This Baked Rosemary Parmesan Crusted Fish is bursting with flavor and crunch! It's the ultimate fish recipe for a quick weeknight dinner, with just a few ingredients!
It's beyond time to level up your everyday baked fish and try this parmesan fish. You'll need your fish of choice, rosemary, parmesan, olive oil, garlic, and panko, to make this juicy recipe!
This crispy parmesan fish is with no mayo, making it a healthier alternative than most recipes out there.
I like to cook Mediterranean style since that's what my upbringing consisted of - so I make healthier alternatives when I can. Never sacrificing the flavor. Flavor is just as important as health!
I love having this recipe with my go to pickled beet salad, or tabouli. A big shout out to my other favorite crusted fish recipes, like this pesto crusted salmon and furikake crusted salmon recipes that are crunchy goodness.
Table of Contents
Rosemary Parmesan Crusted Fish
This Parmesan Baked Fish is one the easiest dishes for a busy night. All it takes is mixing the crust ingredients in a bowl and packing it on top of the fish, then baking it until it's flaky and moist on the inside, but crispy on the outside.
It's one of our go-to crusted fish recipe for a family dinner and for guests!
What Fish to Use For This Recipe
Any rockfish or whitefish would work great in this recipe, you will need to adjust the baking time depending on the size of your catch.
I've used a Cabezon, which is a sculpin variety, as well as a Halibut so far.
Being on the coast, we get a variety of fish to try, whether we catch them ourselves or our fishermen friends gift them to us, there's a ton to choose from! I can't wait to try Cod next, I think that would be a great dish!
You can use any rockfish or white fish for this Parmesan Crusted Fish recipe. Pick your favorite, and crab the ingredients, this recipe comes together so easily and the output is so worth it!
How To Prepare Fish For This Recipe
This recipe is as simple as it gets. You can easily bake a whole fillet and cut to serve.
To prep the fish:
- Rinse it off under cold running water.
- Pat dry with a paper towel.
- If the skin is still on, remove it prior to cooking.
What Dish To Bake Fish In?
Bake fish on a baking sheet or use a baking dish for smaller fish to avoid overcooking. A baking dish tends to cook the fish more evenly, and won't overcook the smaller fish.
I do like to cook some of my fish in a baking sheet - so it totally depends on the type of fish.
Ingredients For This Recipe
- White Fish Fillet. Use Halibut, Cod, Tilapia, or rockfish even. I have used a sculpin variety to make this recipe and it turned out perfect, just need a little more time for the bigger fillets. Cook until the internal temp is 145 and the crust is golden. It's the perfect recipe to enhance the flavor and texture of your catch!
- Parmesan. Use fresh or pre-shredded parmesan, completely up to you.
- Panko. For gluten-free folks, look for GF panko. Panko adds the best crunch to this recipe.
- Rosemary. Oh boy. This is the money-maker ingredient that brings this whole dish together and creates the perfect flavor to such an addicting crunchy crust. Don't skip out on it! Rosemary shines through beautifully in this recipe and is the best way to level up other garlic parm-crusted fish.
- Garlic. Fresh garlic is best used for a strong garlic flavor.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is the good stuff. I love using extra virgin olive oil in dishes to create a healthier alternative for other fats. Some use mayo, but I find that olive oil works like a charm and adds a subtle flavor.
- Salt and pepper. If you're sodium sensitive, you can decrease the salt, or add to taste. I tend to put a few heavy sprinkles of each.
Follow the instructions in the recipe card for a step-by-step.
How To Bake White Fish
- To prep the oven, move a shelf closer to the top and preheat to 400F.
- Pour ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil on a baking sheet.
- Prepare the coating in a medium-sized bowl and press it onto the fish. You want to be sure it sticks on the entire top. I don't crust the bottom of the fish.
- Bake uncovered until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature of the fish is 145F.
How Long Do You Bake White Fish?
Bake time for fish depends greatly on the size of your fillet and your oven. You will need to use the recipe as your guide, but be sure to check the temperature of your fish to ensure proper cooking.
My guide for baking white fish:
Bake white fish until the internal temperature reaches 135F typically with the oven on 400F for about 13-15 minutes uncovered depending on the size of your fish.
For individual fillets, you will need significantly less time. High heat is necessary to get a golden crust.
