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    Home » Recipes » Grilling

    Seasoned Grilled Tilapia

    Published: Jun 29, 2022 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Jump to Recipe - Pin Recipe
    The grilled tilapia is on a blue plate next to a cob of corn.

    Grilled tilapia is an easy healthy recipe to make for a quick family dinner. Choose from a spicy or mild seasoning blend and serve the grilled fish on a bun for a sandwich or on a platter with fresh sides like rice and corn.

    The grilled tilapia is on a dinner plate with a dollop of dill aoli, red rice, and a cob of corn.

    Summer is my favorite time for grilling fresh fish because all the aromas of our dinner stay outside the house.

    My kids are huge fans of fresh grilled tilapia on cedar planks. I season them with a variety of options to keep things interesting.

    Sometimes we make grilled fish sandwiches on toasted buns, other times I serve it with my favorite baked red rice and sweet corn on the cob.

    No matter how you enjoy it, learning how to grill tilapia is going to be a dinner skill you'll turn to again and again.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Where to Buy the Best Fish
    • Prep the Tilapia for the Grill
    • Best Seasonings for Tilapia
    • How to Grill Tilapia
    • Best Sauces for Tilapia
    • Serving Suggestions
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    The raw fresh tilapia is waiting to be prepared.

    This versatile grilling recipe requires the tiniest list of ingredients! All you need to have on hand is:

    • Fresh Tilapia Fillets, Skinless
    • Olive Oil
    • Seasoning Blend: See notes below on options
    • Sauces for Serving: Optional

    Mix and match the spices and sauces to make entirely new recipes you'll love.

    Where to Buy the Best Fish

    Tilapia fillets are often sold in the freezer section of grocery stores but I vastly prefer fresh fish from my local seafood grocer.

    Thankfully, tilapia is a very affordable fish and a great way to experiment with cooking fresh fish for the first time.

    If you don't have a fresh seafood store, try to find tilapia in the seafood department of the grocery store near you (not the freezer department.)

    Plan one fillet per person as you plan your meal.

    Prep the Tilapia for the Grill

    If you want to grill tilapia without it falling apart on the grill, you need to use wooden grilling planks.

    I buy a big bulk package of cedar grilling planks at Costco at the start of every summer. You can also find them right here.

    Before you prep the fish, plan ahead and soak your cedar planks in clean water in your kitchen sink to prevent burning on the grill.

    Cedar planks are soaking in water in a kitchen sink.

    I soak the planks for 2 hours and sometimes they need to be weighed down with a pot so they submerged and soak up the water.

    Don't remove the planks from the water until just before you plan to grill the fish.

    Gently drain off the excess water from the surface and then line up the fresh tilapia in a single layer on the hydrated cedar planks:

    The tilapia are in a single layer on the cedar planks and a pastry brush is ready to brush them with olive oil.

    Brush the tilapia fillets with a little bit of olive oil so that they get nice browned edges and the seasoning blend you use will stick a little better.

    Best Seasonings for Tilapia

    The seasoning blends have been sprinkled over the tilapia.

    I love using prepared spice blends for our fish. Some of my favorite seasonings for tilapia include:

    • Creole Seasoning: Mostly herby, not too spicy.
    • Cajun Seasoning: More spicy but not hot.
    • Blackened Seasoning: A little more spicy but excellent if you're making sandwiches with a creamy spread.
    • Lemon Pepper: Lemon is always a great choice for pairing with fish.

    If you don't want to use a prepared spice blend, you could sprinkle on a little seasoned salt, thyme, or rosemary. Add a pinch of cayenne if you want some heat.

    Lemon juice and Dijon mustard would also make excellent flavor pairings with the tilapia.

    How to Grill Tilapia

    Preheat the grill to 450°.

    Place the tilapia on the cedar planks directly on the grill grate. Close the grill lid and cook for about 10 minutes.

    The fish should be slightly charred around the edges and flake easily when you prick it with a fork at the thickest part.

    It will read 145°F with a probe thermometer.

    The cedar planks have been transferred to the grill to cook.

    NOTE: The olive oil may cause small flames on the boards. Use long handled grill-safe tongs to adjust the planks away from heat to help reduce the flames.

    Best Sauces for Tilapia

    If you want to make an amazing grilled tilapia sandwich, you may prefer to add a spread of this spicy sandwich sauce to the bun.

