Crispy Oven Baked Tilapia

Crispy Oven Baked Tilapia soaked in buttermilk and covered with bread crumbs, is the perfect dinner option for busy weeknights. The fish is cooked in about 15 minutes, and it has a fresh and delicious taste.

If you want to deviate a bit from a traditional meat meal, this Baked Tilapia is the perfect candidate. It is a quick and great dinner option, and you can serve it with Chunky Mashed Potatoes or Creamy Scalloped Potatoes. For a healthier option, you could pair the tilapia with Oven Roasted Bok Choy or Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Crispy oven baked tilapia photo.

Easy Oven Baked Tilapia

Baked Tilapia has a nice mild flavor, so it’s a great dinner option for the whole family. Prior to baking, I soaked the tilapia filet into buttermilk and then coated it with Panko bread crumbs. This mixture gives the fish a juicy and buttery flavor on the inside, and a crispy coating on the outside.

Also, the bread crumbs coating gives the fish a nice golden brown color when baked. After cooking the tilapia, I top the fish with the most delicious homemade light lemon aioli sauce, for the perfect finish.

This meal is incredibly delicious, refreshing, and satisfying, while made in a very short time. I love making this dish for dinner since it’s healthy and ready in just 30 minutes. I used frozen tilapia filets, as they tend to be cheaper, but fresh fish would be even better. For frozen filets, make sure you let them thaw, and pat them dry with paper towels before cooking.

How do you make baked tilapia crispy?

The secret in making the tilapia perfectly crispy is starting with dry filets, coating them with bread crumbs, and baking at a higher temperature. In this case, it is best to bake the fish at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.

For full directions, please follow the instructions at the bottom of the page. Check out the video below on how to easily cook this dish.

Image of oven baked tilapia topped garnished with sour cream and lemon.

What to serve with Crispy Oven Baked Tilapia?

The fish will pair well with vegetables, rice, potatoes, and greens. Some great suggestions are listed below:

WHAT WINE PAIRS WELL WITH CRISPY OVEN BAKED TILAPIA?

You could pick from Chardonnay or Pinot Noir as these wines have good acidity, which pairs nicely with tilapia. Also, Sauvignon Blanc is a great match with light, zesty tilapia.

Photo of homemade baked tilapia on a plate.

HOW LONG CAN I KEEP FRESH TILAPIA IN THE FRIDGE?

  • Tilapia can be kept for 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator before cooking. That is if you just bought very fresh tilapia filets, or if you just defrosted in the fridge frozen tilapia.
  • However, if you thawed the tilapia in the microwave or in cold water, you should cook it immediately.

Recipe Tips:

  • If you use frozen fish fillets, make sure you place them in the fridge way in advance so they can gradually thaw.
  • Similarly, if using fresh tilapia fillets, I like to rinse them under cold water first and dry them with paper towels.
  • Don’t skip the lemon juice, it adds an amazing citrusy flavor to the fish.
  • Also, if you love garlic, add some to the fish.
  • Don’t overcook the fish, check on the filets after about 10 minutes mark. They don’t need more than 15 minutes top to be done. 
  • For extra flavor, I recommend dipping it in this delicious homemade alfredo sauce
  • In addition, you could skip the breadcrumbs, or make this lemon garlic tilapia

Crispy Oven Baked Tilapia

Crispy Oven Baked Tilapia

Catalina Castravet
Crispy Oven Baked Tilapia soaked in buttermilk and covered with bread crumbs, is the perfect dinner option for busy weeknights. The fish is cooked in about 15 minutes, and it has a fresh and delicious taste.
4.89 from 9 votes
Prep Time 18 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 337 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 6 tilapia filets thawed and pat dry
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning dried herbs
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper or to taste

Homemade Light Lemon Aioli:

  • 3 tablespoons light mayo
  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Add parchment paper to a large rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
  • Whisk together the egg and the buttermilk in a large, shallow bowl. Set aside.
  • Add the panko bread crumbs to a large shallow bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients: Italian seasoning mix, dried basil, garlic powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
  • Pat dry the fish filets, using tongs or by hand, take a fish filet, dip it into the buttermilk mixture, toss into the breadcrumb mix. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the others.
  • Ensure the breadcrumb mixture is not soggy or wet after tossing the first filets, if needed add more panko breadcrumbs. For a thicker coating, after the first round of dipping, dip each fish filet again into the buttermilk mixture and breadcrumb mixture. In that case the panko breadcrumb quantity should be doubled.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the coating is golden brown and fish is fork tender. Spray with cooking spray mid baking for the coating to have a shiny, golden brown color.
  • Remove from oven, lightly squeeze some lemon juice onto the fish filets and garnish with parsley. Serve with lemon aioli and lemon wedges on the side.

Homemade Lemon Aioli:

  • Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and stir until fully combined. Taste and adjust for salt, pepper or lemon juice.

Nutrition

Calories: 337kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 41gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 398mgPotassium: 659mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 230IUVitamin C: 2.3mgCalcium: 144mgIron: 2.7mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Crispy Oven Baked Tilapia

4.89 from 9 votes (1 rating without comment)

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22 Comments

  1. This looks so delicious! It would be such an incredible meal. I will have to try this some day for sure.5 stars

  2. I love trying new fish recipes for my family. This recipe looks so yummy. Looking forward to giving this recipe a try. 5 stars

  3. This looks delicious! And thanks for the tips about how to make baked fish crispy. Our always tend to be on the soggy side.5 stars

  4. Tilapia is my favorite fish because it is so mild. This looks delicious, especially with the aioli!

  5. I’ve tried tilapia once before, but I don’t think I cooked it very good. I’m going to try to use your recipe and see if it tastes better than the last time I tried to make tilapia.

  6. Fish is one of my favorite things! I am always looking for new ways to prepare it. My family will love this recipe!

  7. You make tilapia look good! That crispy skin looks so good. I wonder how it would work in the air fryer?5 stars

  8. Yum!! Don’t laugh at me, but I’ve actually never madenfish at home…! I’m too nervous! Love the idea of baking it though. Sounds yummy and easy!

  9. I have never tried tilapia but after reading your post and recipe I think I’m going to give it a try! Thanks for the recipe!5 stars

  10. Wow! I love to try this one and it looks so yummy. I never tried it before but it’s quite interesting!5 stars

  11. I love fish dishes. This tilapia looks delicious. I can almost smell the aroma from over here, yum!

  12. This looks so crispy and delicious! Sounds like a great recipe, and I like how easy it is to make. I am in a cooking rut and will have to give this a try.

  13. Okay, I just printed your recipe because we so love tilapia over here and we love it crispy too. Bet this is so good. Thanks!

  14. Oh, that looks so tasty. I tried something similar to this recipe and air fried the fish instead. I would love to try this version. Thanks for sharing!

  15. This oven-baked tilapia looks so delicious! I’ve just now added your recipe to next week’s meal plan and pinned it to Pinterest. Yum. Yum!5 stars

  16. This came out so delicious, I followed it to the t even the Homemade Light Lemon Aioli. Thank you, this will be a favorite.

  17. I just had it for dinner tonight.No oil and I tipped it in egg and coated it with panko.Was crispy and the wife loved it.