Tilapia Recipe with diced tomatoes and onions is a quick, easy, light, 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 low carb, high in protein, and even gluten-free. Want another simple, delicious tilapia meal? Check out my Garlic Butter Baked Tilapia!

overhead view of a white skillet containing tilapia in a tomato sauce.
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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.

Ingredients To Make Tilapia Recipe

  • Extra virgin olive oil — Avocado oil will also work great!
  • Produce — White onion and canned diced tomatoes or chopped cherry tomatoes.
  • Seasonings — I like to keep things simple with salt and black pepper. But of course, you can add some paprika, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and other kinds of spices you prefer.
  • Optional — For a bit of extra flavor and color, you can add some chopped parsley and sliced green olives if desired. Also, lemon slices are good here, too or even a little bit of fresh lemon juice or lemon zest.

Instructions to Make Tilapia Recipe

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 it to the skillet. Stir and sauté for about 5 minutes until it softens and becomes translucent.

Add tilapia and tomatoes:

  • 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, squeeze a little bit of lime juice, serve and enjoy!
overhead view of a white skillet containing tilapia in a tomato sauce.

What To Serve With this Tilapia Recipe

Wondering what to serve with your tilapia recipe? Thankfully, this quick main course meal pairs seamlessly with many sides.

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 diced tomatoes! 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 tilapia recipe but you can certainly mix things up and use additional spices from your cabinet.  

Tilapia Recipe

3.85 from 73 votes
Author: Olivia Ribas
Servings3 people
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Tilapia recipe with diced tomatoes and onions is a quick, easy, light, 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.

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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.

Notes

  • 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/3, Calories: 254kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 335mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Olivia Ribas

Welcome

Hi, I'm Olivia


I’m so happy you’re here!! For the last 11 years, I’ve been sharing easy, quick, and family-friendly recipes like chicken, salmon, ground meat and pork chops (total reader favorites!), perfect for stress-free weeknight dinners made with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

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3.85 from 73 votes (59 ratings without comment)

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50 Comments

  1. Christine says:

    Can you use chicken cutlets for this recip?

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Yes you can.

  2. Pat says:

    I love this recipe! I have trouble cooking fish but this was easy and you can add so many things to mix it up. Based on the other comments,I threw in garlic and fresh spinach. Fantastic!

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      So happy you liked it!

  3. Karey Hogan says:

    Can I substitute any other fish in this recipe?

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Yes you can use any other white fish you prefer.

  4. Will says:

    Delicious, really easy we loved it ! Will definitely make again . We love simple, easy, delicious recipes .

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      So happy you liked it!! Thanks for stopping by 😉

  5. sb says:

    Wonderful and simple. V tasty. Used red onions and slicer tomatoes chopped instead. Added tomato puree 1 heaped tea spoon per recipe. Cooked it a few minutes till smell disappeared and then added fish. ~5 minutes thereafter good. Used large pan and a pound of fish. Increased ingredients proportionally. Hv a grt day. Thx.

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Sounds delicious! Love the tweaks you made. Thanks for sharing, and have a great day! 😊