden brown. The cooking time can change if you’re using thinner fillets.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Seafood Recipes

• Cream Cheese Shrimp Dip
• Gluten Free Crab Cakes
• Air Fryer Salmon
• Blackened Mahi Mahi

How to Make Baked Tilapia in the Oven

You can also cook this in the oven! This method will work using a baking dish, but it won’t be as crispy as the prepared baking sheet.

1. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Follow the original recipe to bread the tilapia, then place each piece on the sheet pan. Coat the breaded tilapia really well with cooking spray on both sides. Olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray would both work.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the baked parmesan tilapia is golden brown and cooked through. The baked fish should flake easily with a fork.  

Storage

Refrigerate parmesan crusted tilapia for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

Freeze leftover tilapia in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Wrap the container with an extra layer of plastic wrap to help prevent freezer burn.

Recipe Variations

• Serve with chopped fresh parsley and fresh lemon wedges for garnish. You can also cut some lemon slices to garnish the tray when serving these at a table. Add a squeeze of lemon juice over the fish before serving for a really nice bright flavor. 
• Add some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes for heat, or a few teaspoons paprika for a sweet smokey flavor. Play with the seasoning mixture until you get something you really love!
• If you don’t want to break out the seasonings yourself, you can just add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and a few teaspoons of Italian seasoning or lemon pepper seasoning. 
• For a lower carb version, replace the breadcrumbs with ground almonds. Just pulse them in the food processor until they’re about the same consistency as breadcrumbs.
• Use the same gluten free parmesan breading ingredients using chicken tenders for parmesan crusted chicken! Adjust the cooking time for the different meat.

Cooking Tips

• Make sure to coat the fish completely at each step (flour, egg, and breadcrumbs), only gently shaking off the excess. 
• Depending on how large your frying pan is, you may have to work in batches. 
• Pie plates work really well as shallow bowls for this recipe! 
• Serve this with Instant Pot Green Beans and Baked Potato Slices for a complete meal! You could also serve this with a green salad for lunch. 

If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!

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