How to Bake Oven Fried Fish

Here’s a healthy oven fried fish recipe that tastes incredible and really easy to make!! How to fry fish in the oven so it’s healthier but still crispy as ever. If you’re looking for a easy way to make homemade fish sticks this is it. 

Fried Fish in the Oven

This is super easy and a healthy meal I’m sure your family will love to. Since October is National Seafood Month it’s the perfect time to try something new.

If you love air fryer fish sticks, but want a homemade version with that same deep fried crunch, this is the dinner for you.

I honestly don’t know if oven fried fish is what it is technically called but if you’re looking for a crunchy fried fish taste but baked instead this would be it!! This is one of my kids’ favorites.

Oven Frying Fish

With oven baked fish the breading is light, crunchy, yet there is NO frying involved so you get the fish fry taste you love without the added oil. Just the way we like it.

• Pair it with some veggies or cooked calamari and you have a perfect meal using just 5 ingredients in less than 30 minutes!

If you haven’t integrated this flavorful lean meat into your weekly rotation yet I’d do it now! The earlier you get your kids to try new foods the better. Mine are teens now and would choose sushi over just about anything else nowadays. Seriously. 😉

• Now let’s start with a bowl, shallow dish for breading and a rimmed baking sheet for baking. 

If you want to make fish and chips so they’re ready all at the same time you can put frozen fries on a baking sheet with foil. Bake together on 2 different racks and that should be perfect.

How to Fry Fish in the Oven

Now we share here how to cook frozen tilapia in oven. If it is rock hard you won’t be able to bread at the beginning. Instead you can sprinkle some Panko and seasoning on halfway thru. You can get some of the same texture but not all.

It’s a simple process of setting up a sort of assembly line in your kitchen with 3 bowls (or pie plates) with your ingredients. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, parmesan and seasonings.

Then dip each piece of fish into the first flour bowl, then into the egg, cover with your Panko bread crust mixture and you’re ready to put them in the oven. Easy peasy right??  This whole process will take less than 20 minutes.

Oven Fried Fish

Once you’ve dredged your mahi mahi, tilapia or cod fish fillets in the flour and then the egg mixture you will want to make sure you gently flip your piece over to fully coat it with your bread crumb mixture.

Panko style bread crumbs create a crunchy texture when baked. Adding parmesan to the mix gives it a great flavor too! Super easy I’m telling you.

How long do I cook fish?

Well this really depends on how thick it is and how “done” you like it. We are discussing fillets here and any variety of those would work this way. For small pieces you would want to refer to our how long to cook scallops in oven post.

• How long to bake white fish at 400
• Typically you just want fish to flake easily when touched with a fork.
• Color should be white or opaque vs. translucent.
• For this one it takes 12-15 minutes or until fish is lightly golden on top and flaky in the middle.

Oven Fried Fish no Eggs

If you cannot have eggs there are a few other options. Once your fillets are dry you can soak for 15 minutes or so in some heavy cream, that will allow your breadcrumbs to stick well too. Some would rather dip in melted butter or brush some mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt on, all are good alternatives.

1. Baking sheet
   1. sprayed with non stick cooking spray
   2. or brushed with melted butter
2. Fish – we used thawed tilapia, this wouldn’t work when cooking frozen fish
3. Panko bread crumbs
4. Parmesan cheese
5. Eggs
6. Flour
7. Garlic powder
8. Salt
9. Serve with our fish taco sauce or tarter and enjoy

You can even get the kids involved in this recipe. They love the whole assembly line process. Especially if you are trying to introduce fish into your family’s dinner routine it is a great way to get them to take ownership over the meal. A trick to making them browner on the top is just a little spray of olive oil on the top, all you need.

This is how to make hush puppies with Jiffy Mix, they’re great served on the side.

Oven Fried Fish and Chips

When kids can say “I made this” they are typically more willing to try new foods. 😉 Make it even more fun by throwing in another baking sheet with baked French fries on it to pair.

Once you’ve made this and love it, then try oven fried chicken next! It too is lower in saturated fat that the traditional recipes out there and so good too.

• If you have an Instant Pot try one of our pressure cooker baked fish recipes 
• Our frozen fish in air fryer or salmon recipes are fabulous with a squeeze of lemon juice on top and tartar sauce on the side.
• Then try our air fryer catfish or air fryer fish nuggets that are lightly breaded.
• Or no breading with air fryer teriyaki salmon.