10 minute, insanely EASY Fish Recipe with high returns for very minimal effort! This Parmesan Crumbed Fish has a crunchy golden garlicky crumb – and guess what? NO MESSY DREDGING.
Bonus: Super healthy fish recipe, clocking in at at just 260 calories per serving!
EASY Fish recipe!
I love a good crispy Pan Fried Fish, and sure it only takes 7 minutes to make but we all have those days when we just can’t deal with flour dusting and stove-top oil splatter. Right??
So this Parmesan Crusted Fish is a recipe that I came up with in my former corporate days. I called it an Emergency Fish recipe because it’s one of the most effortless fish dinners I know – if not THE most effortless – with high returns for very small effort and the added bonus that it’s healthy.
For 3 minutes of your time, this is what I can give you:
perfectly cooked juicy fish
crunchy golden garlicky parmesan crumb (it’s so delicious, you’ll want to eat it straight out of the bowl!)
no stove mess
wholesome, made from scratch
a fish dinner that’s incredibly quick ‘n easy yet makes no sacrifices on the deliciousness factor!
The way I cook this fish is a little unorthodox – but it’s a highly effective, no fail method!
My emergency Easy Fish Recipe: how to make it
Once you see how I make this, you’ll understand why it’s my Emergency Fish recipe!!
Parmesan Crumb – Shove a couple of garlic cloves through a garlic crusher, mix with store bought grated parmesan (the sandy type), breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and swish of oil. Parsley is totally optional here!
Mustard “glue” – Spread mustard on the fish, just like buttering toast! The mustard is our glue for the crumb (avoid messy dredging in egg) as well as adding some flavour;
Press fish into crumb mixture;
Marvel at how it sticks on perfectly!
Lay into PREHEATED skillet and pop under broiler/grill OR bake it- preheating the skillet cooks the fish on the underside while the heat elements cook it from the top and makes the crumb beautifully golden;
5 minutes later, marvel (again!) at how beautifully golden the crumb is and how perfectly the fish is cooked!
What you need
And here’s what you need for my Emergency Easy Fish recipe.
Parsley is optional! And any fish will work here, though anything thicker than 2cm / 4/5″ thick should be cooked in the oven rather than using the broiler/grill (directions in recipe).
Super fast fish recipe
This fish recipe can be cooked in under the grill/broiler OR in the oven, but my preferred method is using the boiler for 2 reasons:
it’s faster – a 2 cm / 4/5″ thicken white fish fillet will cook in 5 – 6 minute flat., about half the time it takes in the oven; and
the closer contact to the heat source makes the crumb wonderfully golden without overcooking the fish. If you use the oven, you can either flick the broiler on at the end, or if you want a really golden crumb, use my method to toast the breadcrumbs in the oven before crumbing the fish, like I do for my baked Homemade Filet-O-Fish.
What to serve with Parmesan Crumbed Fish
This fish is pictured in post served over Creamy Mashed Cauliflower because I had it on hand (loving having a tub of it on standby!) but in my corporate days, this Garlic White Bean Mash In A Flash was a regular.
But honestly, for a quick meal, toast up some bread, grab a handful of leafy greens, drizzle with oil and lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper – and voila!
Dinner. On the table in 10 minutes! – Nagi x
More fish recipes
Watch how to make it
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Healthy Parmesan Garlic Crumbed Fish
Ingredients
- 2 firm white fish fillets (about 5 oz / 150g each), skin off, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard (sub mayo)
- Olive oil spray
- Salt and pepper
Crumb
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp parsley , finely chopped
- 1/3 cup (30g) parmesan , finely grated
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat grill / broiler on high.
- Combine the Crumb ingredients and mix well to combine.
- Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper, then spread the mustard on the top of each fillet (top only).
- Press the mustard smeared side of the fish into the crumb mixture. Press down firmly to make it stick. Then spray with oil (for extra golden crumb!).
- Drizzle 1/2 tbsp oil in a skillet and preheat on the stove over high heat.
