Tortilla-Crusted Tilapia
on Feb 04, 2022, Updated Feb 07, 2025
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A salty, flaky crunchy coating and a slightly spicy, creamy sauce turns fish filets into a family-friendly dinner.
Tender mild fish encased in a crunchy, crunchy tortilla chip coating is a total winner, and possibly the best way to get a kid-pleasing fish dinner on the roster. Rarely, RARELY, have I experienced such immediate success with a fish dish in my house than with this 4-ingredient tilapia recipe served with a creamy but punchy sriracha sauce.
Seconds were requested. It was requested for later that week. This is such a good example of how when you match a food that kids like (e.g., tortilla chips) with a food that needs a bit of support (e.g., fish), sometimes brilliant things happen.
I rarely make promises about fish recipes because I know that if someone is fish-resistant, there are no guarantees in life or at dinner. But if I were going to go out on a limb for a fish dish in terms of money-back offers, I might pick this easy pan-fried tilapia recipe.
The Sriracha sauce is divine, but the fish would also be fantastic with Tropical Fruit Salsa, Peach and Roasted Pepper Salsa, Citrusy Mango Salsa, or Horseradish Sauce.
Table of Contents
Tortilla Chip Crust for Fish
Panko bread crumbs are usually my go-to for crusting up things like chicken breasts, fish, or pork chops. But the birth of this dish was just a bag of tortilla chips that had been pummeled a bit and held more broken bits than whole chips. I decided to keep going and pulverize all of them in the food processor. And then, I decided to use them to coat tilapia filets, which are very readily available — make sure to look for sustainably farmed tilapia. And then I served it up with Sriracha Mayo and the case of the fish dish that everyone loves was closed.
Kitchen Smarts
Place the chips in a food processor and pulse until they are finely crushed but not ground to a powder. You still want a bit of texture. You can also place them in a large, sturdy zipper-top bag and use either a rolling pin, a bottle of wine, or some other heavy, blunt item to gently whack away at the bag until the tortillas are well crushed.
Ingredients
- Tortilla chips – For the salty and crunchy crust.
- Tilapia fillets – A very mild white fish that provides the perfect base for the tortilla chip crust.
- Vegetable oil – For cooking the fish.
- Eggs – To help the crust adhere to the fish.
How to Make Tortilla-Crusted Tilapia
- Prepare the chips: Crush the chips in either a food processor or by placing them in a large, sturdy zipper-top bag and gently whacking away at the bag until the tortillas are well crushed (see Kitchen Smarts tip above).
- Prepare the fish: Cut each piece of fish down the middle, forming two filets.
- Coat the fish: In a wide, shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the pepper. In another wide, shallow bowl, place the tortilla crumbs. Dredge each filet in the egg mixture and then the tortilla crumbs, allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl.
- Cook the fish: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the filets. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until the fish is cooked through and the outside is crispy. Some of the fillets will be larger and thicker and need another couple of minutes. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Serve: Serve hot with the Sriracha Sauce.
Variations
- While this dish is delicious with tilapia, many mild white fish would work beautifully here, such as cod, haddock, or sole.
- Try this in the air fryer – preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Spray or brush the bottom of the fish with olive oil or nonstick spray. Place the fish in the air fryer, making sure to leave at least 1/2 inch between each filet. Spray or lightly brush the top of the filets with olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes, flip the filets, spray or brush with olive oil again, and cook for another 5 minutes until the fish is nicely crispy outside and flaky and tender inside, with an internal temperature of 145 F.
- Bake the tilapia instead of pan-searing it. Spray or lightly brush the top of the filets with olive oil. Bake on a lined baking sheet in a 400-degree preheated oven for 8 minutes. Flip the filets, spray or brush with olive oil again, and bake for another 5 minutes until the fish is crispy and cooked through.
Leftovers and Storage
This fish will keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days. The crust will lose its crispness, but you can heat it in the oven to your desired warmth and crispness to revive it.
What to Serve With Tortilla-Crusted Tilapia
More Fish Recipes
- Fried Fish Sandwich
- New England Baked Haddock
- Blackened Swordfish
- 5-Ingredient Honey Ginger Salmon
- Greek Fish Tacos
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Tortilla Crusted Tilapia
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 bag tortilla chips
- 4 (8-ounce) pieces tilapia
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (olive oil or canola oil)
- 4 large eggs
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- Sriracha Mayo
Instructions
- Place the chips in a food processor and pulse until they are finely crushed but not ground to a powder. You still want a bit of texture. You can also place them in a large sturdy zipper top bag and use either a rolling pin, a bottle of wine, or some other heavy, blunt item to gently whack away at the bag until the tortillas are well crushed.
- Cut each piece of tilapia down the middle (you will see a dividing line) so you have two fillets.
- Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In a wide shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the pepper. In another wide shallow bowl, place the tortilla crumbs.
- Dredge each filet, starting with the larger, thicker halves, in the egg mixture, making sure each piece is completely coated. Then dredge in the tortilla crumbs, making sure each piece is well coated. When the oil is hot, add the filets, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until the outside is golden brown and the fish is cooked throughout, adjusting the heat as necessary. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Heat the remaining oil and cook the smaller fillets, which will probably only take 5 minutes per side at most. Drain those on paper towels as well.
- Serve hot with the Sriracha Sauce.
Notes
- Some of the fillets will be larger and thicker and need another couple of minutes.
- This fish will keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days. The crust will lose its crispness, but you can heat it in the oven to your desired warmth and crispness to revive it.
- While this dish is delicious with tilapia, many mild white fish would work beautifully here, such as cod, haddock, or sole.
- Try this in the air fryer: preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Spray or brush the bottom of the fish with olive oil or nonstick spray. Place the fish in the air fryer, making sure to leave at least 1/2 inch between each filet. Spray or lightly brush the top of the filets with olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes, flip the filets, spray or brush with olive oil again, and cook for another 5 minutes until the fish is nicely crispy outside and flaky and tender inside, with an internal temperature of 145 F.
- Bake the tilapia instead of pan-searing it: Spray or lightly brush the top of the filets with olive oil. Bake on a lined baking sheet in a 400-degree preheated oven for 8 minutes. Flip the filets, spray or brush with olive oil again, and bake for another 5 minutes until the fish is crispy and cooked through.
- The Sriracha sauce is divine, but the fish would also be fantastic with Tropical Fruit Salsa, Peach and Roasted Pepper Salsa, Citrusy Mango Salsa, or Horseradish Sauce.
I made this last night and it was a big hit with hubby and daughter! It will definitely become one of the regulars in my rotation.
So nice to hear. It will be on the menu in our house this week– we have several half bags of tortillas left over from last night’s superbowl festival!
I did something very similar to this recently using cod. I added guacamole and coleslaw for kind of a deconstructed fish taco. It’s one of my favorite meals recently.
that sounds awesome!