14 Tilapia Recipes You Can Make for Dinner Any Night of the Week

With no shortage of ways to cook tilapia, this list of recipes is a great way to get inspired for your next meal!

Chile-Lime Tilapia with Corn Saute
Photo: Andy Lyons

A flaky, mild fish with the ability to absorb tons of flavor, tilapia is popular for its versatility in the kitchen and budget-friendly price tag. Ideal for everything from baking to frying, the sky’s truly the limit when it comes to tilapia recipes. With no shortage of ways to cook and enjoy tilapia, this list of recipes with tilapia is a great place to start if you’re looking to get inspired for your next meal!

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Pressure Cooker Lemon and Dill Fish Packets

Pressure Cooker Lemon and Dill Fish Packets
Adam Albright

Parchment paper packets are a fun and flavor-packed way to prepare fish. This baked tilapia recipe takes the simplicity of this method a step further by cooking parchment wrapped tilapia in the pressure cooker with lemon and herbs. Prepare a delicious and flavorful meal quickly, and with very little mess!

02 of 14

Baked Tilapia Veracruz

Baked Tilapia Veracruz
Blaine Moats

It doesn’t get much simpler than this! Veracruz sauce is a tomato-based sauce made with capers, olives, and fresh herbs. Simply prepare the sauce in a sauté pan, top it with your tilapia filets, and stick the entire dish in the oven until the tilapia is flaky and tender. You can serve this right from the pan, making it not just flavorful, but easy to clean up.

03 of 14

Fish Tostados with Chili Lime Cream

Fish Tostadas with Chili-Lime Cream
Jason Donnelly

This budget-friendly meal is packed with flavor and texture, and it can be ready in just 30 minutes! Flaky tilapia absorbs flavor and creaminess from a tangy chili lime cream. Warm tostada shells serve as the perfect vehicle for bringing everything together.

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Tilapia Pasta

Tilapia Pasta on white plate
Andy Lyons

Let’s commit to more fish pasta in the New Year! This tilapia filet recipe is packed with flavor. Tilapia is cooked in a large skillet with linguine, and then incorporated into a fresh tomato sauce made with garlic, onion, fennel, and capers.

05 of 14

Fish Tacos with Lime Sauce

Fish Tacos with Lime Sauce
Andy Lyons

Mild tilapia and citrusy limes make a beautiful pair, especially in the form of fresh fish tacos! These tilapia fish tacos are budget-friendly, colorful, and can be ready to serve in just 30 minutes. With a drizzle of tart lime crema to bring it all together, you’re going to be having the tastiest dinner in town!

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Tilapia with Almond Butter

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This is not tilapia with almond butter from the jar you purchased during this week’s grocery haul. We’re talking butter heated in a skillet to golden brown perfection, and then mixed with sliced almonds to intensify those nutty, toasty flavors. Pan fried tilapia is topped with this glorious almond butter, and placed over boiled pea pods for an extra pop of texture.

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Tilapia Veracruz

Tilapia Veracruz

This one pan meal is quick to prepare and loaded with texture and flavor. Simmer your tilapia filets in a pan sauce made with mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and olives and they'll absorb every ounce of flavor. What you’ll end up with is a mouth watering skillet meal to enjoy any night of the week!

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Fish Tacos with Melon Salsa

Fish Tacos with Melon Salsa

A melon salsa pairs beautifully with pan-seared filets in this easy tilapia recipe. A crunchy taco shell is the perfect vehicle for enjoying these easy-to-prepare white fish tacos.

09 of 14

Vegetable Ribbon Pappardelle with Tilapia

Vegetable Ribbon Pappardelle with Tilapia
Jason Donnelly

If you’re in the mood for pasta but trying to incorporate more vegetables to your meals these days, this easy tilapia recipe is definitely for you! Get your protein fix by incorporating tilapia. Topped with sharp grated cheese, the flavor is truly delicious.

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Wilted Spinach and Tilapia Salad

Wilted Spinach and Tilapia Salad
Kritsada Panichgul

This recipe begins with just a few simple ingredients, and transforms into a totally dressed up dish full of flavor. The combination of tilapia filets, iron-packed spinach, and spices makes this a go-to tilapia recipe.

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Chili-Lime Tilapia with Corn Saute

Chile-Lime Tilapia with Corn Saute
Andy Lyons

Flaky white fish pairs beautifully with tangy citrus, sweet corn, and the perfect bit of heat. Tilapia filets are brushed with a spicy lime-chili mixture and pan-fried to flaky perfection. Garnish with some lime wedges and jalapeno slices, and your fried tilapia recipe will be ready in minutes!

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Cheesy Tilapia Panini with Apple-Carrot Slaw

Cheesy Tilapia Panini with Apple-Carrot Slaw
Jason Donnelly

If you’ve never considered adding tilapia to a panini, that’s about to change! Similarly, if you’ve never thought about tilapia and cheese as a great pair, think again. Flaky bites of tilapia are placed on ciabatta bread with spinach, tomatoes, and nutty cheese, and cooked until golden brown. A side of slightly, tangy, slightly sweet apple-carrot slaw adds another layer of flavor.

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Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

A can of chipotle peppers is the secret to this easy tilapia recipe. Whip up the fish tacos and top them with sliced avocado, pico de gallo, and shredded cabbage. Don't skip the fresh squeeze of lime just before digging in.

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Origami Fish Packets

Origami Fish Packets
Carson Downing

This easy-to-customize tilapia recipe can be made with your favorite grains, vegetables, and spices. A jar of purchased pesto makes a flavorful sauce when combined with butter and fresh orange juice. Prep the ingredients and allow each diner to create their own tilapia dinner.

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