Air Fryer Tilapia

4.67 from 181 votes

Air Fryer Tilapua is a quick and easy seafood dinner with flaky white fish, a crispy Parmesan crust, and bright lemon zest. This simple air fryer fish recipe cooks in minutes and is perfect for busy weeknights, fish and chips night, or a lighter main dish for when you need to turn a boring meal in to something fun.

Prep Time15

Cook Time6

Total Time21

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fried tilapia fish, Air Fryer, air fryer fish, fish and chips, Main dish, seafood, tilapia, tilapia fish and chips

Servings: servings

Author: Joshua Boquist

Equipment

Ingredients

4 fillets tilapia
½ cup flour
4 oz Parmesan cheese grated
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp paprika
2 eggs

Instructions

Coat the tilapia fillets

Set up 3 shallow dishes (I used pie dishes). Place the flour in one dish. Crack the egg into another and whisk the eggs really well. In the third dish, combine the cheese, paprika, lemon zest, salt and pepper and combine.
Pat the tilapia fillets dry then dip each fillet into the flour and coat both sides. Dip them into the egg wash and transfer them to the cheese mixture to coat both sides of each fillet.

Cook the tilapia

Place a small piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the air fryer basket then place 1 to 2 fillets in the basket. See notes.
Cook for 4 to 5 minutes at 400°F until the cheese melts and the crust is golden brown. (see notes)

Video

Notes

Do not crowd the fish into the air fryer basket or they will end up steaming and get a soggy crust. If you have a small air fryer you may only be able to fit one at a time.
Make sure to use parchment paper in the air fryer basket. The cheese coating tends to stick to the bottom of the basket even if you use non-stick spray. Parchment paper will make this recipe painless. Cut the parchment paper to fit the bottom of the basket. If it is too large, it can be burned by the heating element in the air fryer.
Tilapia fillets cook quickly because they are thin and you will not need to flip them. If you use a different fish for this recipe make sure they ½ inch thick or thinner. If you use thicker fillets you will need to flip them and cook them for another 4 to 5 minutes.
If you use frozen fish fillets make sure they are completely thawed before you cook them.
Test the doneness of the tilapia by sticking a fork in the center of the fish fillet and giving it a twist. It should flake easily when it is done. If you have an instant read thermometer, the fish should reach an internal temperature of 145°F.

Nutrition