FAQ
Whitefish is a general term for most species of fish that have white flesh.
Some examples of white fish include halibut, bass, cod, tilapia, flounder, snapper, and catfish. Most white fish are great for pan-searing and baking with added flavors.
A Cabezon fish isn't your normal catch of the day. It's a sculpin variety that looks very similar to lingcod; a rockfish variety. They are typically hiding out in kelp beds. And Cabezons sure like their sleep, because they tend to not move much.
We've mistaken them for wood more times than we can count, though they're one of the weirdest looking fish!
We have been catching Cabezon fish more often this summer, and their meat couldn't be tastier. They're white once cooked, but while raw they have a pink flesh tone.
A Cabezon provides a lot more meat than your average catch. Their meat has large flakes once cooked and is thick compared to other fish.
If you are lucky enough to catch a Cabezon, definitely give this Rosemary Parmesan Crusted Fish recipe a try.
There are various techniques to creating a crust on a baked fish, my favorite is with olive oil, parmesan, and panko mixture. My full recipe is absolutely foolproof.
What To Pair With Baked Rosemary Parmesan Crusted Fish
Side dish: Roasted potatoes, Tabouli salad, pita, and my Silky Hummus or the absolute best beet salad - my Mediterranean Beet Salad recipe.
Dessert: A light and fruity dessert work great. My favorite easy dessert is angel food cake, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream.
More Fish Recipes
More Seafood Recipes
- Crab Omelette
- Easy Crab Boil
- Clam Chowder (pacific coast style)
- Crab Rangoon
- Fresh Crab Tacos
- Clam Jalapeno Poppers (are such a hit!)
Rosemary Parmesan Crusted Fish
Ingredients
- 1 large white fish fillet cod, cabezon, snapper, rock fish, ling cod, etc.
- ¾ cup parmesan shredded
- ½ cup panko
- 3½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- sprinkle of salt and pepper
- 1 lemon ½ squeezed to serve, rest for garnish
Instructions
- To prep your oven, move one rack to the 3rd level and preheat oven to 400F.
- In a medium bowl, mix parmesan, panko, 3 tablespoon olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a baking sheet, pour ½ tablespoon of olive oil and place the fish on top.
- Scoop and firmly press the parmesan mixture to the top of the fish.
- Bake uncovered until the top is crispy and golden, and the internal temp is 135F. About 12-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish and how cold it was before cooking.
- Finish by squeezing fresh lemon juice from half a lemon onto the fish. Garnish with the rest of the lemon and a few sprigs of rosemary and cut to serve immediately.
Notes
- Use any white fish such as Tilapia, Cod, Halibut, etc.
- Baking times vary depending on the size of your fish.
- If you use individual fillets, the time will be less.
Jennifer J
Made it for dinner and everyone loved it!
Suzy Sakamoto
I'm so glad! It's one of our favorite fish recipes!
Julie
Perfectly crispy! Will be my go-to recipe! I used to on sheepshead. Can't wait to try it on grouper and snapper. I think it would be versatile too, e.g., replace rosemary with lemon and dill or go N.O. with Cajun sessonings. The possibilities are numerous!
Suzy Sakamoto
Thank you so much, Julie! I'm so happy to hear it'll be your go-to fish recipe! Let me know how you like it with grouper and snapper.
Leia
I made this recipe with some Rock fish and oh my, it was heavinly! I don't use gluten so I made the crust with course homemade GF sourdough bread crumbs. I paired it with a chef type salad and roasted potatos with The Perfect Tides amazing Toum sauce. The whole family ate with smiles on our face. I love recipes like these that explode with flavor, everyone will eat, and makes you feel like eating at home is so much better than eating out. This was the perfect find!
Suzy Sakamoto
Yum! It sounds like the best Thursday night fish dinner!
Grant
We just made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I absolutely love the crunchy topping!
Suzy Sakamoto
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Gina
This recipe is an absolute winner! The fish stays so juicy, and the crust is perfectly crispy! So delicious!
Suzy Sakamoto
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Mei
I recently made this, it was one word: INCREDIBLE!! I loved it so much, and definitely want it to be a staple in my house. I’m excited to make it again!
Suzy Sakamoto
Thank you, Mei! I'm so happy the family loved this recipe. It's crunchy goodness :).