3-Ingredient tilapia fish with diced tomatoes and onions is a quick, easy, healthy, and delicious dinner. It’s something the whole family will enjoy! Plus, you can make this dish in just 20 minutes using only one skillet, perfect for a busy weeknight.
This recipe is also healthy! It’s low carb, high in protein and even gluten free. Want another simple, nutritious tilapia meal? Be sure to check out my Garlic Butter Baked Tilapia!
If you’re in the mood for fish, I’ve got lots of yummy recipes you can try!
You can’t go wrong with flaky Oven Baked Salmon or Dijon Mustard Salmon. My Brazilian Fish Stew is always a winner and so is this Garlic Butter Halibut Fish or Garlic Butter Cod.
How To Make 3-Ingredient Tilapia Fish
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil — Avocado oil will also work great!
- Produce — White onion and canned diced tomatoes.
- Seasonings — I like to keep things simple with salt and black pepper.
- Optional — For a bit of extra flavor and color you can add some chopped parsley and sliced green olives if desired.
Instructions
Heat olive oil:
- Place a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat, then add olive oil and let it heat up.
Sauté onion:
- Slice up your onion and add to the skillet. Stir and sauté for about 5 minutes until it softens and becomes translucent.
Add tilapia and tomatoes:
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- Finally, add diced tomatoes (with juices), thawed tilapia fillets, salt and black pepper.
- Mix ingredients together really well, then cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes until the fish is fully cooked.
Garnish and serve:
- Do a quick taste test and add more salt/pepper if needed, then garnish with fresh chopped parsley and green olives.
- Plate, serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- You can use frozen tilapia in this recipe! It’s a lot easier to find in many places, compared to fresh. Just be sure you let the fish thaw before cooking.
- Look for fish fillets that are similar in size when you do your shopping. This helps with quick, even cooking!
- Don’t overcook your fish. It really doesn’t take long at all for these thin fillets to cook all the way through and if overdone, they can become dry.
- You’ll know the tilapia is done when it easily flakes at the thickest part of the fillet and loses its translucent appearance. You can also use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 145°F.
How To Store Leftovers
To Store: Allow leftovers to cool and transfer them to an airtight container, refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To Freeze: Leftovers are also freezer friendly. Let them cool and place in a Ziploc bag or airtight, freezer-safe container and store frozen for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: Thaw leftovers in the refrigerator overnight (if reheating from frozen). Gently reheat sauce and fish in a pan on the stovetop until warmed through completely.
What To Serve With Tilapia
Wondering what to serve with your tilapia skillet? Thankfully this quick main course meal pairs seamlessly with many sides.
- Soak up extra sauce with white rice, fluffy quinoa, garlic bread, dinner rolls or creamy mashed potatoes. You can also serve this saucy recipe over some fresh roasted spaghetti squash “noodles!”
- Make a quick veggie side! Roasted cauliflower, garlic butter green beans, air fryer brussels sprouts or air fryer asparagus would all be tasty.
- You can’t go wrong with a simple arugula salad, spinach fruit salad, red cabbage salad or Mediterranean salad.
- A few more fun ideas: I also love this skillet with a side of leek kalamata rice, broccoli tots, cheesy cauliflower tots or baked sweet potato fries.
Recipe Variations
Substitute another kind of fish: This recipe would be great with either cod or halibut, both are white fish with a similar mild and sweet flavor profile.
Use flavored diced tomatoes: Instead of plain, canned diced tomatoes use fire roasted or Italian flavored! And if you’ve got some fresh tomatoes hanging around, feel free to dice them up and toss them in.
Experiment with spices: I typically use a simple salt and pepper blend for this recipe but you can certainly mix things up and use additional spices from your cabinet.
Recommended Tools
- Large Skillet. Use one with a lid!
- Small Sharp Knife. For prepping produce.
- Cutting Board. For chopping onion/cilantro.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tilapia has a mild taste, which means it can be seasoned with pretty much anything! Here we’re using simple salt and pepper, though the tomatoes in this recipe add a ton of additional flavor.
