Pan Seared Tilapia

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Pan Seared Tilapia makes a quick weeknight dinner. This has a crusty exterior and is flaky inside. if you like fish, keep this gluten-free fish fry recipe in your recipe repertoire to make a quick and easy dinner.

Jump to:

• ingredient list
• step by step instructions in a nutshell
• equipment/utensils needed
• serving suggestions
• storing leftovers
• meal Prep tips
• more fish recipes from the blog
• frequently asked questions
• additional notes
• Pan Seared Tilapia Recipe

ingredient list

Full recipe + measurements + video can be found in the recipe card below.

This Indian-inspired, gluten free pan seared tilapia is pretty straightforward and easy to prepare. We have to make a spice mix , coat the tilapia fillet with it and sear it on stove top.

• Tilapia Fillet
• Rice Flour
• Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
• Rai Kuria/ Split Mustard Seeds
• Turmeric Powder (optional)
• Salt
• Oil to shallow fry

Tilapia Fillet - If you are using frozen fillets to make this crispy fried tilapia, make sure you thaw it completely. If it is not thawed fully, it will lead to uneven cooking.

Rice flour - To make the gluten-free crusty exterior, we have used rice flour to make the spice mix. (It also makes sure that the spice mix adheres to the fillet.)

Rai Kuria/Split Mustard Seeds- Rai (pronounced raa-ee) or mustard seeds are very common in Indian cooking. These are usually used as a tempering/tadka ingredient.

The split mustard seeds (typically yellow in color) are often used to make Indian style achaar (pickles). These have a pungent, slightly bitter-ish taste. Since we are keeping the ingredient list in this recipe to a very few, the addition of this is a must. It adds a few flavors on its own to make the fish fry exciting.

Kashmiri Red Chili Powder- This is the one that adds the heat. Adjust to suit your taste. If you like spicy fish fry, add some cayenne pepper or any theeka (Spicy) Indian red chilly powder. If you like it less spicy, reduce the quantity.

Turmeric Powder- Optional. If you have some ground turmeric at hand, add it to the spice mix.

Salt - Salt is definitely a tricky ingredient to suggest measurement for. I would recommend adding about ½ teaspoon to the spice mix, taste, and see if you need more. Taste the spice mix before you coat the fish. The spice mix should be slightly on the saltier side than you like your final dish to be.

Never taste raw fish or meat.

Oil to shallow fry - You can use any cooking oil to fry the fish.

step by step instructions in a nutshell

Pan-searing is a cooking technique used to add a brown crust to the meat. We are using a similar technique where the fillets are fried quickly in a hot pan. This helps the crust to crisp up and leaves the inside flaky - just like it should be.

You can find the detailed ingredient list and step by step instruction in the recipe card below, but here are the steps in a nut shell.

Prep Work: Remember to thaw the fish fillet if using frozen ones[Learn how to thaw fish safely]

Cooking

• Make the spice mix.
• Coat the fillets well with the spice mix.
• Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
• Once the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium (we do this to prevent burning of the fish & spices).
• Place the fillet onto the skillet.
• Cook on either side until the coating is crispy and the insides are well cooked but flaky.

P.S. I wanted to keep the recipe simple enough for a quick weeknight dinner. If you look at the steps, there is no marination time involved. If you have a few extra minutes to spare. marinate the fish fillets in the spice mix for at least 10 minutes. This will help flavors to develop.

equipment/utensils needed

We are keeping things simple here. A minimal set of ingredients in the spice mix as well as very minimal cooking tools/utensils make this an easy 15 minutes dinner with tilapia fillet. Using a lesser number of dishes in the cooking translated to less amount of cleaning. 🙂

• Small bowl to make the spice mix
• Mixing spoon
• Plate or tray to lay the fillet down to coat the fillet
• Large Skillet
• Cooking Spatula
• Measuring spoons
• Serving dishes.

serving suggestions

I serve crispy fried tilapia in many different ways.

• I fry them whole and serve them with a side salad for an easy weeknight dinner. If you have some mint chutney on the side, it tastes amazing.
• You can improvise this to make an Indian inspired gluten-free fish and chips. While the fish is cooking, you can prepare some chips and ta-da, a quick fish and chips dinner. Mint chutney on the side.
• Since it is Indian inspired, you can serve this as an accompaniment to rice. If that is how I am planning to serve this, I cut each fillet into 3, and the rest of the steps remain the same. You can serve this with moru curry, beetroot aviyal, erissery, etc.

storing leftovers

This spicy pan fried tilapia is best served fresh. But that being said, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

To reheat, heat a little oil in a skillet, add the leftover fish and heat thoroughly.

meal Prep tips

You can make the spice mix ahead of time and save in an airtight glass container. Remove just enough spice mix as required and save the rest. (Discard any spice mix that came in contact with the raw fish). All the dry ingredients in the spice mix have a good shelf life.

Remember to thaw the fish completely before using it in the recipe, if you are using frozen tilapia fillets.

Read more about sea-food safety.(opens in a new tab)

more fish recipes from the blog

• Spicy Kerala Fish Curry – spicy and tangy fish curry with flavors of roasted coconut, ginger, garlic, and different types of peppers. Served best with steamed rice.
• From the Kashmiri cuisine, here is a favorite fish curry of ours - Kashmiri Gaadh or Kashir Gaadh . 
• Light and creamy Kerala Style Fish curry with coconut milk.

frequently asked questions

additional notes

• 1 TEASPOON = 5ML; 1 TABLESPOON= 15 ML
• Grams to cups measurements – we strive to provide these conversions as accurately as possible. There might be some slight variations depending on the brand, weighing scale, etc.
• Serving size – Each fish fillet is about 113 grams (approximately 4oz). Adjust the serving size to suit your dietary needs.
• Discard any remaining spice mix if it came in contact with raw fish.
• Follow FDA food safety guidelines when handling seafood.
• Adjust Kashmiri red chilli powder (Sweet Paprika is a good substitute) to suit your taste. If you like spicy fish fry, add some cayenne pepper or any theeka (Spicy) Indian rec chilly powder. If you like it less spicy, reduce the quantity.

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