Crispy Pan Fried Tilapia

I’ve mentioned before that I’m fussy when it comes to fish. The very soft fish (after cooking) doesn’t do it for me so I look for firmer fleshed ones. That being said, I find Tilapia (also known as Amnoon or St. Peter’s Fish in Israel) is just firm enough to make me happy.

I found some nice frozen fish without the skin and wanted something not too complicated and quick to get from uncooked to hot on my plate so I decided to pan fry the fish. When I say pan fry I don’t mean to use tons of oil but rather a small amount to brown the fish in.

You want to get a nice crispy coating on the fish and since I wanted less mess and more speed, decided to dredge (coat) the fish in a flour/spice combo and skip dunking in eggs. So, I got out some spices and flour

I used sweet paprika, granulated garlic, Italian spice and onion powder and shook it into about 1/2 a cup of flour.

Mix it up!

Then take your rinsed and patted somewhat dry (A little wet is good to help the flour/spice mix stick. A lot wet, they will run off the fish) and dredge in the flour/spices till both sides of the fish are coated completely – it’s a thin coating, that’s the way it should be.

First I oil spray my non stick pan lightly and then I heat the pan with about 2 tablespoons of oil and when nice and hot, put the coated tilapia into the pan. You should get a nice sizzle.

The white foam on the side is from the flour coating and is normal.

Cook about 3 minutes till you get a crispy coating and carefully flip with a fish spatula if you have one. These are cool and simply are extra long spatulas that carry the whole piece of fish so that it doesn’t break on you in the middle.

The fish fries up quite quickly so don’t step away from it. It is really nice and crispy and I serve it with cooked (not soaked) burgul or rice. It makes a lovely dinner or you can make smaller portions and serve as an appetizer. It’s great with a squeeze of lemon if you like or some tartar sauce or mayo.

Feel the sizzle!

Crispy Pan Fried Tilapia

A package of skinless Tilapia about a pound or 1/2 a kilo, washed and lightly patted mostly dry

1/3 – 1/2 cup of flour as needed

1/2-1 teaspoon of onion powder, granulated garlic, sweet paprika (or smoked paprika if you like), salt and Italian seasoning OR some oregano, basil and black pepper

mild vegetable oil for frying

A small piece of carrot to prevent oil from burning (a nice trick I got from my SIL Yechiel)

Wedges of lemon (optional)

Tartar sauce or mayo (optional)

Directions:

Mix together the flour and the spices. Dredge (coat) the fish in the flour spice mix till completely coated but shake off excess. I actually coated the pieces of fish one at a time so the flour wouldn’t sog.

If you do a really large amount of fish (and increase the flour/spice mix accordingly) you could put it on parchment paper in a pan and refrigerate it till it sticks. Then it won’t sog on you. Otherwise, dredge and fry in about two tablespoons of hot oil (you can add more oil as needed- just make sure the oil is hot before you lay the fish in it or it won’t crisp properly) for approximately 3 or so minutes (peek under with spatula to check if brown and crispy) on each side, one at a time or use a bigger frying pan to get more done at a time. This was for me and DH so it was a small quantity. If you use the larger amount of fish, the carrot trick is important. Simply chop off a piece of carrot (cleaned or peeled) and plunk in the pan on the side. It magically keeps the flour residue from burning.

It will be delightfully crispy and while delish hot, you can eat this cold as well or even turn it into fish sandwiches which are surprisingly tasty with some mayo or tartar sauce. This time I served it hot with bulgur and a strawberry for a piquant flavor and eye appeal.