Butter Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Pesto Sauce
Butter Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with pesto sauce came from my hubby’s New Year’s resolution for the whole family to eat more fish. Something happened while I was pregnant with my second child and I am no longer a fan of fish. So in order to fulfill his request, I need to be creative; because I cannot cook things I don’t want to eat. I love pesto, so it seemed like a good place to start.
Start with your Tilapia
First thing you need is a baking sheet covered in foil and cooking spray. Arrange the tilapia fillets on top of the prepared cookie sheet. I purchased my tilapia fillets at Aldi. Each fillet is individually wrapped and four come in a package.
My Favorite Green Sauce
Pesto is my absolute favorite sauce. I grow basil in the summer and make and freeze pesto sauce all summer long. It is your choice, make your own pesto or pick up from your favorite grocery store. Place one tablespoon of pesto sauce on each tilapia fillet and smooth it out evenly.
Now the Butter Parmesan Crust
The final topping for the tilapia fillets is a combination of butter round crackers, Parmesan cheese, and melted butter. First take an entire sleeve of crackers out of the box and crush them into crumbs. I crush them by hand in a Ziploc, but you can also use the food processor. Honestly, sometimes I don’t want another dish to clean, so I crush them by hand. Pour the cracker crumbs into a bowl and add the Parmesan cheese and mix them together. The final step is to add melted butter and mix together into a delicious crumbly mixture.
Sprinkle the topping on top of each pesto coated tilapia fillet. I divide the topping evenly among the fillets, but the amount is up to your preference. Pat the crumb coating down and lightly pack it onto the tilapia.
Time to Hit the Oven
It is time to put our perfectly coated tilapia fillets into a 400°F oven for 8-10 minutes. I always go for 10 minutes, because I like my fish thoroughly cooked.
Butter Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Pesto sauce is a tasty recipe to add to your collection. The pesto gives the fish tons of flavor and there is really very little bad you can say about crispy butter Parmesan topping. The tilapia pairs nicely with wild rice, and spinach salad if you are looking for a place to start. Happy Cooking!
Other recipes you may like to try:
Hearty Lentil Soup – Set it and Forget it!
Creamy Garlic Chicken and Vegetables
Butter Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 filets Tilapia
- 4 tbsp prepared Pesto Sauce
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 sleeve butter round crackers, crushed into crumbs Ritz or your favorite store brand
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking sheet by covering with aluminum foil and spraying with cooking spray or use parchment paper.
- Lay Tilapia filets onto prepared baking sheet.
- Spread pesto sauce onto each filet.
- Mix together cracker crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add melted butter and mix until well combined and crumbly.
- Sprinkle on top of each filet equally and pat down slightly.
- Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes.
- Ready to serve right out of the oven.
