Pan Seared Tilapia
Published Jul 10, 2020
Updated Jun 20, 2022
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This Pan Seared Tilapia is a super easy 25-minute dinner that is perfect for busy moms like me. The fish is lightly crusty on the inside and flaky on the inside. Serve this with my Mango Avocado Salsa and you will be in heaven!
I am totally having fun with looking for mealย ideas that I can execute in about 30 minutes! As a busy mama, it is my goal to make family-friendly meals that do not require hours and hours of cooking!
So this Pan Seared Tilapia is right up my alley! You do not need to coat the tilapia in flour before frying and you only need a few easy healthy ingredients.
How to Make Pan Seared Tilapia
All you need is some fillets (they should be completely defrosted), garlic powder, basil, paprika, black pepper, salt, and olive oil. This combination of seasoning makes the fish taste so good!
I always keep a lot of dry ingredients at home and you totally should do the same. They make life so easy!
Step 1. Rub the spices all over the fish. Be sure that the spices get to every nook and cranny of the fish. There is no need to let the fish marinate first.
Step 2: Heat up some oil in a skillet. Preferably use a cast iron skillet if you have one but any other skillet will do. Once the oil is hot, place two fillets in at a time. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with some chopped parsley as a garnish if you want to be a little extra!
Also add some lime wedges on the side for squeezing over and enjoying. So good!
Two easy steps and you have insanely good Pan Seared Tilapia!
I could eat all of this fish in one sitting, I tell you. It is super flavorful. The blend of ingredients I use on them transforms boring tilapia to a restaurant quality dish.
My whole family goes crazy for this! I strongly suggest you double the recipe if cooking for 4 or more people. In the unlikely event that you have leftovers, place them into a bowl with a tight fitting lid and store in the fridge for an easy grab-and-warm lunch or dinner.
This Pan Seared Tilapia goes so well with my Mango Avocado Salsa! I enjoyed the fish and salsa with some corn chips on the side and I loved it! Serve it with some boiled rice, couscous, some fried plantains, some potato fries, break up the fish and serve in tacos or serve with any side dish you enjoy!
Hope this recipe brightens your life in the kitchen as it did to mine!
Watch How To Make Pan Seared Tilapia
Watch me making Pan Seared Tilapia in the video below. Also, SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel so you do not miss any of my videos!
Pan Seared Tilapia
Ingredients
- 1 pound tilapia fillets 4 fillets
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Place fillets on a large plate then rub the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, dried basil and olive oil all over them.
- In a skillet (preferably cast iron) heat 1 tablespoon of oil on high heat for about 3 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium then add two fillets to the pan. Let them cook on one side for about 4 minutes then flip to the other side and let them cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Repeat the process with the remaining fillets and oil.
- Serve warm with some lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the fish as needed. I love to serve this fish with my Mango Avocado Salsa on the side! You could also break it up and use in tacos or serve with any side dish you like. Enjoy, friends!
Notes
Nutrition
Soo good and quick, and basic ingredients we had on hand. I would have posted a photo but we devoured it too quickly. Weโre going to run out and get more tilapia. Thanks for sharing this !
You are welcome, Gini. Glad you loved it!
This is the best version of pan-fried tilapia I’ve ever tasted! I only used two tilapia since I cooked it for one person but it was delicious.
Thank you so much for the great feedback!
This was delicious and my family loved it! I did have trouble with sticking. Had to really scrape it off the cast iron pan with a spatula to flip–tongs caused it to fall apart. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
You are welcome, Joanna. Next time, try adding a little more oil to the pan before adding the fish so it flips easily.
This is the tastiest ever! My husband and father are not a fan of fish but they LOVE this and so do I. Itโs a keeper for sure. Thank you!
Thank you for the wonderful feedback, Brenda!
This recipe is easy and incredibly delicious! My two daughters love this recipe!! And I do too. Thank you so very much for sharing this. Have used about 6 times and always perfect
So glad to hear that, Brenda. Thank you for sharing this with me.
The seasoning on this was so delicious. Even my incredibly picky kids loved it. Thank you for giving me a recipe I can add to my rotation.
You are so welcome, Sandra. Thank you for the good feedback.
Absolutely delicious, quick and simple recipe!!!! Thank you so much!
Glad you loved it!
Best tasting and quick fish recipe
Thanks for the recipe
God bless you
Thank you Latha! So glad you loved it!
Iโm 61 years old, and have never cooked a proper meal. I followed your instructions & made dinner for my daughter & myself & it came out great! Thank you, this inspires me to try other recipes. -Erik
You are so welcome, Erik. This makes me so happy!
The recipe says to add the oil and spices to the uncooked fillets but then says to add 2 tbsp to pan to cook. So is this a total of 4 tbsp for the recipe?
Hi Jennifer, you need 2 tablespoons of oil for this recipe. You either add to the fillets or you add to the pan to cook. Thanks for pointing that out.
Thank you. Itโs a yummy easy recipe!
You’re welcome! Glad you loved it!