30+ Pan-Fried Fish Recipes

Blackened Catfish and Spicy Rice

In this Cajun-style fish dish, catfish fillets are brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with a spicy seasoning mix. They're then pan-fried in butter until the seasoning has blackened, but the fish is still beautifully tender and flaky inside.

Crispy Breaded Tilapia

Tilapia fillets are dredged in beaten egg and panko bread crumbs in this easy pan-fried fish recipe. Allrecipes Allstar France C gave this recipe five stars: "This was super tasty, no changes needed! The fish had a nice crunch to it and was moist on the inside. Makes for a quick meal served with a salad."

• Tilapia Recipes

Lemon Garlic Salmon

The true flavor of the salmon comes through in this super quick recipe. Fresh fillets are seasoned with lemon pepper and pan-fried in garlic butter until browned on both sides and the flesh flakes away easily.

Monkfish Provincial

Large chunks of monkfish are seasoned with Cajun seasoning and pan-fried in butter. Add diced tomato, garlic, mushrooms, white wine, and parsley to create a French-style sauce that enhances the natural flavor of the monkfish.

Pan-Fried Swai Fillets

Swai fillets are coated with seasoned cornmeal before being pan-fried until golden on the outside, but flaky and delicate on the inside. It's easy to vary the type of coating you use — crushed cornflakes or panko bread crumbs are both good substitutes in this recipe.

Quick Salmon Piccata

Salmon fillets are dusted with seasoned flour to prevent them from sticking while they cook in a hot pan. They're served with a lemon, butter, garlic, white wine, and caper sauce for an impressive Italian-inspired fish dish.

Fish Tacos with Honey-Cumin Cilantro Slaw and Chipotle Mayo

Meaty chunks of tilapia are soaked in lime juice, breaded, and pan-fried. Serve in flour tortillas with homemade spicy slaw in this highly-rated fish taco recipe.

• Fish Tacos Recipes

Blackened Tuna

Look no further for an incredibly easy way to serve fresh tuna steaks. Simply coat in Cajun seasoning and fry in a very hot pan until blackened. They might look burnt, but they taste delicious. If you have a side burner on your outdoor grill, you might prefer to cook this dish outside.

Pan-Fried Tilapia

By pan-frying fish over medium heat in a combination of both butter and oil, you get all the richness of the butter without it burning. This recipe seasons the butter with garlic, herbs, and Cajun spices, adding even more flavor to this fast fish dish.

Lemon Pepper Cod

Sometimes the simplest fish recipes are the best, and you can't get much simpler than this recipe for pan-fried cod that's flavored with lemon juice and black pepper. "This recipe proves you don't need a complicated recipe or an array of seasonings to make the most perfect fish," according to reviewer Abby.

Jeannie's Kickin' Fried Fish

Recipe contributor crabbyjean says this recipes came from a spice cabinet purge — chances are you'll already have everything you need to try it out! You can make this recipe with any whitefish you have on hand.

Bite-Sized Salmon Tikka

Cubes of wild salmon are generously seasoned in cayenne pepper with turmeric and salt, then pan-fried until golden brown. Vary the heat and seasoning level according to taste. You can use paprika rather than cayenne for a milder version.

Cod Fish Cakes

This traditional recipe for fish cakes calls for cod, but you can use fish of any kind. If you happen to have leftover mashed potato and cooked fish, skip the boiling step and go straight to molding and pan-frying the patties.

Tex-Mex Tilapia

Tilapia fillets are marinated in lime juice, then pan-fried with tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro for a really fresh-tasting fish supper that takes minutes to cook. You can omit the jalapenos and add mangoes if you want.

Blackened Salmon Tacos with Chunky Mango Avocado Salsa

Salmon fillets are coated with a seafood rub and chili powder before being cooked in a heavy-based skillet until crispy. Try this recipe as a refreshing alternative to breaded tacos.

Seared Monkfish with Balsamic and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Monkfish is a really meaty whitefish with firm flesh that's perfect for pan-frying. In this gourmet-style recipe, monkfish fillets are served with a sweet sun-dried tomato and garlic topping.

Super Simple Salmon

This recipe has hundreds of glowing reviews to prove how easy it is to pan-fry salmon. "Far too many salmon recipes are too complicated to prepare for a casual weekday meal," says reviewer MaryMary. "This recipe was perfect: simple, easy to prepare, yet with a restaurant quality result."

