Sous Vide Tilapia

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This Sous Vide Tilapia recipe is a quick and easy dinner recipe with tomatoes, olives, white wine and a buttery breadcrumb topping. You need just 8 ingredients and 30 minutes in the sous vide water bath!

When you cook seafood using the sous vide method, flavor and moisture are locked in so you never have to worry about dry or rubbery fish!

That’s why it’s our preferred way to cook seafood like this sous vide cod and sous vide mahi mahi. You get perfect results with minimal effort! 

This tilapia recipe is simple enough for dinner on a busy weeknight and elegant enough for a dinner party. 

And, since the sous vide water bath does most of the work, your time is freed up to relax or prepare side dishes. We love tilapia served with Instant Pot jasmine rice and some air fryer broccoli!

Read: 12+ Sous Vide Fish Recipes

Jump to:

• What is Sous Vide?
• More sous vide seafood recipes
• Why this recipe works
• What is Tilapia?
• Ingredients
• Step by step instructions
• Expert tips
• Common questions
• Serving options for tilapia
• Recipe
• 💬 Comments

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator (i.e. the sous vide machine). This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking and the benefits of sous vide cooking."

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Use a clip (I use sous vide magnets) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.

Tools Used

• Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker
• 12 quart container
• Vacuum sealer
• Vacuum-seal bags

You will also want to check out these posts on the best sous vide containers and the best sous vide bags for more information!

More sous vide seafood recipes

• Sous Vide Halibut
• Sous Vide Salmon
• Sous Vide Tuna
• Sous Vide Shrimp

Why this recipe works

1. Tilapia is a budget friendly fish so you can feed a crowd without spending too much money. Frozen tilapia is also readily available at most grocery stores.
2. Cooking fish in a sous vide water bath locks in moisture, so your fish will never turn out rubbery or dry.
3. This tilapia recipe is packed with flavor. The tomatoes, olives and white wine add a Mediterranean twist and the buttery breadcrumb topping is crisped up in the oven before serving. 

What is Tilapia?

Tilapia is a freshwater white fish with a firm texture and mild flavor. It is native to Africa but is now farmed in many parts of the world. 

Compared to some other types of fish, tilapia is reasonably priced and readily available at grocery stores. Tilapia is usually sold as fillets or loins (which tend to be thicker).

Ingredients

Please refer to the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.

You’ll need 1 pound of tilapia fillets for this recipe. You’ll want the skin removed (it’s normally sold this way) and it can be fresh or frozen.

The fish is cooked with 10 cherry tomatoes that have been cut in half and 15 green olives that have been pitted and halved. You can substitute with grape tomatoes and black olives would also work in a pinch.

You’ll need ¼ cup of white wine for the cooking liquid. I prefer to go with a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc.

Before serving, the tilapia is broiled in the oven with a buttery breadcrumb topping. I used plain breadcrumbs but for extra crunch you can use panko crumbs. 

Step by step instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 110F degrees.

Season the tilapia with salt and place in a vacuum seal bag with tomatoes, olives, olive oil and wine.

Seal and cook in the water bath for 30 minutes.

Mix the melted butter with the breadcrumbs until they are coated.

Remove the fish from the bag, reserving the excess juice.

Place in a shallow baking dish and cover with the reserved tomatoes and olives.

Sprinkle with the buttered breadcrumbs and place under the broiler (low setting) until the breadcrumbs are browned.

**Watch the fish to ensure the breadcrumbs don't burn.

Remove and serve with fresh lemon juice and reserved bag sauce (optional). 

Expert tips

1. To ensure the tilapia fillets cook evenly, make sure they’re all roughly the same size in thickness.
2. If using tilapia loins, they may be thicker and will require extra cooking time in the water bath.
3. When sealing the bag, make sure the air is removed to avoid bacteria getting in the bag.
4. To cook the fish evenly, make sure the sealed bag is completely submerged in the water bath. If it floats, use something heavy like a sous vide sinker weight to weigh it down.
5. You can also open the bag, remove the air and reseal it. This works for vacuum seal bags or ziplock bags.
6. Don’t throw out the bag juice with the cooked tomatoes and olives. You’ll want this to serve over the tilapia.
7. Keep an eye on the fish as it broils in the oven as the breadcrumbs can burn quickly.
8. For added flavor, add a little grated parmesan cheese to the breadcrumb mixture.

Common questions

Serving options for tilapia

• Truffle Mashed Potatoes
• Coconut Jasmine Rice
• Instant Pot Carrots
• Sous Vide Asparagus
• Honey Roasted Parsnips

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