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Family-friendly meals made easy!
Make everyday family moments count, with easy recipes that everyone will love. Join our email community to receive tested recipes and tips.
Make everyday family moments count, with easy recipes that everyone will love. Join our email community to receive tested recipes and tips.
It’s been over a hundred years since we first published a baked fish recipe in one of our cookbooks. Back in 1911, the recipe started with a large, whole fish—head and all!
As you can imagine, over time we’ve made a lot of improvements, making it easier to pull together and even more delicious. Now, you only need 10 minutes of prep time to make our oven baked fish, which is why it’s such a great choice any night of the week.
We start with boneless (and headless!) tilapia fillets, season and bread them, and bake just until they’re moist and tender. The result is tender, crispy fish, mildly flavored with Italian seasoning and lemon pepper. Voilà! Dinner is ready.
This baked fish is so easy to make, it’s no wonder it only takes a handful of ingredients.
Fish: For this oven baked fish, we recommend boneless, skinless tilapia or catfish fillets. These are both mildly flavored white fish which should be easy to find in most grocery stores. You can also buy frozen fillets. Just thaw them in your refrigerator before using.
Bread Crumbs: We like to use Italian-style bread crumbs for this recipe, because they add a touch more flavor to the mild white fish.
Egg: A whole egg or an egg white, lightly beaten with a little water, helps the bread crumbs stick to the baked fish fillet.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Lemon pepper seasoning and a little garlic salt both add flavor to the fish. Cooking spray, spritzed over the top of the breaded fish, gives the crust added crispiness.
No special equipment needed to make our popular baked fish recipe. Just a few items you likely already have on hand.
Shallow Bowls: A couple of shallow bowls are needed for dredging the fish in the egg mixture and seasoned bread crumbs. If you don’t have any bowls, you can substitute with pie plates or even baking pans.
Sheet Pan: You can use a large, rimmed sheet pan or flat metal cookie sheet for this recipe. Metal heats up fast, which gives the already quick-cooking dish a kick start.
Foil: Lining the sheet pan with foil makes clean up a breeze.
Here’s how to make our quick and easy baked fish.
Heat the oven and cover the pan (including sides) with foil. Lightly spray the pan with cooking spray to prevent the fish from sticking.
Using 2 shallow bowls, ideally large enough to fit the entire fish fillets, mix together the egg and water in one and the bread crumbs and seasonings in another.
Dip the fish in the egg mixture. This will help the bread crumbs to adhere. Then, dredge in the bread crumbs to coat completely.
Bake the fish, turning them over halfway through, until it flakes easily when poked with a fork. Place on a serving platter, and make sure to serve lemon wedges on the side!
This recipe is so versatile. Here are a few ways to mix it up a little.
Other White Fish: We heard from our readers that they also like to use flounder for this baked fish recipe. Keep in mind that if the fish is thicker or thinner than what is recommended in the recipe, the timing will need to be adjusted.
Different Bread Crumbs: Try using panko crumbs instead of regular dried bread crumbs for an extra crunchy crust. If the crumbs are unseasoned, you can add your favorite dried herbs, too.
Make it a Stovetop Meal: Pan frying fish can make it ultra crispy.
Turn our baked tilapia into a fish and chips experience by pairing it with our air fryer French fries, or give it a twist with our easy oven roasted potatoes.
To bring in a bite of freshness, we like to serve this dish with a crisp, green salad. And of course, we think every meal is better with our Pillsbury crescent rolls.
To enjoy our oven baked fish at its best and because it’s so quick and easy to make, we suggest you assemble and bake the dish just before you plan to serve it. If you do happen to have any leftovers, here’s what we recommend.
You can store your leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
Because thawing can make the crust soggy and fish mushy, we don’t suggest freezing.
Reheat on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for 2 to 4 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
We know we love this baked fish dish, but we also love hearing that you do, too! Here’s what our readers are telling us.
They enjoy the crispiness of the fish and how much flavor it gets from the lemon pepper and garlic seasonings. One reviewer said, “Crispy and tasty. Used garlic powder instead of garlic salt as the lemon pepper has enough salt in it for me! Also fits into my WW plan. Will make again.”
Our users also like how quick and easy it is to make and—even better—to clean up! No dish pan hands with this recipe.
However, their favorite thing about our popular baked fish recipe is how much their families love this less heavy version of fried fish. It’s definitely kid-approved!
Heat oven to 400°F. Line sheet pan with foil; generously spray foil with cooking spray.
In shallow bowl or dish, beat egg and water with wire whisk until well blended. In another shallow bowl or dish, mix bread crumbs, lemon-pepper seasoning, and garlic salt.
Dip fish into egg mixture; coat with bread crumb mixture. Make sure the fish is completely covered in the bread crumb coating. Place on sheet pan. Spray fish with cooking spray.
Bake 10 minutes. Turn fillets; bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with fork. Place fillets on serving platter; garnish with lemon wedges.
Place fillets on serving platter; garnish with lemon wedges.
Try using one hand to dip the fish in the egg and the other to dip in the bread crumb mixture, helping to keep your hands from getting caked in the dry ingredients throughout the breading process.
| Food Component / Nutrient | Amount | % , Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | 10g | 15% |
| Saturated Fat | 2&½g | 11% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | % Value Not Available |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | % Value Not Available |
| Omega-3 | 1g | % Value Not Available |
| Cholesterol | 170mg | 57% |
| Sodium | 700mg | 29% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 15g | 5% |
| Dietary Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Soluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Insoluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Sugars | 2g | % Value Not Available |
| Protein | 23g | % Value Not Available |
| Vitamin D | Value Not Available | 110% |
| Calcium | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Iron | Value Not Available | 15% |
| Potassium | 380mg | 11% |
| Vitamin A | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Vitamin C | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Vitamin E | Value Not Available | 6% |
| Thiamin | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Riboflavin | Value Not Available | 10% |
| Niacin | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Vitamin B6 | Value Not Available | 10% |
| Folic Acid | Value Not Available | 6% |
| Vitamin B12 | Value Not Available | 25% |
| Pantothenic Acid | Value Not Available | 10% |
| Phosphorus | Value Not Available | 45% |
| Magnesium | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Zinc | Value Not Available | 10% |
| Manganese | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Selenium | Value Not Available | 30% |
| Copper | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Beta-Carotene | Value Not Available | % Value Not Available |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | ||
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