Air Fryer Tilapia
This deliciously tender and flaky air fryer tilapia recipe delivers a healthy, quick, and flavorful dinner in just 20 minutes. Topped with a zesty lemon-caper sauce, it will be a go-to in your kitchen.
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the tilapia
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tilapia fillets about 6 ounces each
- cooking spray to grease the air fryer basket
For the lemon capers sauce
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons capers
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the tilapia
- Preheat the air fryer to 415˚F and spray the basket of your air fryer with cooking spray.
- Whisk together the sea salt, garlic powder, and ground black pepper and set aside.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the tilapia and massage it into the fish, coating it evenly.
- Arrange the tilapia fillets in the basket with at least ½ inch of space between each fillet. If the basket is too small, cook the fish in batches.
- Sprinkle half of the seasoning over the fillets. Flip, and sprinkle with the other half of the seasoning.
- Air fry for 6 minutes; flip the fish halfway through the cooking time.
For the lemon capers sauce
- Meanwhile, make the sauce and start by melting the butter in a saucepan set over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 15 seconds or until fragrant.
- Whisk in the lemon juice to combine, then stir in the capers. Remove from heat.
- Remove the tilapia from the air fryer and arrange the fillets on a serving platter.
- Spoon the sauce over the cooked tilapia and serve.
Notes
- Preheat. Let the air fryer preheat first. It will shorten the cooking time and improve the fish's texture.
- Don’t crowd the air fryer. Avoid overcrowding the air fryer to ensure each tilapia fillet cooks evenly. When the fillets touch, it prevents heat from circulating around every part of the fish, leading to uneven cooking.
- Fish varieties: This recipe can be used with other fish, such as sea bass or salmon, but cooking times may vary. Most fish is done when its internal temperature registers at 145˚F.
- Wine: You can add white wine to the sauce or use an entirely different sauce to serve with the fish. I like Hollandaise.
- Breaded tilapia: Instead of just seasoning the tilapia, mix the same seasonings with 2 cups of breadcrumbs. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water and evenly coat the fillets in the egg mixture, followed by the seasoned breadcrumbs. Air fry as per the recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Fillet | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 872mg | Potassium: 544mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 358IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
