Coconut-crusted Tilapia
This easy and light dinner comes together quickly and delivers on flavor. Crispy, sweet, and tangy, I based this off a family favorite, Coconut Shrimp– except that it’s gluten-free and shellfish-free!
April 29, 2020
I have always loved coconut shrimp. The other day, I was doing online grocery shopping (the new trend), and came across a box of frozen coconut shrimp, and I wanted so badly to buy them. I could almost taste that perfectly crunchy, sweet, and tangy breading on juicy shrimp. Unfortunately, I cannot order them in restaurants OR buy them in the freezer section because 1. My husband is allergic to shellfish and 2. I cannot eat the delicious gluten-filled breading anymore.
So I thought, why not experiment with my own breading and coat some other fish?
I hope you enjoy this simple but tasty meal. The coconut crust was exactly as I pictured — crispy, sweet, a little spicy, and not greasy at all. Feel free to sub any other white fish you have on hand, or even shrimp for that matter!
How to make it
Prepare Fish & Breading
First, wash and dry your fish and set up three separate bowls or deep plates with your breading ingredients.
Bowls: 1. GF flour and spices, 2. beaten egg, 3. GF breadcrumbs and shredded coconut.
Some tips: If the coconut seems too long, break up the bigger pieces with your fingers. This will help it stick to the fish better. I loved the addition of Trader Joe’s GF rice crumbs since they were so fine and stuck well to the fish. They also give such a nice crunch when cooked. Other regular breadcrumbs or panko (GF or otherwise) would also work as a substitute. I added a pinch of cayenne pepper to the third bowl, because I like a little heat. Omit this if you want the breading to remain sweeter.
Heat your pan
After prepping your bowls and fish, start heating the coconut oil in your pan. I used a Dutch oven and about 1.5 tablespoons of coconut oil to start. Heating the pan properly is the most important step, or you will instantly burn the coconut!
If you’re using a Dutch oven, only heat to medium. High heat will burn the coconut (as I quickly learned!). I don’t mind a slightly charred crust, and luckily it didn’t taste burnt. But if you care about appearance, be careful with your heat. If you don’t have coconut oil on hand, you could use other mild oil like canola or vegetable, but I do highly recommend the coconut oil. The flavor really brings out the coconut in the breading, but it also made a great crispy crust that didn’t feel greasy once cooled.
Bread the fish
While your pan is heating, start breading the fish in order. Dip thoroughly in flour mixture, making sure to rub it into all those nooks and crannies of the fillet. Shake off excess flour. Dip in egg and shake off excess. Finally, dip in the coconut and breadcrumbs! Gently press the crunchy mixture into the fish.
Ready for frying!
Check to make sure your pan didn’t overheat — try throwing in a little coconut piece. If it starts smoking and sizzling like crazy, it’s too hot. Remember that Dutch ovens retain heat for so long, so turn down the heat and be patient while it cools a bit.
While frying, check that there’s enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add more throughout, if needed.
Cook the tilapia for about 4 minutes per side, flipping only once. If you cook in batches, set aside the fish on a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve
Serve with a fresh squeeze of lemon, and top with chopped cilantro or parsley.
You could pair this with a salad, or serve it over rice or quinoa. It also makes an excellent taco filling!
Coconut-Crusted Tilapia will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. For best results, reheat the fish in a frying pan on medium heat, or reheat it in a toaster oven.
Coconut-Crusted Tilapia
Equipment
- 3 bowls
- Large skillet or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- ~12 oz tilapia fillets, washed and patted dry
- ¼ cup flour, gluten free or all-purpose
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup sweetened, shredded coconut
- ½ cup breadcrumbs, gluten free or panko
- pinch salt
- pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1-2 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Prepare three wide, shallow bowls - 1. flour, salt and pepper 2. beaten egg 3. shredded coconut, rice crumbs, pinch of salt, cayenne pepper. Break up coconut if needed.
- Heat coconut oil in Dutch oven or large skillet on low-medium heat. Make sure there is enough to fully cover the entire bottom of the pan: slightly more is better here to avoid sticking and burning.
- When your pan is heated through, begin breading the fish. Make sure the pan/coconut oil aren't too hot, or the coconut will burn immediately.
- Dip fish thoroughly in the flour mixture, making sure to cover it completely. Shake off excess flour. Then dip into beaten egg, and again shake off excess. Finally, dip into coconut mixture. Use your fingers to get an even coat on both sides and gently pat coconut onto fish to encourage as much breading to stick as possible.
- Begin frying fish. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to cook in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, flipping only once. Thicker fillets may need additional time. Dry on paper towel-lined plate as you cook the rest of the fish.
- Serve immediately with a squeeze of fresh lemon and fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, over rice, or as a taco.
Coconut tilapia will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. For best results, reheat in the toaster oven, oven, or frying pan to crisp the breading.
Notes
- Heating the pan properly is the most important step, or you will instantly burn the coconut. If you're using a Dutch oven, only heat to medium. High heat will burn the coconut (as I quickly learned!). I don't mind a slightly charred crust, and luckily it didn't taste burnt. But if you care about appearance, be careful with your heat.
- The breading makes enough for about four 3-4 oz. fillets. I used two 3.5 oz fillets, plus one 5 oz fillet, and still had leftover topping. If you use four fillets instead, you will likely need more egg to cover the greater surface area.
- The gluten free rice crumbs (from Trader Joe's) were a great addition for my breading - I would recommend these even if you aren't gluten free! They have a lovely crisp (reminiscent of deep frying) and stuck very well to the fish since it is a fine mixture.
- If the coconut seems too long, break up some of the bigger pieces with your fingers. This will help it stick to the fish better.
- If you don't have coconut oil on hand, you could use other oil, but I do highly recommend the coconut oil. For one, the flavor really brings out the coconut in the breading. But it also made a great crispy crust that didn't feel overly greasy once cooled. Instead, try another mild oil like canola or vegetable.