• Top-Rated Salmon Recipes

Best Fried Walleye

"This is the recipe my dad has been using for 25 years," says recipe creator clarkie24. "It's light and clean-tasting because there's no sense in masking the naturally delicious flavor of such an awesome Canadian delicacy!"

Pan-Seared Ahi Tuna with Blood Orange Sauce

Pan-fry ahi tuna steaks until they are cooked to your liking, then serve with a white wine-butter sauce that's flavored with blood orange. Serve with wild rice and green vegetables for a healthy and delicious meal.

Fried Tilapia with Oyster Mushrooms

Recipe contributor nt-bella says this pan-fried tilapia with a creamy oyster mushroom sauce is a great go-to midweek meals. It taste delicious and it's ready to serve in just over 20 minutes.

Island-Style Sardines and Rice

Canned sardines are stirred into a tomato, chile pepper, and onion mixture, then pan-fried until warmed through. If you love spicy food and you love sardines, you're going to love this Caribbean dish.

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi with Gremolata Bread Crumbs

Herb-seasoned breadcrumbs are mixed with garlic and lemon zest to create an Italian-inspired gremolata mixture that's served on top of pan-fried mahi mahi fillets.

Jamaican Fried Snapper

A whole snapper is pan-fried in oil until browned and crispy. It's covered with a spicy, pickled vegetable mixture to create a lovely dish for sharing with family and friends.

Pan-Fried Salmon with Cream-Dill Sauce

Salmon fillets are easy to pan fry and are ready in a matter of minutes. While the salmon is resting, you can make an amazing sauce in the same skillet by just adding lemon juice, mustard, fresh dill and cream. Serve with boiled potatoes and green beans for a hearty meal.

LaWanna's Mango Salsa on Tilapia Fillets

Inexpensive tilapia fillets are pan-fried and served with a fruity salsa. The salsa will taste great with other fried fish, such as cod, halibut, or salmon. Leftovers are perfect for serving in tacos the next day.

Suzy's Swai Meuniere (Swai in Lemon Butter Sauce)

Meuniere sauce is a classic browned butter and lemon sauce that's made in the skillet you used to cook the fish. It's usually served with sole, but swai fish makes a perfectly good substitute. Serve with French fries and lemon wedges for a fabulous bistro-style dinner.

Teriyaki Tuna

Sashimi grade tuna steaks are pan-fried in hot oil with teriyaki sauce, lemon juice, and sesame seeds in this foolproof seafood dish. "It's nice to have such a great, guest worthy dinner that you can cook in less than 10 minutes," says reviewer Tiffany.

Cardamom Maple Salmon

Looking for a new and delicious way to pan-fry salmon? Try this recipe that dredges salmon pieces in a sweet-spicy paprika, cardamom, and maple syrup glaze. Use smoked paprika and garnish with orange zest for an extra flavor twist.

Mahi Sorkh Shodeh (Persian Fried Fish)

Fillets of fish are pan-fried with a coating of turmeric, garlic, and saffron to create this dish that's traditionally reserved for Persian New Year celebrations, but is delicious any time of the year.

Pan Fried Halibut Steak with Light Green Sauce

Halibut steaks are pan-fried in butter until nicely browned, then covered in a rich and creamy parsley, basil, and caper sauce. Serve with baby boiled potatoes and sauteed spinach for an easy and elegant meal.

• Halibut Recipes

Seared Tuna with Wasabi-Butter Sauce

Fresh tuna steaks are pan-fried for just a few minutes on each side, and served with a rich Asian-flavored sauce. Recipe contributor DARLA says that the one tablespoon of wasabi in the sauce sounds like a lot of heat, but the butter really mellows it out.

Pesto-Crusted Grouper

This pan-fried grouper fillet — topped with prepared pesto, and a generous layer of panko bread crumbs — is an incredibly easy dish to make, yet impressive enough for company. For variety, try this recipe with red pesto that's made with sun-dried tomatoes.

More Inspiration

Hungry for more? Explore our collections of Quick Fish Dinners Ready In 15 Minutes and Baked Fish Recipes to Make In Your Oven.