This Quick Pan-Fried Tilapia is super flavorful and so easy to put together for dinner on busy weeknights, or to add to your weekly meal prep. This recipe is keto-friendly!
I feel as though I’ve been in a bit of a cooking slump lately. My family has all been so busy with their own things that we don’t get to sit down for dinner together as much as before. With all of the different schedules and different degrees of “busy” for each family member, sometimes it can be difficult to come up with a meal plan for the week.
However, there’s always one of my “old faithful” recipes that I make when it appears everyone will be available to eat together. I make this super easy and quick pan-fried tilapia recipe that I came up with a few years ago. It’s super simple to make, I just steam some rice and add my favorite vegetable and dinner is served in less than 30 minutes!
Super each, extremely flavorful, not too heavy and everyone loves it! It’s definitely a great recipe to have on hand for a quick family meal!
Ingredients for quick pan-fried tilapia:
- 5 tilapia filets
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon butter (divided)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 2 lemons (divided)
Directions:
Begin by seasoning both sides of each filet and cutting the first lemon into slices to lay on top of each filet.
Heat a pan large enough to fit 5 filets, adding half of the butter and half of the olive oil. Squeezing half a lemon over each side as it cooks.
Once the first side has turned golden, turn over and cook on the other side. Add the remaining olive oil and butter.
Add the lemon slices to each filet once they are almost done cooking, allowing them to sit until the slices soften slightly before removing from heat.
Serve with steamed rice and your favorite vegetable for a simple and easy meal. I love to serve it with my Garlic Parmesan Asparagus for a tasty meal.
Enjoy!
Short on time, but not on taste? This super easy pan-fried tilapia is filled with an impressive punch of "party in your mouth" flavor!
Ingredients
- 5 tilapia filets
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon butter (divided)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 2 lemons (divided)
Instructions
- Begin by seasoning both sides of each filet and cutting the first lemon into slices to lay on top of each filet.
- Heat a pan large enough to fit 5 filets, adding half of the butter and half of the olive oil. Squeezing half a lemon over each side as it cooks.
- Once the first side has turned golden, turn over and cook on the other side. Add the remaining olive oil and butter.
- Add the lemon slices to each filet once they are almost done cooking, allowing them to sit until the slices soften slightly before removing from heat.
- Serve with steamed rice and your favorite vegetable for a simple and easy meal. I love to serve it with my Garlic Parmesan Asparagus for a tasty meal.
- Enjoy!
Do you have a favorite quick standby meal?
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Is this Dawn Harris?
Yes, it is.
It was amazing! And yes very quick and easy. Been in the keno diet for almost two weeks and I was floundering for recipes and found this one. Thank you! Will definitely be making again. And it was perfect with garlic parm asparagus!
This is wonderful, taste somewhat like pasta or pizza.
So glad you loved it!
So delicious!!! This is now my go-to recipe for quick tilapia, and my family loves it. Goes perfectly with roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli.
I have made it on the stove several times but it tastes just as good baked at 425 for 10-15 minutes.
I also reduced the garlic salt to 1/2 teaspoon, since there’s salt in the lemon pepper as well.
Thank you!
Wow! Thank you for the fantastic feedback, so glad you love it!
I’m excited to try this but what temperature are you recommending cooking this in? I’m using a cast iron pan so I know once they are heated up, it’s very hot but it doesn’t address that in the instructions. Thanks!
I did a little more of each ingredient and added onion powder in the same amount as the first two dry ingredients. Other than that, followed the recipe and did it in a big iron skillet on my outside burner.
Delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Someone asked about using a cast iron skillet and how hot. I just put my big iron skillet on a small burner off my gas grill on low with the butter/oil until skillet was hot before adding the tilapia, and it worked well.
Thanks for the tips!
Gonna try it tonight. Tired of eating same old thing.
I hope you enjoyed it!
Loved the spices used for this recipe. Ours was a little salty but saw in another review that lemon pepper also has salt in it. Do you know how many ounces each of your filets were — I used frozen filets so maybe they were smaller and that’s why it was a bit salty. I will definitely be using this recipe again!
I have always breaded my fried fish. I was hesitant needless to say.
This recipe is very tasty and quick. Thank you!! No more bread fish for me.
One piece left for a fish taco for lunch.
It was delicious!!!! I will add it to my weekly menu. THANK YOU!
So glad that you enjoyed!
This was way too salty, but it could have been that I didn’t use enough fish. I’ll try it again and reduce the salt.
You can adjust the salt to your taste as well, start with less and season to taste as you prefer.
I use garlic powder, rather than garlic salt.
Tried your Pan fried Tilapia in a hurry one night last year during the 2020 pandemic. This is the ONLY recipe I use now & my husband says it is THE BEST! So easy to prep, fix and serve quickly! I altered the ingredients to align with THENEXT56DAYS Diet plan we are using. Used grass-fed organic butter and replaced the olive oil with refined coconut oil. Fantastic!! Thank you!