I haven’t written a seafood recipe in quite some time and Parmesan crusted tilapia with mayo is one of my favorites. Other than a few exceptions, I’m not really much of a seafood kind of guy.
But since I am trying to eat clean and healthy, I like to stick to lean meat with high protein and it doesn’t get much leaner than fish.
My parents raised me on seafood and I have fond memories as a child of fishing off the banks with my dad. Some of my best memories involved us going on vacation to the ocean. We would always end up at some all you can eat seafood buffet while we were there and we always ate one too many crab leg.
My father had lived on the coast of North Carolina when he was a kid and would tell these wonderful stories about him and his brothers and sisters going out shrimping or catching various types of fish in the ocean. My grandparents had a huge family and didn’t have much money so they would naturally eat what they caught. My dad’s love of fish, oysters, clams, crab legs and shrimp carried on through his adult years and he introduced me to all sort of seafood when I was growing up.
On special occasions, my family would gather together at Red Lobster , or maybe some other seafood restaurant or even Olive Garden to enjoy the seafood on the menu. I would usually order crab legs, cod, flounder, shrimp or Parmesan crusted tilapia. There’s just something about the taste or the texture or maybe it’s both. The mayo crust mixed with the Parmesan is out of this world and it’s a very easy tilapia recipe to make. Eating fish always reminds me of my dad.
How long do you cook tilapia in the oven at 400?
Fortunately, cooking tilapia only takes about 10 to 12 minutes if the fillets are already thawed. You will know the fish is done when it easily flakes with a fork. If your fillets are frozen, you will need to leave them out in room temperature or thaw them under warm water before putting them in the oven.
Baked tilapia vs. deep fried
Some people like the taste of deep fried fish. I, myself fall under that category. However, for health/nutrition reasons, we are going to bake our tilapia instead. If you prefer the deep fry the fish, I recommend using healthier oil such as olive oil.
Calories and carbs
One of the great things about fish is that it is very low in calories and carbohydrates. For instance, an average tilapia fillet is around 112 calories and 0 carbs per serving. That means that if you keep an eye on the calories and carbs from the other ingredients, you can enjoy several fillets without worrying about over doing it.
The mayo in this recipe equates to around 141 calories and 1 carbohydrate per serving. The parmesan is around 22 calories and less than a half carb per serving. The Greek yogurt comes to 21 calories and just of 1 carb per serving.
Panko bread crumbs are a good optional item in this recipe. However, if you choose to use them, I would advise to measure them out. After all, a half cup comes to about 104 calories and 22 g of carbohydrates. This recipe will omit them.