- Once skillet is hot, place the fillets in the hot pan then place under the grill / broiler (about 5"/15cm from the heat source) for 5 – 6 minutes until the crumb is golden and the fish is cooked, rotating as required. Fish should flake in centre once cooked.
- Oven option: bake at 220C/390F for 10 – 12 minutes, then finish under the grill/broiler on high to make the crumb golden.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published July 2014. Updated with new photos, new writing, brand new video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
When you close the door on Dozer:
This was excellent! Nagi is a genius.
My prep took longer than estimated because: *I needed to pull off the skin of a center cut piece of fresh Atlantic salmon (1.5lbs). I did not cut it into indiv portions. *I found that I did not have regular mustard so I used dijon mustard and mixed in some mayo (50/50). What a delight! *Cooked at 400 degrees for 20 min. Flesh was moist and perfectly cooked. *I melted 2 tablespoons butter, added minced garlic and some lemon juice and used that to “dress” the platter that the salmon was on. It was so delicious.
This was delicious and so easy to make, I used barramundi fillets! Paired it with Nagi cauliflower mash and some broccoli and it was perfect.
Love this recipe. So quick and easy. Great with NZ Hoki.
I have made this several times. Easy and delicious! One of my family’s favorites. I used tilapia loins that are a thicker cut than the fillets. Because they are thicker, I bake them for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Yum!
I was looking for a light and easy everyday recipe for cod. I dread eating plain cod, it’s so boring. This recipe did the trick! Parmesan + mustard + lemon is delicious. I had to ditch the garlic because I can’t eat allium, used a tsp of lemon rind and half a tbsp of Italian fish sauce in its place. It worked well!
Really delicious, Couldn’t be easier. Thank you
Hi Nagi,
I loved this recipe. I used Baja fish fillets. They were on the thinner side so I cooked them in less time in the oven and finished under the broiler. The fish released some water while being baked – so my cooked fillets were a touch soggy. What did I do wrong? Any advice? Thanks.
We tried it & loved it! Going to try that crumb mix on some chicken too.
Maybe I missed it. What did you drizzle on the fished fish before the lemon?
This recipe is so delicious, quick and easy, absolutely loved it! I made it with rockling and will definitely do it again. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for your wonderful talents with recipes! I’ve made this twice and both times, it’s absolutely delicious and so EASY!!
Question – is there something I can sub for the mustard? My son has a mustard allergy (odd I know). What else could I use to make it stick? Mayo?
Beautiful Nagi! I got some 90% off Basa fillets and everyone told me basa was gross, but I did this recipe without the parmesan and it was stunning. So easy too. Every other recipe wanted lemon and I have none so this was great!
Hi Nagi, LOVE your recipes, made this one a bit healthier/keto using almond meal instead of panko crumbs, was just delicious! And thank you for all your notes, really helps to know the ‘why’ not just the ‘how’.
That’s great to hear Lindy!! N x
Wondering how I was going to cook some thawed cod fillets for a quick and easy dinner I thought to check your website for ideas. So glad I did. This was yummy. I served it with a simple Greek salad and some oven baked chips.This will be a regular go-to meal during summer. Thank you.
That’s great to hear Debbie!!! N x
Nagi-san, you are my favorite food blogger! Everything I make from your blog is simply delicious!
I made this dish for my family tonight and it was excellent! I was worried the dijon mustard would be spicy for my 3 and 5 year olds, but they gobbled this up before I had a chance to sit..lol!
Every night is an emergency so fast and easy recipes are total life savers!! Please don’t ever stop doing what you do! <3
Delicious & easy, Thankyou!
I used Ling fillets. Delicious & filling. Thanks Nagi xx
Another delicious meal and easy to boot. Served with baked sweet potato, beans and asparagus.
Thanks
I love it! I tried it with about 2 cm thick seabass. 220 Deg c for 10min and its well cooked. The crust wasn’t that crispy but it taste delish! Am definitely cooking this again.
Another tasty winner from Nagi.
In addition to the recipe I added grated lemon rind to the crust and I sat the fish in a shallow drizzle of lemon juice for 2 hrs prior to commencing the pan fry. Result was a wonderful lemony flavour to the fish and a tasty crusty top.