Panko Fried Tilapia

Although I love all kinds of fish, tilapia is one of my favorites. It's a mellow-tasting white fish and it's extremely versatile- and even better, it's very affordable. I had this great recipe for frying catfish that I've used for years and decided to apply the same method to tilapia, and it came out fantastic! You could use this on any similar fish. I highly recommend using the panko breadcrumbs as well. They're much easier to find these days than they used to be; Panko is a Japanese style breadcrumb with a great texture.
What You'll Need:
4 Tilapia fillets
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Oil for frying
salt & pepper
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
What to Do:
- Make a dredging station: place 3 shallow bowls or plates side by side; the first with the flour mixed with the Cajun seasoning, the second with the 2 eggs slightly beaten, and the third with the breadcrumbs.
- Salt & pepper both sides of each tilapia fillet
- Pour oil into a wide skillet, until the oil is about 1/2 inch deep; heat on medium-high heat
- Dredge each fillet in the flour, (one at a time) shaking off any excess, then dip into the egg and coat each side, and lastly place the fillet in the breadcrumbs, making sure each side is covered in a layer of the Panko.
- Cook the fillets two at a time; if you do all four at once you're going to crowd the pan. Place two fillets in the skillet, and do not flip them until the edges of the Panko start to become a golden brown color. Using a wide spatula or tongs, turn each fillet and let them cook on the other side. Keep an eye on the fish, it will take approximately 5 minutes or so to finish on the second side; you'll know it's done when the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
The last time I made Panko fried tilapia I decided to make a sandwich out of them with Italian rolls, lettuce, tomato & guacamole- awesome!