Air Fryer Tilapia: A Fast and Simple Recipe

September 17, 2025

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Air Fryer Tilapia makes a wonderfully mild and refreshing dinner! Tilapia fillets are seasoned with contemporary lemon, garlic, dill, and salt and pepper, then topped with a buttery Ritz cracker crumble. You’ll love this simple meal that’s nice for busy weeknights!

This submit is sponsored by Finest Meals Information and the United Soybean Board. As at all times, all opinions are my very own.

As a lot as I really like fish, I don’t embody it in my weight loss plan almost as typically as I ought to. The final guideline is 2-3 servings per week, so, When you’re like me and need extra tender, flaky fish in your weight loss plan, then this Ritz Cracker Tilapia is a superb choice for you!

I completely LOVE once I go on a farm tour. I’ve had the glory of assembly fairly a number of unimaginable farmers on my excursions with Finest Meals Information and even did a fascinating video collection on CRISPR (Clustered, Often Interspaced, Brief Palindromic Repeats) with them a number of years in the past. Final month, I used to be invited to go on one other soy farm tour in northern Indiana to find out about aquaculture.

The Barramundi fish tanks, learning about the water filtering system, and a fish ready for market.

What’s Aquaculture?

Aquaculture in any other case often called aquafarming, is the breeding, rising, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, and algae in several types of water environments.
Throughout our journey, we visited Hanilu Farms the place they farm soy and Barramundi (Asian sea bass). We additionally visited a shrimp farm which impressed my simple Shrimp Dip which might be coming quickly!

I’ve visited many crop and livestock farms since I’ve began running a blog, and as somebody who was born, raised, and at the moment lives within the Ocean State, aquafarming was a complete new expertise for me. It’s severely type of thoughts blowing that shellfish and fish might be raised in a landlocked state! I imply, I can go proper right down to the docks and get fish, shellfish and lobster proper off the boats, however in contemporary fish Indiana??

I’m going to be trustworthy that I used to be skeptical, however it works AND these farmers are doing it each sustainably and efficiently, as are many others across the nation, too!

Hanilu Farms makes use of a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) which reuses and filters water to offer the very best habitat that can even have as little impression as potential on the surroundings. They’re at all times striving to provide customers a high-quality product whereas making a sustainable farm and take nice care to protect the surroundings round them for future generations.
Within the footage beneath, you possibly can see the soy they’re rising which is used because the protein within the meals they feed their fish. Sustainability at its best!

A field of soy, an individual soy plant, and fish food made with the farm's own soy.

Tips on how to Purchase Seafood

When shopping for seafood at your native grocery retailer, learn these labels or ask on the seafood counter the place the fish is from. It’s finest if it’s a “Product of the usA.” and/or “Native Grown”, and if that’s not accessible, go for merchandise which have South American nations like Chile and Ecuador, in addition to Thailand listed on the bundle.
Keep away from merchandise from India, Vietnam, and China as a result of farmed seafood from these nations has been discovered to include antibiotics that aren’t permitted within the U.S.
Search for ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) and BAP (Finest Aquaculture Practices) seals on the bundle. This can let you know that the bundle contents have been raised utilizing verified high quality and sustainability requirements.
As with every native farm, you possibly can go to them to see if you should purchase from them straight, and I additionally encourage you to take the time to speak to them. I haven’t but met a farmer who wasn’t greater than keen to share their story, discuss their farm and the work they do. I’m honored to have met so many. I really like sharing how and what they do, not just for customers, but additionally for his or her households by offering sustainable farms for future generations.

A crusty Ritz cracker topping on air fried tilapia.

What’s Tilapia?

Tilapia are primarily freshwater fish with a candy, gentle taste and flaky texture. Like different fish, tilapia are an ideal supply of protein, wholesome fat, and essential nutritional vitamins and minerals.

I typically eat tilapia as a result of it’s tasty but not as costly as other forms of fish. It’s because they’re so available at fish markets and grocery shops.

