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Parmesan Crusted Tilapia Recipe

April Freeman
For weeknight dinners, many people turn to casseroles, soups, takeout, and reheating frozen foods. And yet, there are so many more options for quick and easy meals when you are pressed for time. With our recipe for Parmesan Crusted Tilapia, you can have a main dish on the table in less than half an hour, including clean-up time! The recipe fries up fast into tasty, crispy fish filets that everyone will enjoy. 
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Fish Filets

Equipment

  • Shallow Bowl
  • Fork
  • Dinner Plate
  • Large Heavy Skillet
  • Spatula
  • Tightly-Covered Container

Ingredients
  

  • 6 pcs Tilapia Fillets
  • cups Panko Bread Crumbs
  • 1 cup Cornmeal
  • ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley
  • 2 pcs Eggs
  • 4 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
  • 2 tbsp Water
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tbsp Cooking Oil
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs with a fork until light and frothy. Add the Dijon mustard and the water, beating well.
  • On a dinner plate, measure out the bread crumbs, the cornmeal, the Parmesan cheese, and the parsley. Stir these with a fork until they are thoroughly combined. 
  • Dip the fish fillets in the egg mixture, rolling to coat them in the mixture. Then, roll the fish fillets in the dry mixture, coating them all over with crumbs. Shake off any excess. 
  • In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil and the butter together over medium heat until the butter is melted and the oil is hot. Stir them together. The oil should be sizzling but not popping. Do not add the fish until the oil is hot or the breading will end up greasy and soggy instead of crispy.
  • Place the coated fish pieces into the hot oil, spacing them at least a half-inch apart.
  • Cook the fish for about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side. Flip the fish with a spatula and cook the backside for about 4 to 5 minutes. 
  • Repeat with any remaining fish filets. Drain the fish on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve the fish piping hot. Leftovers can be stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days and reheated in the microwave.

Notes

Over the last 20 years, tilapia has become an inexpensive, popular, and easy-to-find fish. Because of this, Americans each eat over a pound of tilapia each year, and it is the fourth most popular seafood in the United States. Its mild, non-fishy flavor and ease of preparation have helped it soar in popularity, along with the fact that it is low in fat and high in protein. Tilapia is so inexpensive because it is not a wild fish.
This warm water fish is found only on farms and as a result of its rapid growth and low cost to raise, tilapia has been called the “aqua chicken.” 
Over the years, farmers have improved the breeds of tilapia that they used on their farms, breeding and crossbreeding them to create strains of tilapia that grow quickly and inexpensively to provide meat at a lower cost than ever before. Because of this, poor people all across the world are able to afford to feed their families fish.
Some people have reservations about eating tilapia, especially since you can’t find this fish in the wild. They worry that the fish falls into the category of “franken-foods,” a label that is applied to foods that are created through genetic modification. However, one must note that the improvements to tilapia have only come through selectively breeding different strains of fish. No laboratories are involved in creating hardier, more efficient kinds of tilapia, so you can enjoy this fish free of worries. 
For decades, doctors and nutritionists have touted the consumption of seafood as an important part of staying healthy. The types of fats that are in most kinds of fish help greatly with brain and cardiovascular health. This is where the wonder of tilapia kind of breaks down.
While yes, it is low in fat overall, it isn’t quite as nutritious as other kinds of seafood. Salmon, tuna, and trout have high levels of the healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, but tilapia doesn’t follow suit. While it does have some Omega 3s, it has higher levels of Omega 6 fatty acids, which don’t have as good of a reputation as the gold standard Omega 3. 
However, that aside, tilapia is loaded with low-fat protein. Just one 3 ounce filet offers 23 grams of protein and only 2 grams of fat. Nutritionists say that consuming a diet that is high in protein can help people lose weight and manage cravings for fattening starchy snacks, and sweets. 
So while tilapia is not as beneficial to you as wild-caught saltwater fish like sardines or salmon, it definitely can improve your health. If you are on a tight budget, and you are looking for low-cost, low-fat sources of animal protein, tilapia might be exactly what you need to prepare a few times a week. 
Keyword Dinner, Parmesan Crusted Tilapia, Recipe

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