What Makes This Recipe So Good
Like other white fish, tilapia is nice and light, not at all fishy-tasting. The air fryer is perfect for tilapia because it gives it a nice, crisp crust while the fish stays moist and tender inside. Plus, it’s a much lighter option than battering and deep-frying or even pan-frying.Because the flavor of the fish itself is so light, you can pair it with almost anything and your meal will always taste amazing! My favorite sides for this recipe are asparagus, Italian green beans, and cauliflower with lemon-garlic aioli.This method will work with any tilapia, regardless of the flavors you’re wanting. You can even cook the tilapia plain (or with a little salt and pepper) and then use a sauce (like this lemon butter sauce) with it after cooking.
Key Ingredients
Tilapia Fillets – Fresh or frozen! This recipe is written for fresh fillets, but you can thaw frozen fillets overnight and then season and proceed as written. I don’t recommend air frying them straight from frozen just because you won’t be able to season them first.Spices – I love the savory blend I use this in this recipe, but feel free to customize yours however you like. Lemon pepper tilapia, blackened tilapia, parmesan-crusted tilapia – anything goes!
Chef’s Tips
If you have leftover tilapia, you can reheat it in the air fryer, too. Just pop it in for 5 minutes at 400° Fahrenheit. Be careful, though. Fish doesn’t take long to cook in the first place, so it’s really easy to overcook when you reheat it. Note that reheated fish won’t taste as good or have as nice of a texture as freshly-cooked fish.The food-safe temperature for fish is 145° Fahrenheit internally. I highly recommend you use a thermometer and don’t rely on the cook times alone! Every air fryer is different and yours may take more or less time to cook than mine does. As with most air fryer recipes, don’t overlap the food. Place the tilapia fillets in one flat layer, not touching each other, so the air can circulate around them completely. If the air can’t reach a spot, it won’t cook that spot. Cook in batches as needed depending on the size and number of fillets and the size of your air fryer.
Check Out These Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Pecan Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard SauceHomemade Air Fryer MeatballsAir Fryer Chicken Nuggets (Chick-Fil-A Style)Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings in Buffalo SauceAir Fried ZucchiniAir Fryer Potato Skins
