Teriyaki Tilapia
Make this sweet and savory Pan Seared Japanese Teriyaki Tilapia in under 20 minutes using a few simple ingredients. It’s low-carb, keto-friendly, and bursting with flavors.
Here are some more fish recipes that you may like – Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia, Fish Fingers, Honey Garlic Fish, Furikake Salmon, and Spicy Baked Basa.
We visited a local fish market here in Bentonville and got some Tilapia fillets to try. Since my kitchen is not fully set up yet, I decided to make this super easy and quick Teriyaki style tilapia that came together quickly with minimal ingredients. It turned out great. You must try it too!
About Teriyaki Tilapia
Teriyaki Tilapia is a flavorful Japanese-inspired dish that can be made for a comforting meal in under 20 minutes.
Tilapia filets are pan-seared and drizzled with a sweet and savory sauce made using soy sauce, mirin, and a few other ingredients to make this dish.
Instead of pan-searing the pan, you can grill it in an oven or an air fryer.
Serve this easy-to-make dish alongside aromatic rice and some stir-fried bok choy or veggies for a quick dinner or as a side dish with weekend brunch.
Ingredients
Tilapia Fillets – I have used fresh boneless Tilapia fillets in this recipe, but you can use frozen fillets too. Make sure to thaw them before using them. You can also make the recipe with tilapia steaks or tilapia loins instead.
Make sure to source tilapia raised in a clean environment.
For The Sauce – The sweet-savory sauce is prepared with fresh garlic, soy sauce, sake (or rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar), granulated sugar, mirin (or white wine), sesame oil, cornstarch, and water.
Oil – Use any cooking oil you prefer.
For Garnishing – Scallions (spring onion greens) add a nice crunch with a pop of green color to the fish.
How To Make Teriyaki Tilapia
Rinse 5-6 boneless tilapia fillets with water and drain well.
Pat them using paper tissues and set them aside.
Add the following ingredients to a small bowl and whisk them until combined. Set aside.
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Sake (or rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tablespoon Mirin (or white wine)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon water
Heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil in a large flat pan over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, arrange the tilapia fillets on the pan in a single layer and fry until lightly browned and crisp from both sides.
Note – Fry in batches if the pan is small.
Remove the pan-seared fillets on a plate and set aside.
Add 2 teaspoon minced garlic to the same pan and saute until lightly fragrant (about 30 seconds).
Pour in the sauce and cook until it thickens into a shiny glaze (about 1-2 minutes), stirring very frequently.
Pour the sauce over the tilapia fillets.
Garnish with chopped spring onion greens (scallions) slices and serve hot!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can. Any firm white fish works great in this recipe. Some of my other favorites are snapper, grouper, cod, halibut, pollock, etc. The time of cooking may differ depending on the size of the fillet.
Yes, you can. Spray oil over the basket of the air fryer. Arrange the fillet on the air fryer’s basket in a single layer. Air fry at 360°F (180°C) for 7-8 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Yes, you can. Arrange the fish in a baking tray in a single layer and bake in a preheated oven at 360°F (180°C) for 10-12 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Teriyaki Tilapia can be served as a main course for lunch, dinner, or brunch. It tastes the best when served with instant pot white jasmine rice and some stir-fried bok choy, No Breading Air Fryer Zucchini, or Chinese Zucchini Stir Fry on the side.
Apart from jasmine rice, you can also serve it with basmati rice.
You can also try it with some noodles on the side – Quick stir fried kimchi noodles, Chicken Hakka noodles, Japanese hibachi noodles, or Cantonese pan fried noodles.
Storage Suggestions
You can store the leftover fish in an airtight container for about 3-4 days in the fridge. Reheat in microwave, pan, or oven (250°F for 8-10 minutes) until nice and hot.
If you want to freeze this dish, I suggest pan frying the fillets and freezing them and make the sauce fresh.
To freeze, place the pan fried fillets on a tray in a single layer and freeze until frozen solid. Transfer them to a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag, and freeze them for about a month.
Defrost overnight in the fridge or for a few hours over the counter before reheating.
Make the sauce fresh and drizzle it over the fillets.
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Teriyaki Tilapia Recipe
Ingredients
- 5-6 boneless tilapia fillets
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons Sake (or rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons Mirin (or white wine)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
Instructions
- Rinse the tilapia fillets with water and drain well.
- Pat them using paper tissues and set them aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, soy sauce, sake, mirin, cornstarch, sesame oil, and water until combined. Set aside.
- Heat cooking oil in a large flat pan over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, arrange the tilapia fillets on the pan in a single layer and fry until lightly browned and crisp from both sides.
- Note – Fry in batches if the pan is small.
- Remove the pan-seared fillets on a plate and set aside.
- Add minced garlic to the same pan and saute until lightly fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Pour in the sauce and cook until it thickens into a shiny glaze (about 1-2 minutes), stirring very frequently.
- Pour the sauce over the tilapia fillets.
- Garnish with chopped spring onion greens (scallions) slices and serve hot!
I love the recipe but how can I get the same results if I bake it and stir fry some noodles w/shredded cabbage and green onions? Mind you I also use Asian noodles but which one would be a great choice to use for this dish.
Hi Debbie, I suggest cooking the tilapia separately as mentioned in the recipe and then topping it over cooked and stir fried noodles. Too much handling will break it down.
thank you for your response, and ohhhh yeah man don’t I know it. Once you bake or steam, fry that tilapia there is very minimal handling you do to that fish because it’s so delicate. And yes I was definitely going to follow the recipe to the “T” I love fish and love to eat it with Asian noodles w/ green onions. Again Thanks for the tip keep cranking out those easy wonderful recipes and I’ll keep cooking them and trying them out and thank you for the lighter verses of cooking meaning not heavy with a bunch of oils. Been working well with my weight loss and I care not to have that weight back if you know what I mean Lol 😆😆😆😆 Love yea keep doing what you do. You make many happy 😁 have a great rest of your summer ⛱️🌞
I made this based on Michael’s review…the sauce is to die for…I could just drink it…it was great over the tilapia and a side of rice…I added some steam broccoli as another side…this will be made again…thanks for sharing your recipe…
I love tilapia and I think I found a new favorite way to cook it. Very easy recipe. I cut it down for two no problem. Loved the sauce, nice sweet/salt balance. I think the sauce would work with salmon fillets too.