We love this recipe and I keep finding new ways to modify it (I feel I have to, since I make it at LEAST once a week)This is how we like it: I use celery seed rather than celery salt and usually have parmesan-romano cheese blend on hand so I use that. I also add 1/2 tsp. paprika, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder and 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes. I don't add any lemon juice anymore (I used to just reduce it by half) but now use low-fat mayo that I find to be quite tangy. I also double the amount of pepper and add about 1/2 c. of bread crumbs to the cheese mixture, which creates a nice texture and keeps the topping in place. Seasoning the fish with a bit of Old Bay seasoning, as others have done, really adds to the flavor as well. Thank you for helping us eat fish on a regular basis, Phoebe!
I made some changes to this recipe to lower some of the fat content but I still think it was delicious and deserved five stars. Instead of using regular mayo and butter, I substituted fat free mayo and light butter. I also sprayed the fillets with olive oil cooking spray before placing them under the broiler. Since tilapia cooks quickly, I didn't turn them at all. I let them cook 3 or 4 minutes (oven rack on second slot from the top), added the cheese mixture, and removed them when the cheese started to brown.
I've made this several times and this is absolutely the easiest and best tilapia, or any fish, dish I have ever made. Everyone I make it for wants the recipe. I do line a broiler pan with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. The only other thing I do differently is to sprinkle the fish with Old Bay Seasoning before putting under the broiler for the first time and then again before topping with the parmesan mix while it is out of the oven. I also make sure that I start with the side of the fish that has the dark vein running through the center facing up starting out then it should end up on the bottom when finished. Low fat mayo makes it even more healthy than it already is without making a big difference. I've found it best to follow the cooking time closely. It's quick. It's tasty. Try it!
Excellent! Hubby declared, "best fish ever, let's have it next week"...
Only thing I did differently was to add 1/4 tsp garlic powder (because we love garlic) and 1/4 tsp paprika. The paprika really gave it a nice flavor and added a wonderful color to the cheese sauce. We will definitely be making this often.
I scaled this recipe in half and went with some of the suggestions of reviewer, Shannon:) (click on "most helpful" and you'll see her review). I've only had tilapia once and wasn't that impressed with that fresh-water, farmed fish, so I went with rockfish (aka: red snapper in warmer waters; rockfish in colder northern waters). I added to the parmesan mixture: some garlic powder, paprika, a touch of cayenne pepper & some panko bread crumbs. This cheese mixture is really what makes the dish; it was excellent and I liked the way the bread crumbs/cheese browned lightly under the broiler. I only had to broil the fish 2 minutes on each side, plus 2 minutes with the cheese mixture. Served with steamed broccoli. Talk about an easy, quick-prep meal! Thanks, Phoebe!
I was really desperate for something to do with some recently defrosted tilapia fillets and spotted this recipe and it looked interesting.
My husband loved it. Loved the texture, the zing of the parmesan and spice was just perfect. Will definitely make again for family & friends. Only issue was I made the spread and put it in the fridge for 1/2 hr. early and it melted way too fast in the broiler. Lost 1/2 the topping. My error. Don't recommend chilling spread 1st.
Have made this on several occasions trying to find the right balance of cheese mixture to fish. The first time I made the recipe exactly as stated (as a courteous nod to the submitter) and it swam in butter so I rated this at three stars (wonderful but loaded with calories). The second time, I reduced the butter again to an 1/8 cup and it was still overpowered by the butter, so try, try again to one tablespoon of butter for the perfect mixture. Wonderful flavor!!!
We're fish lovers, so maybe that's what influenced our opinion of this dish. The sauce is pungent and overpowers the delicate tilapia. It would work better on a fish with more substance and flavor to it. Tilapia is best served by lightly dressing it with olive oil, real butter and lemon juice, lightly salted and broiled. We won't want this again.
My husband and I loved this dish. It was so fast and easy. I didn't have any celery salt so I added garlic powder. I will make this again! Thanks for the recipe!!!!!!
