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 so tasty, and so simple. It is my absolute favorite fish recipe I’ve tried so far. Thank you!!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it Amy, thanks so much for trying my recipe and coming back to let me know! N x
This was awesome! I used basa fillets and I cooked it in the oven at 400F for about 15 minutes. The fish was flaky and it browned up nicely! Will definitely be adding this to the weekly dinner rotation!
I’m so glad to hear that, thanks Kristen!!! 🙂
I just made this and it was delicious. I only had some honey mustard so I used that, the sweetness of the honey made it so tasty. Easy and quick recipe. Totally recommend.
Woo hoo! So glad you enjoyed it Deborah!! Super easy, isn’t it??? 🙂
I am definitely going to try dish. I was so glad to find this. When you steak the fish, do you steak both sides or one side only?
Hi Eija! Sorry, not sure what you mean by “steak the fish”?? In this recipe only the top is crumbed and it is broiled/grilled 🙂
So, it is done in the oven. Great. Easier.
Fry pan and “I use the stove / broiling method because I find that it makes the crumbs more golden”
made me think that you first steak the fish on the stove and then broil.
🙂 N x
I made this a couple of weeks ago, and it was delicious! My hubby said it was the best fish I have ever cooked. So, I’m making this again tonight with some codfish that I have in the freezer. May I ask you what is rocket that you served with it?
I’m glad you enjoyed this Ginger! Thanks for coming back to let me know 🙂 Rocket is a type of lettuce leaf 🙂 It tastes sort of peppery, I love it, nice zing!
If from the States, rocket is also known as arugula. I had to learn the different names of things when I moved to the UK. Growing pains. 😉
Nagi, I just found your blog and have a few of your recipes ready to try out this weekend (including this one). Thank you for all the delicious ideas/recipes! 🙂
Hi Sarita, so glad you found me! Thanks for the tip re: rocket vs arugula, different names can be confusing! 🙂 N x
Hi, Can I use Tilapia on this recipe??
You sure can Lourdes! 🙂
Ohhh Nagisan, I have just seen this on FB page. Looks delicious!! I need to eat more fish and that will be this recipe. Thank you for sharing:D
Oooh I hope you do try it!!! No coriander in this….te he he!!
Looks delicious. If making a lot for company, can i cook them in a pan ahead of time and put them under the broiler just before serving? I’m always looking for “do ahead” recipes. Thank youl
Hi Gloria! This cooks pretty quickly and fish doesnt reheat so great so actually, I would recommend that you assemble them on trays, cover and refrigerate. Then stick it under the broiler to cook just before serving 🙂
I just made this recipe tonight for dinner and it is delicious! Followed the directions closely and it turned out perfectly! We used a honey dijon mustard dressing and it was a nice touch! Will be making this again soon!!
Thank you Niki! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
I just wanted you to know that I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! My foodie husband said it was excellent and the best fish that I’ve ever made. I had to make one tiny tweak since I didn’t have any dijon mustard in the house and I used a bit of mayo in it’s place. Thank you so much for sharing this!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Amee! Thank you so much for letting me know! And mayo is a perfect sub – I actually have recipes on my blog where I use a similar technique using mayo! 🙂
the protein is that for one piece or two pieces
One piece. 🙂
OMG!!! Thank you! Thankyou ! Thankyou For sharing this FANTASTIC recipe! The only thing I changed was I used spicy mustard because I didn’t have any Dijon on hand. But OMG! This was oh so good! Thanks again
Hi Christine! I’m SO GLAD you enjoyed it!! Thank you very much for taking the time to come back and let me know. And spicy mustard would probably make this even BETTER! 😉
This looks fantastic! Are there any substitutions for mustard that you could recommend?
Hi Nat! Hmmm…oh, I know! Horseradish cream! 🙂 That will be the closest substitute!
Love fish prepped this way. I never thought of using mustard before though. Or mixing olive oil with the crumb mixture. Yours looks so much nicer!