Pizza Fish (Breaded Tilapia with Sauce & Cheese)
Sneak Preview: This quirky dinner idea—known in our house as “Pizza Fish”—starts with breaded tilapia fillets, then tops them with sauce, Mozzarella, and basil. A fast, crowd-pleasing meal made entirely on the stovetop.
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When I worked with a fish company doing recipe sampling, this one flew off the table. Customers loved it, especially the kids. It’s not fish on pizza—it’s pizza on fish. Even my picky eaters warmed up to seafood when I started serving it like this.
If your family’s go-to fish experience is fried sandwiches from a drive-thru, this recipe might be a delicious step in a new direction.
What Makes This One Worth Sharing
- Pizza vibes: Sauce and cheese turn mild fish into a fun, familiar meal.
- Quick skillet dinner: From pan to plate in about 15 minutes.
- Kid-tested: A gentle way to introduce more seafood at home.
Shared & Loved
“I made this on Saturday. We ALL loved it!!! Mike told me to add it to our list of “regular” meals.” ? STACI
Ingredients and Substitutions
- TILAPIA: Or orange roughy, cod, or any mild, thin white fish
- BREAD CRUMBS: Plain, Italian seasoned, or panko
- MOZZARELLA: Or provolone, Italian blend, or even cheddar
- PIZZA SAUCE: Marinara or any red pasta sauce works
- FRESH BASIL: Optional, but brightens the flavor
- OIL: Avocado or olive oil for sautéing
Step-by-Step: How to Make Pizza-Topped Tilapia
➊ Prep the Fish: Pat thawed fish dry and season with salt and pepper. (Quick-thaw in cool water for 20 minutes if needed.)
➋ Bread the Fillets: Coat both sides in breadcrumbs, pressing gently so the crumbs stick.
➌ Sauté Until Golden: Cook in hot oil over medium heat, 2–3 minutes per side, until golden. You can stop here and serve plain if preferred.
➍ Top with Sauce & Cheese: Spoon on pizza sauce and sprinkle with Mozzarella.
➎ Melt the Cheese: Cover skillet to melt cheese or broil briefly to brown.
➏ Add Basil and Serve: Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve hot—also great on sandwich buns.
Pizza Fish (Breaded Tilapia with Sauce & Cheese)
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- 6 4-oz pieces (680 g) tilapia, orange roughy or other thin, mildly flavored fish fillets
- ½ teaspoon table of sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅔ cup (72 g) bread crumbs, dried
- ½ cup (122 g) pizza sauce
- 2 oz. (56 g) shredded Mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the skillet: Heat 1-2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Prep the fish: Pat dry 6 4-oz pieces (680 g) tilapia, orange roughy or other thin, mildly flavored fish fillets with paper towels. If frozen, thaw first. Season with ½ teaspoon table of sea salt and ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- Bread the fillets: Pour 2/3 cup (72 g) bread crumbs, dried onto a plate or wax paper. Press both sides of each fillet into the crumbs to coat.
- Sauté until golden: Cook fish 2–3 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. (You can stop here and serve as-is if preferred.)
- Add sauce and cheese: Spoon pizza sauce over each fillet and top with shredded Mozzarella.
- Melt the cheese: Cover the skillet briefly or place under a broiler for 1–2 minutes to melt or brown the cheese.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve hot. Also great as a fish sandwich on buns.
Equipment
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Final Thoughts
We don’t eat fish nearly as often as we should, especially living far from the coast (that’s my excuse, anyway). But when we do, I like simple recipes that win everybody over. If you’re into salmon, don’t miss my favorite version with toasted almonds—it’s a good one, especially for sharing.
Need help troubleshooting? Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com—photos welcome!
Pretty good idea, but not gonna help my kids eat more fish… Best thing that worked for me was using freshly caught fresh water fish properly cleaned, do a flour egg and breadcrumbs preferably corn meal and fry that in a little butter. I remember trying it for the first time as a kid when my dad made it, and it was love at first bite. Nothing better than a bluegill or walleye served up this way in my personal opinion…
I used you “Goofproof Chicken Cutlets” recipe last night (which I use often) with fish. That was before I read your post this morning about the pizza sauce. I pulled out my usual honey-mustard sauce last night, but next time I will try the pizza sauce. Sounds good.
Hi, I just got an e-mail about my comment on this recipe – I’d love to post it to Pinterest, your site apparently doesn’t allow?? I think allowing it would increase your traffic, and it is so great to share. Only six years later, but I’m going to check the rest of your site to see if you’ve posted other genius recipes like this!! Thank you for the reminder!!
Hi Vicki,
Yes, normally you can post anything on this site to Pinterest. I’ll check to make sure nothing has gone wrong. paula
I recently tried a similar recipe, but with salsa, rather than pizza sauce. It was very good, we’ll try the pizza sauce, next time! It is so great to find new recipes for fish, it is something we all need to learn to eat more of, and recipes such as this make it so much easier – the fact that it is a really quick meal makes it more likely that folks will want to work it into their rotation, too.
I just made this and it didnt look like this but it was good . Wasnt even for my son, i was just hungry
I made this on Saturday. We ALL loved it!!! Mike told me to add it to our list of “regular” meals 😉
I’m thrilled y’all liked it.
What a lot of neat jobs! I wasn’t too sure about this one, but I think you sold me on it. I don’t need to be tricked into eating fish, but this really does sound tasty.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen you make this recipe before. Sounds yummy! I’ll take a new idea on how to prepare tilapia. And you know my hubby…he is a pizza lover! BTW, don’t share this with anyone at Fuzzy’s…they may just steal it!
Definitely gonna have to try this one on my family!
Ok, this is just fishy. Something about it reeks…. of fish. =) What a wonderfully creative idea! It’s no wonder you’ve had such a varied and somewhat “unique” career. I honestly can’t wait to try this! I agree – the pizza topping sold me!
Oooo! It’s like a fish parmegian sub. Brilliant!
Yum! I’ll have to give this a try. My kids and husband LOVE fish… It’s me that needs the pizza topping! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!