Components for Air Fryer Tilapia

First, you’ll have to season your filets:

8-ounce tilapia filets
Contemporary lemon zest
Olive oil
Dill
Kosher salt
Paprika
Floor black pepper
Minced garlic

Right here’s what you’ll want to make the Ritz cracker topping:

Butter
Freshly chopped parsley
Lemon juice
Ritz crackers
Cooking spray

For an in depth ingredient record, evaluate the printable recipe card on the backside of the submit!

First set of process photos for Air Fryer Tilapia.

Tips on how to Make Tilapia within the Air Fryer

I really like air frying my meals as a result of it retains me from heating up the entire home on these sizzling, late summer time days! This tilapia recipe is straightforward to make in your air fryer and might be made all 12 months lengthy. Right here’s how:

Preheat the Air Fryer to 400 levels F. You CAN skip this step, however I feel it helps make your meals cook dinner extra evenly.
Put together the Fish: Place fish fillets onto a plate and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, olive oil, dill, salt, paprika, pepper and garlic collectively. Rub the combination onto every of the fillets.
Make the cracker topping: Place the Ritz crackers right into a sealable plastic bag and crush. In a medium microwaveable bowl, soften the butter for 30 seconds. Stir and warmth in 10 seconds increments till fully melted, stirring in between. Combine within the lemon juice. Add the crushed crackers to the melted butter and toss till nicely combined.
Cook dinner the Tilapia: Spray a light-weight coating of cooking spray onto the air fryer basket. Place the tilapia fillets into the basket in a single layer with the rub combination aspect up. Cowl the fillets with the cracker topping, ensuring to evenly divide the topping amongst them. Don’t crowd the fish; go away some area in between for the air to flow into. Relying on their sizes or if doubling the recipe, you could have to cook dinner them in batches.
Cook dinner within the preheated air fryer for 7-10 minutes, till the fish simply flakes with a fork or inside temperature as 145°F. (Cooking time could differ!) Get pleasure from along with your favourite aspect dishes!

FAQs

How do I retailer my Air Fryer Tilapia?

In case you are making further or cooking your tilapia forward of time, you possibly can let the leftover tilapia cool to room temperature, then retailer it in an hermetic container within the fridge. Cooked tilapia is sweet for 3-4 days within the fridge.

Can I freeze Tilapia cooked within the Air Fryer?

Sure. Wrap every fillet tightly in plastic wrap and retailer in a freezer bag or different container. It is going to final 2-3 months within the freezer, however I like to recommend utilizing it inside a month. Pop it again within the air fryer till heated by to serve.
My suggestion can be to cook dinner the tilapia with out the Ritz cracker topping in case you plan on freezing it as a result of the crackers will turn into soggy as they thaw. When reheating, that’s when you possibly can add the contemporary crunchy topping!

Can I take advantage of frozen fillets as a substitute of contemporary fish?

Sure, you should use frozen tilapia. Simply let it thaw within the fridge in a single day earlier than getting ready it.

Tilapia cooked in the air fryer with a buttery cracker topping.

Extra Tilapia Recipes to Strive

Listed below are some extra recipes utilizing these scrumptious fish filets:

Steamed Tilapia: Contemporary tilapia fillets are seasoned with contemporary lemon, dill, garlic powder, and different spices, after which steamed within the oven in a tin foil packet.
Tacoed Tilapia with Raspberry Mango Salsa is made with taco seasoning, rolled in a coating fabricated from crushed tortillas and cornmeal, and topped with a home made candy and spicy salsa!
Breaded Tilapia with Cilantro Citrus Sauce has a scrumptious candy cilantro sauce on high of the calmly breaded fish. It was so good and distinctive!
Seasoned Tilapia with Fruit Salsa: This fruit salsa is to die for! It has simply the correct amount of spice to steadiness the sweetness, and it pairs so properly with the contemporary tilapia!
Baked Tilapia with Mango Salsa is a light-weight and refreshing dish you possibly can have any time of 12 months however is very good when mangos are in season. I really like this flavorful mango salsa!

Which tilapia recipe will you attempt subsequent time? Don’t neglect to Pin or print this Air Fryer Tilapia for the following time you wish to pull out the air fryer!

A bite of tilapia cooked in an air fryer.

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Created by: Lynne Feifer