Crispy Honey Lime Tilapia

My husband has returned safely from distant icy shores, and as life begins to fall back into normal rhythms (or as close to normal as we get) I've started cooking proper meals again. As such, hopefully there will be new recipes popping back up among my posts in the near future.

Since the availability of fresh fish can be hit-and-miss around here, I took a chance and grabbed a bag of wild-caught frozen flounder fillets last time I was at BJ's. If the success of this recipe was anything to judge by, they're going to be worth every penny!

(I picked this recipe up from the How Sweet It Is blog.)


Crispy Honey Lime Tilapia
makes 4 filets

4 fresh (or thawed) tilapia filets
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup flour [I used whole wheat pastry]
2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
additional honey + lime zest mixed for drizzling

60 minutes before cooking, season tilapia filets with salt and pepper then lay in a baking dish. In a bowl, combine olive oil, honey, lime juice and zest, and crushed garlic and whisk until combined. Pour over tilapia and let marinate for an hour. Add flour [+ a bit more salt, pepper, and lime zest] to a bowl and set aside.

Heat a cast iron skillet (or a non-stick skillet) over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Dredge each piece of tilapia through the flour until you have a very light coating. Making sure the pan is hot, add tilapia to the oil and cook until flaky and crispy on each side – about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove tilapia from pan and let drain on a paper towel for a few minutes. Serve with an additional drizzle of lime + honey.

Jamie's Notes:

I subbed lemon juice because I didn't have any lime, and skipped the zest altogether. I did not drizzle anything over the top, but served straight from the skillet as soon as it was fully cooked through.


In the future, I will marinate the fish a little longer but overall this was great! It was very flavorful, quick to throw together and quite easy.


For a light dinner, serve with a rice pilaf or confetti quinoa. For something a little heartier, pair it with baked corn and noodles (that's what I did, and the contrast of the rich, creamy side with the light entree was perfect).


Enjoy!