One of the things we like best about this Coconut Crusted Tilapia is how easy it is. With only five ingredients, it comes together quickly and satisfies everyone.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our coconut crusted tilapia, you will need the following ingredients:
- Shredded coconut
- Italian breadcrumbs
- Whole wheat Ritz crackers
- Liquid egg whites
- Tilapia Fillets
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Coconut Crusted Tilapia
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Place foil on a baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray.
- Combine coconut, bread crumbs, and crackers in a bowl. Put egg whites in another bowl.
- Dip the tilapia in the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until tilapia is done. (Check tilapia at about 15 minutes so it won’t burn.)
What if we don’t like fish?
If you’re not a huge fan of fish or you’re worried about whether or not your kids will like it, here are some reasons why you should give the coconut crusted a try:
- Tilapia is a mild, white fish so it doesn’t taste as “fishy” as other types.
- Tilapia is low in fat and a good source of protein.
- It is full of healthy Omega-3s.
- Tilapia tends to be less expensive than other types of fish.
- The crispy, coconut crust makes for a tasty fish that many fish skeptics love!
Recipe Notes
To crush Ritz crackers, you can’t go wrong with a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin. Add the crackers, remove the air from the bag, seal tight, and then roll (or bang) away with the rolling pin. Also, for the ¼ cup Ritz Crackers called for in this recipe, you’ll need about 6 crackers.
We used sweetened coconut when we made this tasty dish, but plain, unsweetened coconut will work as well. We liked the hint of sweet it added to the dish, but make it according to your desired tastes or with whatever you have on hand.
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Coconut Crusted Tilapia Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup whole wheat ritz crackers, crushed
- ⅓ cup liquid egg whites
- 6 4 ounce tilapia fillets
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Place foil on a baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray.
- Combine coconut, bread crumbs, and crackers in a bowl. Put egg whites in another bowl.
- Dip the tilapia in the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until tilapia is done. (Check tilapia at about 15 minutes so it won't burn.)
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Wow! I love tilapia, one of my favorite fish. Never crusted a fish in coconut, definitely will have to give this a try!
We just tested it and it works fine. Hope you can get it to work on your computer.
This was so easy to make! My family loved it. My son and dad are not coconut fans, so I didn’t tell them what outside was until I noticed they ate everything on their plates! Thank you!
I love tilapia (especially coming from Tanzania where it is so abundant!) and use a lot of coconut in my cooking (again very Tanzanian) so I had to make this. I added a little bit of garlic and some salt too, and it was amazing! Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Found this on pinterest. Had all the ingredients. Made it tonight and it was YUMMY! So easy. The coconut gave it just the right sweetness.
What do you like to serve with this?
We like to serve it with a veggie and some side salad or potatoes.
http://sss.tbndevelopment.com/2015/01/garlic-parmesan-green-beans-recipe.html
http://sss.tbndevelopment.com/2014/05/ranch-pasta-salad-recipe.html
http://sss.tbndevelopment.com/2014/04/garlic-roasted-potatoes-recipe.html
http://sss.tbndevelopment.com/2013/07/cheesy-ranch-potatoes-recipe.html
Thanks!
I can’t wait to try this. I have a question about the egg whites. Are they to be whipped before putting the fish in or just left as they are when coming out of the shell?
Beat the eggs first.
Sounds delicious! Do you use sweetened coconut or the plain unsweetened coconut? Thank you!
Either will work, but we usually use sweetened.
Thanks Kara! We’ll fix it!!
Planning to try this – just one question: are the Italian bread crumbs made from Italian bread, or are they the pre-made store bought Italian seasoned crumbs? Since the instructions didn’t say to make the crumbs like they did for the cracker crumbs, I’m leaning toward the latter. Thanks!
We used the store bought Italian bread crumbs.