Both salmon and tilapia are packed with protein and nutrients. They also both contain a decent amount of omega-3 fatty acids, however, salmon has a lot more.
You can use either fresh or frozen (I generally use frozen). Just be sure to thaw your fish before using it in this recipe.
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3-Ingredient Tilapia Fish Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- ½ medium white onion sliced
- 1 can (500ml) diced tomatoes (with the liquid)
- 2 fresh tilapia filets
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Fresh parsley for garnishing optional
- Green olives for garnishing optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add onion to the skillet. Sauté for 5 minutes until tender.
- Add diced tomatoes, tilapia fillets, salt, and pepper.
- Cover the skillet and cook for about 7-10 minutes until the tilapia is cooked through.
- Top with fresh parsley and olives before serving.
Tips
- If you like easy recipes with fish, seafood and salmon, you will love this list of salmon and shrimp recipes that I made especially for you.
- If you are using frozen tilapia, make sure to fully thaw the fish before cooking with it.
- Try to buy filets that are similar in sizing so they cook evenly.
- Careful not to overcook the fish as it can dry it out.
- Tilapia is done once it flakes easily at the thickest part of the fillet or reaches an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C).
- To store: Store in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- To reheat: Gently reheat the fish and sauce on the stovetop when ready to enjoy.
- To freeze: Always allow the skillet to cool to room temperature before freezing. Freeze the fish and sauce in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Video
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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Pat Conway says
This was delicious and fast! I added a little tarragon and lemon juice. I’ll be making this again!
Olivia says
Awesome 😉
Elizabeth says
So my bf has an imaginary tapeworm….. Im wondering if i could put this over some pasta or what side to have with this to make it more filling for him.
Olivia says
This recipe goes great with pasta, rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice and even roasted vegetables.
Christina Reading says
I fixed this tonight and it is amazing, simple, easy and fast. My daughter has ate two pieces of fish. No left overs tonight. I used garlic cloves instead of onion, we are not big on onions, but it still turned out delicious. I put it over white rice.
Olivia says
That’s awesome. Happy even your daughter enjoyed this recipe. I love Tilapia because it goes well with any type of spices, right?
Ali says
I never leave reviews on online recipes. I was just looking for a way to cook tilapia without lemon juice. I made this for my partner and myself on a whim. I am so glad that I did. It has become both of our favorite ways to have tilapia. Thank you so much for sharing.
Olivia says
That’s absolutely awesome. Happy to hear that. Thanks a lot for your kind review 😉
Linda says
It was delicious and so much flavor. So easy and fast to make.
Olivia says
Awesome 😉
Nancy says
I made this last night and it didn’t disappoint. I used fire-roasted tomatoes, because that’s what I had. I also added a couple cloves of garlic along with the onion. I used both the parsley and olive garnish, and also added fresh basil, since I had some left over from another dish. I served it over rice, and it was fast and tasty.
Olivia says
Your version of my recipe sounds amazing. Thanks for commenting 😉
Barda Newman says
Made it just now. Delicious and easy!
Olivia says
Awesome! thanks for stopping by 😉
Danielle says
Just finished making it! I added black olives as well as some banana peppers. Absolutely Delicious!!
Olivia says
Sounds amazing 😉
katie says
Super easy to make but it ended up tasting so “fishy” if that makes sense. I make tilapia 2-3 times a week and this was the first time i was unable to finish the food cause of the fishy taste. Might try this with shrimp instead cause I like the idea of the recipe
Olivia says
Sorry for that. I don’t understand why that happened. I’ve made this recipe few times and it doesn’t have a fishy taste. But maybe you could sauté the fish before adding diced tomatoes. I hope it helps 😉
Lynn wilson says
Made thes tonight. I have Celiac Disease so it was a great meal. I added fresh spinach with the onions and served it on GF penne pasta. Definitely will make again. Thanks
Olivia says
Spinach and onions go really well in this recipe 😉