Crispy Pan-Fried Tilapia with Tartar Sauce

pan-fried tilapia with tartar sauce and broccoli, white rice, and cucumbers

pan-fried tilapia with tartar sauce and broccoli, white rice, and cucumbers

This tilapia and tartar sauce recipe is the same as the one found here for a fish sub!

Helpful Tips

To prevent fish from sticking to the pan, make sure it is pat down DRY. Save yourself the hassle of scraping off crispy and burnt pieces by taking a paper towel and soaking up any moisture from the fish, then seasoning it and spraying the surface with oil. I guarantee you won’t have much of a mess to clean up after that!

Make sure the pan isn’t too hot, or else you’ll end up with a fillet that’s half burnt, half raw.

Pan-Fried Fish Sub with Tartar Sauce
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
For fish:

  • 4 fillets white fish, hotdog bun size (I use tilapia)
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil and cooking spray, for frying

For tartar sauce:

  • 4 tbsp light mayonnaise
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 spear dill pickle, finely diced
  • 1 shallot, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Whisk together all ingredients for tartar sauce and place in refrigerator while you prepare the fish.
  2. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium heat and add oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
  3. Using a paper towel, pat the fish dry. Sprinkle salt and black pepper over the entire fillet, then spray the surface lightly with cooking spray.
  4. Carefully place the fish into the pan and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until opaque. Add more oil if necessary before flipping. The fish is cooked when a sharp knife can fall smoothly through the thickest part of the meat.

Per serving tartar sauce: 50 calories: 4.7 g carbs; 3.6 g fat; 0.5 g protein

*nutrition of fish depends on fillet size and amount of oil used

Alena Shen

I’m an LA-based medical student who loves cooking, baking, lifting, and running! Browse a collection of my recipes to try something new.

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Chia Pudding