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Baked fish ideas

What is your best idea for baked tilapia or swai with the fewest ingredients and steps. I am a new fish cook as I did not grow up with fish in my house. Please no other fish; I am starting easy!

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  1. This is an easy one that my kids have always liked.


    Oops, not baked but it's easy on the stove.

    A really easy one is to marinate the tilapia in mayo/buttermilk/sat/pepper. Dip into seasoned breadcrumbs. Spray w/ olive oil. Bake (I do it at 350, length of time depends on fish size, about 15 mins).

    1. Look up some recipes where you wrap the fish in parchment paper or aluminum foil. You just put all of your ingredients in the packet, wrap it up and bake it in the oven. Very simple.

      1 Reply
      1. re: Philly Ray

        A few weeks ago I made haddock in foil packets with sliced lemon, snipped chives, pepper, and a little butter. I baked the packets for about 20 minutes at 350.

        I also like to make a butter crumb topping for fish. I put the fish in a baking dish and bake it for about 10 minutes. Then I mix crushed Ritz crackers with butter (sometimes I add some herbs, too) and top the fish with that mixture, then bake until the crackers are browned.

      2. I used to teach a fish 101 cooking class. This link was the first dish we would make - fool proof and delicious. The link indicates salmon, but you could use tilapia, etc. I would bake for a shorter time since the salmon would have been thicker than tilapaia or swai is. Recipe uses 3 common ingredients in addition to the fish:


        Another easy method is to lightly smear mayo on all sides of your fish. Then press coated fish into flavored panko, cornmeal, cracker crumbs, etc. You can use herbs, spice, parmesan - what ever flavors you like. Put it in the fridge for 15 min. or so (lets coating firm-up). Place fish on a wire rack which is placed over a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake at 375, after 10 min. gently turn fish and bake another 5 min. or so.

        When fish is done it will easily flake - just take a fork and poke, going against the grain and the flesh will separate into flakes.

        The mayo coats the fish and seals in moisture. This helps keep the fish from overcooking. The trickiest thing about cooking fish for the novice is the fact that fish cooks quickly, has little fat to keep it moist and size matters! Try to choose pieces of fish which are similar in size and fairly consistent in thickness. Thinner parts will cook faster than thicker parts. This is why many people have better results with fish steaks rather than filets.

        1 Reply
        1. re: meatn3

          I second the mayo (or Miracle Whip) and crumbs.

          My favorite baked fish recipe is to julienne or finely dice a colorful vegetable medley like red and green bell pepper, zucchini, yellow summer squash, scallion, carrot and pour some teriyaki sauce on it, stirring well. I like Mr. Yoshida's Cooking Sauce and Marinade because it is a bit thicker than other teriyakis. Dump this over the naked fillets and bake at 350-375 until the edges of the vegetables are browning. Sometimes I put cooked rice, or storebought prepared seafood stuffing (the cracker crumb type) into the pan first, then lay the fish on it before adding the vegetable topping.

        2. Brush a small amount of oil on sheet of aluminum foil.
          Place fish filet in center of sheet and drizzle with about 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
          Sprinkle with about a tablespoon of finely chopped onion and celery (add a few herbs if you like)
          Season with salt and pepper
          Wrap the filet tightly in the foil, making sure to seal all sides and top completely.
          Bake 20 - 25 minutes in a shallow pan
          Careful when unwrapping (I use a pair of forks to open the packets) as the packet contains steam and you can burn yourself if you're not careful.

          1. I've done fish en papillotte so many times with fish&3 other ingredients. juicy tender flavorful