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!
We are working hard to eat more fish rather than beef and I make this tilapia recipe weekly now. Easy and delicious!
Glad you love it, Julie.
Thank you for taking time to let me know!
Found your recipe today and prepared the tilapia as directed except that I used lemon rather than lime and it was delicious and so flavorful. My new favorite way to prepare tilapia now! I didnโt have ingredients for your salsa on hand but I sautรฉed onions, garlic, baby portobellos and spinach with olive oil and a bit of butter , then a squeeze of lemon. Used this as a bed for the fish. Wonderfulโฆthanks so much!
Thank you, Ivy! That sounds delicious!
Delish! My husband wolfed it down. Will make again.
Happy to hear that, Diana!
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious!! Thanks for sharing ๐
This makes me so happy, Callie!
Excellent!! Thank you!! Thoroughly enjoyed!!๐ฅณ๐
You are welcome, Rosie. So glad you enjoyed it.
The blend of herbs comes together and creates a perfect flavor with the tilapia. Just the best! I will now be working on creating a sauce to accompany the future tilapia I will, no doubt, be cooking with this recipe. ๐
So glad you loved it, Lisa! You may also want to check out my Lemon Butter Tilapia here on the blog.
Yes ma’am, I absolutely will!! ๐
Yummy! I donโt like tilapia, so I used swai instead!
Glad you loved it, Heather!
Very Good! I added some Old Bay to my seasoning mix
That’s a great addition, Angie! Thank you for the review!
Made this for be and my bf and we both loved it!
Happy to hear that, Rhea! Thank you for the great feedback!
Very easy and delicious. My idea of a 5 star. (I did use extra seasoning to get good coverage). Everyone enjoyed and fought over the pan scrapings. Immediately added this recipe to my rotation.