Tilapia is a great weeknight dinner since it's a budget friendly fish that cooks quickly, and it's even faster in the air fryer! With a simple parmesan-breadcrumb coating and lemon juice in the oil, this parmesan crusted tilapia is full of flavor but light on work.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: With just a handful of common ingredients, this dish is easy to prepare on any weeknight.
- Quick: From start to finish, you'll have a delicious meal ready in just 15 minutes.
- Healthy Meal: Tilapia is full of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Air frying uses very little oil, making this a lighter option.
- Flavorful Parmesan Crust: The combination of breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese creates a perfectly golden and crispy coating, and the lemon juice adds great flavor.
Let's Get Started! Here's What You'll Need:
Ingredients
- Tilapia Fillets: A budget friendly fish with mild flavor, it pairs well with the parmesan and seasonings.
- Breadcrumbs: These add great crunch to our parmesan mixture. I'm using regular, but crispy panko bread crumbs are a great swap!
- Parmesan Cheese: You can use freshly grated or the green can, after all we're going for easy!
- Olive Oil and Lemon Juice: A simple mix that adds flavor and helps the breadcrumb mixture adhere to the fish. Fresh lemon will give you the most flavor, but you can use the bottled stuff too. You could swap another mild oil like vegetable or canola if you prefer.
- Italian Seasoning, Sea Salt, and Black Pepper: To season the fish to perfection, bringing out its natural flavors and complementing the parmesan. If you don't have italian seasoning, you can swap another favorite seasoning like lemon pepper or garlic powder.
Equipment
You'll of course need your trusty air fryer, and a few measuring spoons and cups. You'll also need a small bowl and fork for combining the oil and lemon juice along with a pastry brush or spoon to apply it with, a knife to cut the lemon, and a plate or shallow bowl and second fork for mixing the breadcrumb mixture. I like to use a paper towel to pat the fish dry, and while I don't use aluminum foil or parchment paper here you can do so for even easier clean up. Just be sure it's fully under the fish, as you don't want the paper or foil to blow around and contact the heating element.
How to Make This Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia
Step 1: Preheat & Prep
Grab your lemon (if using fresh) and slice it, then juice about half a lemon into your small bowl and mix it with the olive oil. Preheat your air fryer to 350°F so it'll be ready when your fish is. If you want to use a cooking spray look for one that doesn't have a propellant, as those can make your nonstick less effective over time- you can also just apply some olive oil with your pastry brush to your grill pan or wire basket since we already have both those out.
Step 2: Coat the Fish
Grab your plate and put all of your dry ingredients on it: the parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. Mix with a fork until well combined. Then grab your fish and pat dry with a paper towel, and brush with the oil-lemon juice mix from Step 1. Press each side of each fillet into the breadcrumb seasoning mix, making sure it's completely coated.
Step 3: Cook & Enjoy
Grab your air fryer basket and carefully place the parmesan tilapia into the hot air fryer in a single layer.
Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. Serve hot with some fresh rice or your favorite veggies and enjoy! If you have any extra be sure to store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 2-3 days.
FAQs
You can buy it frozen, but I recommend thawing before patting dry and cooking for this recipe. Frozen filets tends to retain more water and results in a gummier crust, so to cook from frozen you'll get better results cooking with a sauce or marinade rather than a crusted style fish.
Sure thing! The parmesan mixture pairs best with mild types of white fish, like grouper, cod, or mahi mahi. Thicker fish fillets will take longer to cook though, tilapia are generally thin fillets.
I like to use the rice crumbs from Trader Joe's, but most stores will have gluten-free breadcrumbs available in the same aisle as the regular ones. You can swap them in one for one, no measurement changes needed.
No, just pat the fish filets dry. The USDA recommends against washing any meat or poultry before cooking.
Yes, they'll just take a few more minutes to come to temperature. You can check on them after 10 minutes with a meat thermometer or a fork- you're looking for flaky fish that is white throughout.
More Easy Weeknight Meals
For another quick and tasty air fryer recipe, check out these Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin Medallions. It's another crowd-pleaser that's perfect for any occasion. Need more fast fish recipes? Try this 4 ingredient Pesto Butter Salmon.
Enjoy!
I hope your whole family loves this Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Tilapia, and that it becomes one of your favorite ways to cook fresh fish. Be sure to come back and let me know how it went for you, and happy eating!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Tilapia Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Tilapia
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs plain
- ¼ cup parmesan
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Pat fish dry and preheat air fryer to 350 F. Mix lemon juice and olive oil and spread lightly on both sides of each fish filet, and oil on air fryer surface if desired.
- Combine remaining ingredients on a plate or in a shallow bowl, and dredge each filet on both sides.
- Cook in air fryer for 5-6 minutes, or until fish reaches 145 degrees. Enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. It is recommended to use your preferred calculator with the actual ingredients you use for optimal accuracy.
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