This dijon almond crusted tilapia is pan-fried, ready in 10 minutes and a healthy, grain free dinner.
I’ve been jotting down pros, cons and just general thoughts of this whole paleo challenge as the month has gone by so I can hopefully put together a comprehensive (and cohesive) summary post when it comes to an end later this week.
And I kid you not when I say one of the pros of this whole thing has been this simple almond dijon crusted tilapia recipe.
Or more pointedly, finally finding a way to enjoy tilapia.
As far as I’m concerned that’s just as much of a pro as having no bloating, clear skin and losing a few inches around my hips & waist.
Let’s face it, tilapia is just one boring fish.
The only thing it’s got going for it is it’s price tag.
I usually look at it sitting next to the wild salmon that I buy weekly, mentally debate whether I should spend half the money this time around and just go for it before coming to my senses and remembering how lame it tastes.
For some reason though, I caved last week and bought a single filet.
I took it home, sat it on the cutting board and literally said “what the hell will make you taste good?”
Don’t judge. Weeks get lonely when you work from home and only have your dog to talk to.
Somehow mustard, almonds and paprika ended up on the counter and the rest is history.
It was so transformative that I made this dijon almond crusted tilapia again 3 days later.
I’m not saying goodbye to salmon, I love this tart cherry glazed salmon and these easy salmon vegetable packets way too much for that, but this is definitely edging out a meat meal at least once a week.
5 ingredients (I refuse to count salt & pepper as an ingredient), 10 minutes and I promise you’ll never look at tilapia the same again. I’m also going to try some blackening season on the tilapia soon as blackened fish like this mahi mahi is one of my favorite simple yet hugely flavorful dinners.
And if you’re looking for a meat alternative to this recipe, these pretzel crusted pork chops use a very similar method and taste quite delicious too!
I also love this fish almondine recipe for a more elegant version. It’s great with other white fish like sole or cod too, just like this almond crusted tilapia recipe.
And for another simple white fish recipe, try my easy air fryer cod!
Love This Dijon Almond Crusted Tilapia? Check Out More Easy Seafood Dinners:
Honey lime sablefish
Shrimp Caesar salad stuffed sweet potatoes
Sweet and spicy mango shrimp
Lemony tomato herb scallops
Dijon Almond Crusted Tilapia
Ingredients
- 2 filets of tilapia, about 1 pound
- 1/3 cup whole almonds
- about 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt & pepper
- coconut oil for pan-frying
Instructions
- Place almonds in a food processor and process until finely chopped. About 20 seconds.
- Transfer chopped almonds to a shallow dish. Add paprika and mix together.
- Season the tilapia filets generously with salt & pepper.
- Spread mustard on both sides of the filet and then transfer to the almond mixture to coat both sides.
- Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Once hot, place the filets in the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes per side or until the fish is cooked through. Exterior should be browned and crispy but not burnt.
- Serve warm and garnish with parsley or lemon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Can you bake this instead of pan frying? If so, what temp/amount of time would you recommend?
Thanks!
You probably could. I would do 350. mot sure on time, maybe 12-15 minutes?
I used leftover cashews from another recipe and ground them up with a rolling pin in a bag to save myself the cleaning of the food processor. I also used ghee instead of coconut oil to boost the flavor. Turned out really well!
Googled Whole 30 and Tilapia and came across this– amazing. Actually had Guacamole in the fridge– and some leftover sauce of cooked diced tomatoes that we’d had last night, so that went well also. i would definitely do guacamole and salsa or some type of tomatoes with this… And as to Caroline’s question, I had almond flour instead too, worked fine. :) Very good and will be my go-to Tilapia recipe from now on!
Loved this recipe. I am not a big fan of fish. Grouper, cod and tilapia are the only fish I eat. My 17 year old grandson, whose primary food source is cheeseburgers ate 4 filets.
So glad to hear it!
I have made this twice now for my family and it has become a staple in my menu rotation. SO AMAZING! Thank you for sharing!
What brand of mustard did you use?
Honestly, no idea. Whatever was in my fridge at the time which was likely the cheapest dijon mustard the store had at the time ;)
This was so great! Thank you so much for the recipe. I had 3 filets of tilapia sitting in my fridge and having recently gone paleo I had no idea what to do with them. My husband called it a winner – and he is picky!
Hi! This looks WONDERFUL! Do you know how much ground almond meal the 1/3 cup almonds makes? I have almond meal on hand. Thank you!
It makes about the same amount. Start with 1/4 cup almond meal, you can always add more if needed!
This is the first time I am on your blog (thanks for telling me about it today). I am planning dinner tonight and I had salmon on the menu. But then I saw this tilapia and said, ‘great, it looks good AND it’s cheaper than salmon!;. So now I changed the menu, I’ll let you know what I think (and what the kids think!). Thanks!
Hope you guys enjoy it! A few people have said they’ve had trouble with the crust sticking to the pan when flipping it so just grease it really well :) Great job today!
Two thumbs up! It was requested that this be added to the ‘favorites’ list. Served with sauteed swiss chard and roasted beets. A delish dish, thank you!
Yay! :)
Fantastic…my husband loved it.
I just came across this recipe today when looking for something to do with the tilapia I bought yesterday. This recipe was delicious. Everyone loved it! I also had a hard time keeping the crust on when I flipped it, even using long a plastic spatula, but I just scooped up the crumbles and placed them on top on the plate. Overall, a great recipe so I wanted to say thanks!!