Pan-seared tilapia with a sweet and spicy rub delivers flaky, tender, perfectly seasoned tilapia in less than 15 minutes.
Looking for more simple seafood recipes? Baked Cod, Baked Salmon, and Blackened Mahi Mahi all deliver flavor fast, using minimal ingredients, just like this recipe for pan-fried tilapia!
Tilapia is an affordable, easy-to-find, mild white fish that can be prepared in endless ways. And while I love using tilapia to make Fish Veracruz, the easiest way to prepare this lean protein is to make pan-fried tilapia.
This recipe for tilapia uses a similar technique to my recipe for Blackened Mahi Mahi. But instead of using cajun seasoning, this recipe uses a spice rub that is both sweet and slightly spicy, to give this mild fish bold flavor, while still appealing to the more sensitive palates. Finished with lime juice to brighten the flavors, pan-seared tilapia may be made with humble ingredients, yet it delivers impressive flavors in under 15 minutes!
Notes on Ingredients
- Tilapia Fillets: I find frozen tilapia best as the filets are frozen immediately and often the freshest. This recipe is designed for 6-ounce tilapia fillets, yet feel free to use 4-ounce filets if that is what you find. Simply decrease the cooking time by 1 minute per side.
- Seasoning: I use a simple mixture of chili powder, brown sugar, and garlic for a sweet and spicy rub that is so flavorful! If you want this dish to be less spicy, I would suggest replacing the chili powder with paprika.
- Limes: The zest and juice of fresh lime help to make the flavors pop in this easy tilapia recipe.
- Apple Salsa (Optional): A tart granny smith salsa made with apples, onions, cilantro, and lime juice is the perfect finish for tilapia. It is bright, fresh, and tart, and adds texture to the overall dish. You can easily omit the salsa or serve it with Mango Pineapple Salsa instead, but the apple salsa is a delicious touch.
How to Pan Fry Tilapia
Pan-searing tilapia is the easiest, quickest way to cook tilapia. Not to mention that the crispy exterior that pan-searing achieves is a great contextual element to the final dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, brown sugar, lime zest, and salt.
- Pat the fish fillet dry with paper towels. This will help the spice blend adhere to the fish and achieve a nice texture with pan-fried.
- Season both sides of the tilapia with the seasoning blend.
- Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. You want relatively high heat so that the fish sears in the oil instead of absorbing the oil.
- Place seasoned fish in a skillet gently and leave it alone for 4 minutes. Keep in mind to NOT overcrowd the pan, if your nonstick skillet is on the smaller side, cook the tilapia in batches (as shown pictured below.)
- Gently flip the fish fillets and finish cooking on the remaining side. It will take anywhere from 2-4 minutes depending on the thickness of the tilapia fillet.
Serving Suggestions
Pan Pan-fried tilapia has enough flavor from the simple spice rub, it does not need any adornment.
That said, I do love elevating the dish by topping it with fresh fruit salsa. The flavors in this pan-seared tilapia pair well with Pineapple Mango Salsa or a Granny Smith Salsa. To prepare the apple salsa, combine diced apples with minced red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
To round out your easy fish dinner, serve the pan-fried tilapia with pineapple rice or Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice. Or if you aren't topping your tilapia with salsa, it pairs beautifully with a side of Cheesy Grits.
FAQs about Pan-Seared Tilapia
Tilapia is such a thin fish, that by the time a good sear is achieved on both sides of your fish fillet, it should be cooked perfectly. You know it is fully cooked when it flakes easily with a fork and the center of the fish filet is translucent.
It is never a good idea to try to pan-fry anything frozen. One, you won't be able to achieve a golden crust on the tilapia (or whatever you are cooking) and the seasoning will not adhere well to frozen meat. Secondly, you can easily burn yourself if you place a piece of frozen meat into the hot oil, as immediately frozen crystals will begin to defrost and cause the oil to splatter up at you.
place the frozen fillets in a freezer-safe bag, submerge them into a bowl of cold water, and leave them out on the counter for about 20-25 minutes. Alternatively, you can defrost the frozen tilapia overnight in the fridge.
