Crispy Baked Tilapia with Panko Crumbs

Recipe Directions

Cooking oil spray
1 tilapia fillet (about 4 to 6 ounces)
2 teaspoons light Ranch dressing
1/4 cup Italian-style Panko crumbs*
Lemon and lime wedge, to garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking pan (13 X 9 inches or larger) with foil. Place a wire rack over a baking pan, and spray rack with cooking oil spray. Set aside.

Place tilapia fillet on a plate* and rub front and back with dressing, covering well. Place crumbs on a second plate* and shake to distribute crumbs evenly on plate. Place fillet on crumbs, pressing so crumbs adhere. Lift filet, shake plate again to redistribute crumbs, and turn to place second side of filet in crumbs, again, pressing so crumbs adhere.

Place fillet on baking rack. (*Repeat this process with as many fillets as desired.) Bake, uncovered, until crumbs are just beginning to brown and fish is opaque in the center, about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on size of fillet. Remove from oven, place fillet on a plate with lemon and lime wedges. Serve at once, squirting fish with citrus juices to taste.

* Cooking Notes

For testing, we used Progresso brand Italian-style Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs. If you can’t find these, use plain panko crumbs and add 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning blend per 1/4 cup crumbs.

Use paper palates to cut down on cleanup.

Although the recipe is written to serve 1, you can double or triple (or more) to serve as many as you like, so long as the fillets will fit on the baking rack.