    If you want to make a grilled tilapia salad, you may want to drizzle a touch of cilantro lime dressing or lemon parmesan vinaigrette.

    This sweet mojito salsa is an amazing topping for grilled tilapia eaten with a side of herbed rice but this pineapple salsa would taste amazing with the bacon in my Savannah red rice.

    For a more elegant way to serve the tilapia, you could make this easy 10-minute parmesan cream sauce recipe, too.

    • A small pitcher of parmesan cream sauce has fresh basil sprinkled over the top and a spoon.
      Parmesan Cream Sauce
    • Yellow mojito salsa is drizzled over a spicy grilled tilapia on a blue plate next to a serving of white rice.
      Sweet Mojito Salsa
    • A mason jar of homemade spicy sauce in front of sliced bread.
      Spicy Sauce for Sandwiches
    • A mason jar filled with lemon parmesan vinaigrette sits in front of a salad.
      Lemon Parmesan Vinaigrette

    Serving Suggestions

    The grilled tilapia on a blue plate with a scoop of red rice and a cob of corn.

    We love to eat grilled tilapia with a simple rice side dish. This southern-style red rice recipe is the perfect pair but the easy herb butter rice is always a hit, too.

    If you want to add a veggie, steamed corn on the cob, roasted peppers and pineapple, or my favorite spicy roasted sweet potatoes are all a perfect match.

    • The finished baked rice dish with tomato and bacon has a spoon ready to serve.
      Baked Red Rice with Bacon
    • A white bowl is filled with herb butter rice and a spoon.
      Instant Pot Herb Butter Rice
    • A serving bowl of roasted pineapple and pepper chunks sits in front of a roasting pan with spatula.
      Roasted Peppers and Pineapple
    • A metal baking sheet has chopped and roasted sweet potatoes scattered on it.
      Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

    📖 Recipe

    The grilled tilapia is on a dinner plate with a dollop of dill aoli, red rice, and a cob of corn.

    Grilled Tilapia

    5 from 1 vote
    This is the easiest way to grill tilapia without it falling apart. Season it with your choice of spice blends for a healthy dinner. The seasoned tilapia is perfect on its own or made into a fish sandwich.
    TOTAL TIME 45 minutes
    PREP TIME 5 minutes
    Additional Time 30 minutes
    COOK TIME 10 minutes
    YIELD 4 servings
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 fresh tilapia fillets
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 - 3 teaspoons seasoning blend of choice See Notes for Ideas

    Instructions

    • To cook the tilapia so that it doesn't fall apart on the grill, you will need to soak cedar plank grilling boards in clean water in your kitchen sink for 30 minutes to 2 hours before you cook the fish. See blog post above for more information if needed.
    • Place the raw tilapia directly on the cedar planks in a single layer with about 1 inch of space between each fillet. You should be able to fit 2 - 3 fillets per board.
    • Brush each fillet with olive oil and the sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the top.
    • Preheat the grill to 450°F.
    • Place the cedar planks with tilapia directly on the grill rack and close the lid. Cook for 10 minutes or until the fish has crisped edges and flakes easily with a fork at the thickest part. It should be cooked to 145°F.
    • NOTE: Check the fish ever 5 minutes as it cooks. The boards are likely to have flames when the olive oil meets the grill heat. You may need to use long tongs to adjust the boards' positions to reduce the flames.

    Recipe Notes

    The Best Seasonings for Tilapia:

    Any of your favorite seafood seasoning blends would work for this recipe.
    Our favorites are:
    • Creole Seasoning: Mostly herby, not spicy.
    • Cajun Seasoning: A little more heat but not too spicy.
    • Blackened Seasoning: More spicy, great choice for fish sandwiches with creamy sauce.
    If you don't want to use a pre-mixed spice blend, you can sprinkle a few dashes of each of the following:
    • dried thyme
    • paprika (for color)
    • garlic salt
    • pepper
    • cayenne pepper for some heat

    HELPFUL TOOLS

    Spiceology - Black Magic - Cajun Blackening Blend - Cajun Dry Rub All Purpose Seasoning - 4.4 ounces
    12 Pack Cedar Planks for Grilling Fish - Sourced and Made in The USA
    COURSESeafood
    CUISINEAmerican
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

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    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

    More about me →

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