More Easy Seafood Recipes
- Avocado Tuna Salad
- Easy Fish Tacos
- Homemade Fish Sticks
- Shrimp Tacos
- Shrimp Stir-Fry
- Honey Garlic Salmon with Vegetables
Need more inspiration for planning meals that your family will love? Sign up for my FREE Meal Plans and each week you will get a meal plan with a shopping list.
If you tried this recipe for Pan Seared Tilapia, please leave a review and comment below.
Chili Lime Pan-Seared Tilapia
Ingredients
For the Tilapia
- 4 (6 ounce) frozen Tilapia Fish Fillets defrosted
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 lime zest and juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Apple Salsa (Optional)
- 1 large granny smith apple diced
- 1 tablespoon red onion minced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 lime juice and zested
Instructions
Pan Seared Tilapia
- Defrost your fish filets in a bowl of cold water for 20-30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.
- In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, brown sugar, salt, and garlic powder. Zest the lime into this mixture and stir to combine.
- Remove the tilapia fillets from the package and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over each fish filet on each side, and rub it into the fish to coat.
- Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the seasoned tilapia in an even layer, being sure to not crowd the pan. Cook for 4 minutes undisturbed and then carefully flip the fish over.
- Squeeze the juice of the zested lime over the fish while in the pan, and finish cooking the fish for 2-3 minutes or cooked through and opaque and flaky.
- Remove the tilapia from the skillet and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with or without the salsa.
Apple Salsa
- Mix together apple, cilantro, and red onion with the zest and juice of a lime. Season with salt and mix well. Serve with the fish as desired.
Kristi
So easy and delicious. So simple yet so flavorful. Love this. ❤️
Lexi
Would you use this on cod as well?
Kristen Chidsey
Yes! It would be delicious! Enjoy!
Tkw
Our family loved this!! I was was looking for a good simple recipe that didn’t involve frying or lemon(I didn’t have any). This looked promising and totally delivered! We will make this regularly and I’ve shared the recipe with family. Thank you so much
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing this will be a regular! So happy your family enjoyed so much 🙂
Shannon
Made this tonight and YUM. Quick and easy and oh so delicious.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing Shannon! So happy to hear you enjoyed!
Alex
Very enjoyable! I didn't have zest of lime, but just pouring lime juice directly onto the tilapia gave it a great flavor regardless!
Rashmi Avancha
It was one of my first attempts at cooking fish and this recipe was so easy to follow and was such a hit! We're spice lovers so added a bit more chilli powder and paprika, and it turned out amazing. Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe, I can tell this is going to be a staple. 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed!
Renee
Wonderful & so simple & easy to make! Made it for my husband, & one of my kids couldn’t stop eating it! I’d say that’s a win!
Kristen Chidsey
I would say that is a win for sure!! Thank you for sharing that with me Renee--so glad you and your family enjoyed.
Kristine
Easy and flavorful. I even made rice with lime zest and butter as the side. Delish!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
That side dish sounds perfect Kristine! Happy to hear you enjoyed the fish 🙂
Debbie
I couldn't wait to get the insta-pot! Once I got it, I became scared to use it! The fear of it blowing up Just terrifies me. So, it just sits on a shelf collecting dust. Help!! Please start from point A with me please?😀
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Debbie! I would love to help. I encourage you to sign up for my free 5 Secrets to Master your Instant Pot email series and read over Instant Pot 101.
Ryan Birch
FantAstic recipe ! Loved the fish. Husband not crazy about red onion taste so would leave that out next time, but really loved the rub on the fish
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed!
Liz
This recipe was SO easy and I loved the flavors! Great with tilapia, but I'm going to try it with some other fish, too!!!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you so much Liz! I think this salsa will go great with other fish as well. I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe!