Baked Tilapia and Vegetable Casserole
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You have to try this fish casserole! I knew it was a winner with the first bite. The recipe was given to us by my Mama-in-law and her friend shared it with her. When a recipe gets shared over and over, you know it’s good. Seriously, this is MOUTH-WATERING! It also tastes healthy and light. The tilapia is juicy and flaky without a hint of fishiness.
The sweet veggies complement it beautifully. If you aren’t a fan of tilapia, you can easily substitute your favorite fish and get the same delicious results. I want more! We ate it up real quick! This dish is perfect for company. It is easy to make, smells and tastes delicious and your guests and family will love it.
Tilapia Ingredients:
2 lbs (about 6-10 count) Tilapia fillets, thawed
Olive Oil to saute
1 Tbsp ketchup (several readers had great results with Sriracha instead of ketchup)
1 Tbsp mayo
Marinade Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp Salt and 1/8 tsp Pepper
Vegetable Ingredients:
2 medium bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow)
2 medium/large carrots, julienned or grated
1 medium onion
How to Make Tilapia and Vegetable Casserole:
1. Whisk together marinade ingredients. Combine with tilapia in a large ziploc bag or bowl and marinate in the fridge at least 1 1/2 hours.
2. Slice onions into thin half circles, slice bell pepper into thin strips and julienne or grate carrots. In a large skillet over medium/high, heat 2-3 Tbsp oil and saute onions for 3 minutes or until softened. Add sliced bell peppers and carrots and saute another 4-5 min or until softened. Remove from pan and set veggies aside.
3. Once fish is done marinating, drain and discard marinade. In the same empty skillet over medium/high, add 2-3 Tbsp oil and saute fish lightly on the skillet just until golden on the outside (about 2 min per side) – it’s ok if it’s not cooked through completely at this point. Also, it probably would have been easier to turn the fish on a non-stick skillet :-O.
4. Layer the casserole dish with 1/2 of the vegetables on the bottom. Place fish over the vegetables. Stir together 1 Tbsp ketchup and 1 Tbsp mayo and brush this mixture evenly over the top of the fish. Cover fish with remaining veggies. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper to taste then cover tightly with foil or lid and bake at 375˚F for 15 min.
Tilapia and Vegetable Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
Tilapia Ingredients:
Marinade Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp Salt and 1/8 tsp Pepper
Vegetable Ingredients:
- 2 medium bell peppers, (red, orange or yellow)
- 2 medium/large carrots, julienned or grated
- 1 medium onion
Instructions
-
Whisk together marinade ingredients. Combine with tilapia in a large ziploc bag or bowl and marinate in the fridge 1 1/2 hours.
-
Slice onions into thin half circles, slice bell pepper into thin strips and julienne or grate carrots. In a large skillet over medium/high, heat 2-3 Tbsp oil and saute onions for 3 min or until softened. Add sliced bell peppers and carrots and saute another 4-5 min or until softened. Remove from pan and set aside.
-
Once fish is done marinating, drain and discard marinade. In the same empty skillet over medium/high, add 2-3 Tbsp oil and saute fish lightly on the skillet just until golden on the outside (about 2 min per side) - it's ok if it's not fully cooked through at this point.
-
Layer the casserole dish with 1/2 of the vegetables on the bottom, then Place fish over the vegetables. Stir together 1 Tbsp ketchup and 1 Tbsp mayo and brush this mixture evenly over the top of the fish. Cover fish with remaining veggies. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper to taste then cover tightly with foil or lid and bake at 375˚F for 15 min.
♥ FAVORITE THINGS ♥
Shown in this post: (nope, no one paid us to write this; just stuff we love):
* It’s so handy to have multiple sizes of liquid measuring cups.
* This is my favorite baking casserole dish. I love that it has a lid!
* We search high & low for a perfect julienne slicer. This Swissmar is it!
* If using a slicer or mandolin, you have to try these safety gloves!
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I followed the recipe and it’s just OK. There really wasn’t anything special about the final product. I felt like it was missing something. I added tomato sauce (in addition to the ketchup in the recipe) and some spice and it made it better. But overall I was disappointed.
Hi Natasha, is it freezer friendly? I’m going to make it for the trip if you can freeze it.
Hi Yuliya, I think this would be best fresh. I honestly haven’t tried freezing this casserole for a later date. If you experiment I would love to know how you like it!
I was a little skeptical initially BUT with such high reviews I had to try it. Oh my gosh! This was fabulous!!! I was pleasantly surprised at how much we liked this. Thank you so much for giving us a great new option to use for Tilapia! This is soooo much better than the basic, boring way I typically cook it. Your recipes never fail and are always so amazing.
That’s wonderful feedback, thank you for sharing! I’m glad you loved how the recipe turned out.
What can I replace the buttermilk with? Yougurt?
Hi DW, I honestly haven’t tested that so I’m not sure how it would change the recipe. That might work if you add some milk to get it to buttermilk consistency since yogurt is pretty thick.
Can you marinade the fish over night?
Hi DW, You can assemble the casserole and marinate in the fridge overnight and bake the next day. You might need to add a few minutes to the bake time if you are starting with a cold refrigerated casserole.
My family does not like peppers.
Can I use other veggies in place of it ?
Hello Sue, I haven’t tried anything else other than peppers for this recipe. You can probably omit it but the taste might be a bit different.
I’m making this dish tonite, with leftover mashed potatoes and gravy–gravy is leftover from the whole roasted IP chicken we had last night.
I used cod fillets, tossed in some sliced mushrooms for good measure. Boy, did this turn out great!
Many thanks to you for providing a plethora of family-friendly dishes.
Thank you so much for sharing that amazing review, Jill! I’m so glad you liked this recipe.
Hello. Can i ask if what other kind of fish can i use here? Thank you
Hi Hazel, great question! Rockfish should work well. One of my readers reported amazing results using trout filets.
Hi Natasha! Thank u sooo much for makin fish taste great again! Lol my dad was a big fisherman back in the Day n me n my sisters were forced to eat fish whether we liked it or not! Unfortunately is was always trout! occasionally bluefish do u think this recipe would work with that particular fish I see so many mentioned salmon..but no trout! Lol with trout fishing coming up next week would love to know! My dad could certainly step up his game other then a slice of lemon! Ha ha I just love how they ketcup n mayo combo bringthis altogether n overthetop! Thanks again for posting!
Hi Mary! I love that you have memories fishing with your dad! I haven’t tested that with trout but one of our readers has and here is when they said “This recipe is amazing!! Just made it with trout and my whole family loved it. Thank you so so much! It is definitely a keeper! My mom told me to write to you in her little Ukrainian accent it’s: “Unbelievable good!” I hope that helps!
Hi, made this today, delicious: light and tasty, followed recipe to a T. Everyone loved it!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me, Earne!
Omg 😮 i just made this fir my family and they LOVED it!!!! I thank you for providing such family friendly recipes!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Fantastic recipe! I followed you basic recipe, but made the following changes due to what I had in the house. With only the two of us used 3 salmon fillets and made half the marinade. I used 1 shallot, 1/2 of small onion, 1 small thin sliced zucchini, small amount of sugar peas, 1/2 red pepper and mushrooms. Used schirracha with mayo. Actually made the full recipe of that. Prepared exactly as you said. Perfect amount and hubby sopped up the juices with Italian bread. He said this is a keeper. With hi, being of diabetic I try to find good seafood/veggie recipes. Thank you for sharing. Got this safely tucked in my recipe file.
That’s so great! Thank you for sharing your review with us!
Sounds great, Natasha, on my to cook and taste list, soon (I am sure it will be 10 stars) and I will come back and leave a review. Thank you for the nice recipe. 🙂
I look forward to that! I hope you love it, Lee!
Hi Natasha, thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!! I made it tonight with cod as my fish monger did not have fresh tilapia today. I added sliced mushrooms as well. It was delicious and I will be making it again. I will try it with salmon next time. Yum!!! I would have liked to add a photo but I can’t!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Carol!
Hi Natasha. I was wondering if I could make this ahead for company and freeze it? And how would I go about doing that?
Hi Victoria. I think this would be best fresh. I honestly haven’t tried freezing this casserole for a later date. If you experiment I would love to know how you like it!
I spiced up the fish and baked it in the oven for a healthier version. Turned out amazing. Have been making it this way. Thank you for the recipe.
That does sound amazing! Thank you for your wonderful review, Rimma!
Hi Natasha.
I love your tilapia casserole. Costco no longer sells tilapia loins and i miss making this. I tried using Basa fillets and i found them to be too thin and wasn’t able to brown them the same as the loins. Needless to say i didn’t enjoy it. Have you tried any other fish and any suggestions please. Thanks for all your amazing recipes.
Hey Debbie! You can use other kinds of fish with this recipe such as salmon – one of my readers was actually raving about salmon in this dish. But even with that, you have to look for wild rather than farmed.
Wow ! Made this tonight and my husband could not stop saying how good it was ! I completely agree. I will be making this over and over again !
That’s so great Susan! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!!
What are the eggs for in the marinade? Can i leave them out?
Hi Nina, I haven’t tried without them but one of my readers said they used egg beaters instead of eggs with great success 🙂
Do you think tilapia can be substituted with salmon?
Hi Inna, that should work well. Several readers have reported great results with salmon 🙂
Made this last night for the family and everyone loved it. Will definitely be on regular rotation. Thanks!
You’re welcome, I’m happy to hear your family enjoys the recipe as much as mine does! Thanks for sharing your great review Maxine!
Hi Natasha, last night I made this Tilapia casserole, it was delicious!!!!!, I can’t find the right word to explain how good it was!! I will be making this dish all the time! And I wanted to share with you this, my family knows you, and when I make a new recipe they ask me “is that from Natasha?” Thank you sooo much for all those wonderful recipes, if I have you close I will give you a HUG!! Blessings for you and your beautiful family!!!!
You’re welcome Cristina! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe so much! Thanks for following and sharing your excellent review! God Bless 🙂
Just made this again for the 66543246th time 😆😆😆 so good! I put a little more veggies in then the recipie calls for… with mashed potatoes its heavenly 😀😀😀 thanks again for recipie!
You’re welcome Olga! I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
Could I substitute turnips for the carrots in this recipe?
Hi Margaret, I haven’t tried that substitution (I actually have very little experience with turnips since we didn’t grow up eating them), but it sounds like it’s worth an experiment! 🙂
I don’t marinade fish at all with this recipe anymore. I just noticed it was a waste of engredients and did not make a big difference. I fry my veggies, fish, put it together with double the ketchup/mayo sauce and bake 🙂
Amazing
Thank you for sharing!! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe 🙂
To make it dairy-free, what do you think of substituting coconut milk for the buttermilk? Think it’ll work?
Hi Bonnie, I really haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure. My mother-in-law has also marinated in a little soy sauce instead of the buttermilk. The buttermilk serves to remove any fishiness from the fish and soy sauce works for that as well.
I tried it with coconut milk and it was delicious. It’s a great dairy-free option! I’m making it again, this time with cod. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
You’re welcome Bonni! I’m glad you enjoy it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Natasha 😊
I’ve made this tilapia dish before and my family loved it. Planning on making it today again, but I don’t have buttermilk.. can I use like heavy whipped cream instead? Maybe with some lemon juice??
Hi Inna, I think it would work fine to make your own buttermilk. Here is an easy tutorial. All you need is milk and lemon juice or vinegar 🙂
Could I fry the fish and assemble the casserole and refrigerate overnight and bake the next day? Thinking of adding this to the Easter menu.. 🙂
Hi Lena I do think that would work as a make-ahead option. I hope you love it!! Oh, you will probably have to bake a few minutes longer if it is going from the refrigerator into the oven.
I love your blog. I tried quite a few of your recipes, and my family and I liked all of them. No leftovers.
Your instructions are so clear and easy to follow, and I really appreciate all your hard work.
This recipe deserved 5 stars as well. In fact, I made this 3 times- once with cod, once with salmon, and today with tilapia. I will make this again for sure.
Thanks for the many compliments! 🙂 I am happy to hear how much you love the recipe Rachel!!
Natasha
I tried your recipe dish for Baked Tilapia and Vegetable casserole. OMG, it was soooo delicious! Just had to share that with you. As well, your chicken and mushroom casserole is one of the best I have ever tried. Thankyou so much for continuing to add recipes – I have tried so many on other sites, but they never quite tasted as good as they looked. Yours however, really do taste as good as they look!
Blessings,
Mary Theresa
That is seriously the best review ever!! Thank you so much for the amazing compliment! 🙂 Blessings to you as well!
Quick question, if the meat marinades over night, will it become mushy or too soft? Thanks in advance!
Hi Yelena, it will not become too soft. You can assemble the casserole and marinate in the fridge overnight and bake the next day. You might need to add a few minutes to the bake time if you are starting with a cold refrigerated casserole.
This dish is so good the flavors are just bursting in your mouth. Love how easy it is to make. Thanks for the recipe
So glad to hear you enjoy the recipe, thanks for sharing!
Made this recipe yesterday, very good 👍, thank you
Glad to hear that Tanya! 🙂
Made this Recepie dozen times, the taste never disappoints. Easy to make. Thank you!!!
Tanya, thank you for such a great review and yo are welcome 😁.
Hi Natasha! This is such a delisious recipe! Sweetness from the ketchup makes the veggies and the fish so addictive. Seriously I couldn’t stop myself. 😂 One question though, I’m making it again and doubling the portion. Does it need extra baking time? I’ve put in single layer but in two baking dishes. Thanks!
Hi Yelena, I would probably increase to 20 minutes to be safe 🙂 You can test it at 15 minutes but I imagine you will want to bake slightly longer if a double batch is going into the oven.
Natasha you are amazing thanks for this deliciousness!!!! Marinated it yesterday and didn’t have enough time to make it, came home from work to already marinated fish and just grilled up the veggies tossed it in the oven it was ready in 15 minutes !!!!!
You are very welcome Inna, thank you for sharing that with us 😀.
Made this recipe last night for dinner, it turned out delicious. I substitute the buttermilk with Heavy whipping cream and it turned out great. Thank You Natasha for making my life easier.
Helen, you are very welcome, I’m so glad you liked the recipe 😁.
Any subsitute of buttermilk?
Hi Habana, you can either make a homemade buttermilk or one of my readers reported great results with this substitution: “I didn’t have buttermilk on hand as well, so I used 1/2 milk, 1/2 sour cream and a teaspoon of lemon juice instead.”
Hello,
Can I marinate the fish over night ?
Hi Nadea, it isn’t necessary but you could if you wanted to.
Hello Natasha! Thank you sooo much for this recipe. Really yummy. I printed to add it to my recipe binder but i noticed in the directions for the printable version, you are missing the frying the fish part. Just wanted to let you know. Thank you again for all your super yummy recipes. Keep up the good work. May God bless you!
HI Lena, thank you for reporting that to me! I do see it in step 3 of the print-friendly but I definitely want to make sure things are working correctly. Is it missing in step 3 of your printed recipe?
Any substitutes for mayo? Would sour cream work?
Hi Fil, I haven’t tried with sour cream so I’m not sure how that would work but heavy cream would work well as a substitution.
what are some good sides to go with this dish?!..
My top picks are mashed potatoes and leafy green salads.
This dish is a 5⭐️ I make it all the time. I’m just wondering if I can skip frying the fish part and just bake it longer?
I’m so happy you love the recipe! To be honest, I haven’t tried it that way, but I think sauteeing it first would work better because it seals in the juiciness of the fish, also, if you cook it too long, you risk overcooking the vegetables on top.
Natasha, thank you very much for sharing the recipe! Very delicious and super easy to make.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Our favourite fish dish hands down! Made it tonight for valentines dinner 🙂
Annie, thank you for the great review, looks like you have a new favorite 😃.
This is the best tilapia I’ve ever tried! It’s so yummy! Thank you. :)))
That’s just awesome! Thank you for the fantastic review 🙂
Hi Natasha! I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it for my family this past week. It was super easy and AMAZING! It’s our new favorite way to eat tilapia! It was even yummy heated up the next day! Thanks so much for this great recipe!
Sabrina, what a nice review 😁, I’m so glad your family likes it and you are very welcome.
Hello Natasha,
I love your recipes, I am wondering if I can make marinate fish overnight, and do the rest next day?
Thanks! God Bless!
You can marinate the fish and assemble the casserole a day ahead and bake the next day. That should work fine.
Love this recipe I make it every other week
That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me 🙂
I haven’t made it but my sister in law made this fish.. It was delicious. Thank you
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing that with me 🙂
Does it reheat well? I wanna make it today and even bake it all today for tomorrow party but will it reheat well if I just put in the oven for about 20 minutes?
Sorry for the late reply. I haven’t tried it but I think it would work. I don’t know if the colors would be as vibrant after reheating, but I think it should still taste good 🙂
This recipe is ideal for a dinner party of four or party of two – because who doesn’t like leftovers! It id easily prepared ahead and reheats beautifully! Sriracha hands down!!
Omg Natasha thanku so much for this recepie like the best fish ever, so yummy, my family keeps asking for it like every day
I’m so happy you all loved it! That is music to my ears. Thank you for sharing that with me. 🙂
Can I use anything else instead of soy sauce? I don’t have it, and I wanted to make it today
Marina, teriyaki sauce possibly will work but I haven’t tried it so can’t really make a recommendation.
This was easy to fix and scrumptious!!! Will definitely make it again😊
Cath, thank you for a great review on the casserole, I’m glad you like it :).
I made this recipe for today’s dinner. I like to eat fish since my childhood. It’s yummy and taste so good. My family loved it.
Thank you so much for the awesome review! I’m so happy to hear your family loved it.
natasha,
Im on a journey to make this recipe tommorow (: Can it be prepped a day ahead and just baked the next day or not recommended? Have you tried that?
thanks.
You can marinate the fish and assemble the casserole a day ahead and bake the next day. That should work fine.
I added shredded parm with 5 minutes left. A cajun hot sauce also works well in place of ketchup.
Thank you so much for sharing your tips. I can’t wait to try your variation.
I began this recipe by putting the fish in the refrigerator to marinate, and then had an incident happen and was not able to finish this dish last night. The tilapia has now been marinating for several hours. Do you think it will still be edible, or should I start over tonight?
Tasha, tilapia should still be fine, so just proceed with the recipe :).
I just made this and oh my goodness, it is hitting the spot for my 38 week self and my family! The fish is very tender and moist, as it is blanketed by the most delicious and well-paired veggies. It also helped that i had almost everything in my pantry, no “fru-fru” ingredients like you’ve said before :):) Thanks again Natasha for a great recipe!
Thank you Irina for such a great review on the recipe and you are welcome :).
Great recipe! I just made it for my boyfriend to try it out. It sure tastes delicious! 🙂 Thanks for sharing it. 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for sharing your great review!
Hi can I use tilapia fillets instead?
Katrina, tilapia fillets can be used as well :).
Hi Natasha ,
So if I want to bake salmon fish what temperature would I
Bake it on and also how many minutes? Also would I fry it first
And than put it in the oven?
Good looking recipie, just yummy!!!
I haven’t tried with salmon myself, but a few of my readers have reported good results withs salmon. I’d follow the same method and the same baking instructions for salmon. I hope you love it! 🙂
N I love your blog with all of my heart. The pictures you provide are very helpful
Your comment made my afternoon. Thank you so much 🙂
This recipe is amazing!! Just made it with trout and my whole family loved it. Thank you so so much! It is definitely a keeper! My mom told me to write to you in her little Ukrainian accent it’s: “Unbelievable good!”
Wow, what a great review :). Thank you for writing in, I’m so happy to hear that everyone loved it, enjoy.
Can i prep everything and layer everything up but not bake it right away? If yes, for how long?
You can prep everything ahead of time and just keep it in the refrigerator overnight or until ready to bake. Just make sure it’s covered in the refrigerator.
How long should i bake it for from the fridge?
You might give it an extra 7-10 minutes.
Thank you very much!! It turned out great! Definately a keeper! God bless you!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for sharing that with me and God bless you also!
Made this dish today and it was AMAZING! Thank you!
I’m so happy you loved it :). Thank you Mariyana!
Awesome dish ! Tilapia is flaky and flavorful ! Another great dish from Natasha ! I meant Five stars !!!
Thank you so much Leeza!! 🙂 I’m so happy you loved it 😉
I just made this dish last night adn it was amazing. Thank you for the recipe!
You are welcome Olga, I’m glad you enjoyed it :).
Just a warning about Tilapia fish, most of it is farm raised in China, and as with most food from China, the conditions and handling is not done to proper standards, The fish are raised on animal faeces! Don’t eat this fish.
I live in Australia and there is a huge problem with purchased frozen berries, which are so convenient, however, there are cases of hepatitis A, caused through the berries being washed in contaminated water, in China, omg, we really need to read our labels and try to buy local as much as we can.
You can use other kinds of fish with this recipe such as salmon – one of my readers was actually raving about salmon in this dish. But even with that, you have to look for wild rather than farmed.
I wonder if mashrooms can go in this dish?
Tanya, you can substitute the vegetables for mushrooms and instead of adding ketchup and mayo to the fish, try drizzling with heavy cream and season to taste. Hope this helps :).
looks delicious. can i make it ahead of time. like in the evening and bake it in the morning?
Tatyana, that should work, it also reheats well :).
made. loved . pinned .
thank you so much for sharing the love 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I’ve made this recipe and my husband loved it! Thanks for the recipe
You are welcome, and thank you for the great feedback :).
hey, looks delicious 🙂 on my list to do i really like white fish fillets “swai” & i would like to share with you how i do one of the ways 🙂
grease the baking sheet or casserole dish with a little bit of olive oil put fish and season with salt & pepper both sides and put in fridge…in separate bowl cut the veggies, tomatoes, bell pepper and fresh basil add salt & pepper to taste add a little bit of olive oil & basil vinegar (its like a salad)…and let it sit in fridge to marinate 30 minutes to an hour it can be more ….top the fish with veggies and bake uncovered 350 25-30 minutes after that top with shredded cheese and bake until cheese melts
i prefer to use a mini bell pepper and cherry tomatoes cut in half or home grown they taste amazingly
Wow that sounds really really yummy! Thank you so much for sharing that with me 🙂 I’m excited to try it!
Natasha, thank you so much for this recipe! I made it last weekend, and my family liked it a lot. Even though i forgot about mayo and ketchup, because i was in a hurry, anyway it was very tasty! Thank you again!!! 🙂
I’m so happy your family enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing that with me. The mayo/ketchup definitely adds some nice juiciness – I think you’d love it even more :).
I made this dish today!! Very tasty with the tilapia loins fom costco… I also added 1/2 cup whipping cream to the vegetables while they were frying so it made it more the whole dish more juicier 🙂 thank u for recipe
Oooh that additional of whipping cream must have taken this over the top! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Made this today. It was delicious! I am totally going to make it again!
I’m so happy you loved it. Thanks Julie 🙂
Made this last night with some quinoa on the side…OMG!!! it was delicious!! thank you for sharing!! my husband is not a big fish eater but he did like this one, that mayo and ketchup mix goes very well with this fish!! good job!
Thank you so much for the awesome review! I’m so happy you both enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Natasha i dont have buttermilk can i substitute with something else?
You can mix milk with a little bit of lemon juice or vinegar to create a type of buttermilk. You can also try leaving it out and just use the soy sauce but don’t marinate too long or it might end up a little salty with just soy sauce. The buttermilk really just helps to remove any fishiness from the fish. I’ve had readers report good results without using the marinade at all, they just seasoned their fish and that was it without marinating.
Natasha, I didn’t have buttermilk on hand as well, so I used 1/2 milk, 1/2 sour cream and a teaspoon of lemon juice instead. It worked really well. Thank you for another delicious recipe, it’s a keeper for our family!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it and thank you so much for sharing your modifications! 🙂
We made the fish over the weekend with fresh cod fillets instead of tilapia and added sriracha to the mayo/ketchup mix and it turned out delish! Had leftovers for lunch today and it was perfecto. Saving this one. And btw your split pea soup is a regular in my house like every week almost. One of our fav’s. Keep those yummy russian recipes coming ’cause I sure can use some 🙂
I’m so happy to hear you love the split pea soup :). Thanks for sharing that with me :). Someone else mentioned the sriracha and it sure sounds yummy!
I love this! So many ways you can go depending on what you have on hand! I added sririacha to the mayo mixture and added a little fish sauce to the marinade..also used egg beaters instead of eggs!, great recipe!,, thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing your modifications. The sriracha is brilliant! I love it!!
Tilapia is a great fish to cook with for everyone who is inexperienced in cooking seafood. It does not have an overly powerful fish taste and goes well with almost anything. This dish looks like a great meal featuring this seafood!
Hi Shelby! I couldn’t agree with you more! It also has a great flaky texture which I LOVE and isn’t super pricey either. Thank you! 🙂
MYmom made this last nightfory dad, they both loved it. She called me and told me today ams now I’m making it:) can’t wait to try it. Love your recipes;)
Word of mouth is the best advertising :D, thank you for your sweet comment Aly.
Update. Finally had this for dinner. Sooooo good. Yummy.
Natasha, what kind of frying pan did you use to saute the fish? It doesn’t look like a non-stick pan in the picture. I am trying to get away from Teflon but every time I try to saute fish in a stainless steel pan, it sticks mercilessly and I end up with a mess.
Katie, my was fairly sticky too, that’s why I recommended non-stick pan.
Just made this casserole. It is soooo delicious!!! My husband who doesn’t like bell peppers loved them on this fish! Thank you Natasha for another great recipe.
Vita, thank you so much for such a great review and you are welcome :).
holy crap this dish looks amazing… It took everything in my power not to lick my screen!! Thank you for posting.. I found this on Pinterest.
Lol, you are welcome Alexandra :D, enjoy.
Nice recipe. Thank you. Have a good shower and take care.
Thank you so much Liz 🙂
Thanks again Natasha for another beautiful simple recipe.
This looks great!! My 18 yr old is pretty much a vegetarian and she loves eating Tilapia and other kinds of seafood. This she will surely love to try!! Also I love the family photos.
Sweet 16 such age of innocence and youth!
Oh awesome!! I hope she loves this casserole! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. My sis-in-law is also vegetarian 🙂
Natasha, thank you for a great recipe. WE LOVE FISH AND VEGIES, so that’s a perfect dish for us, gotta try it ASAP. My mouth is watering now :))
What would you recommend using instead of buttermilk? Can I use some sour cream? Or can I just omit it as all? Thank you in advance for your reply.
The buttermilk in the marinade is really just to pull any fishy scent out of the fish. Milk would probably be an ok substitute, or my Mama-in-laws friend has also marinated in just soy sauce. If you aren’t concerned with “fishiness,” you could just season the fish and saute it :).
Looks yummy! Is it ok if it marinates for more then 1 1/2 hours
Yes – but if your filets are much smaller and thinner than the ones photographed, you might not push it past 2 hours.
This recipe looks amazing. Other than Tilapia, what other fish would work well with this?
One of my readers has reported good results with salmon. Cod, trout or bass would all probably work pretty well.
Thank you. Keep the recipes coming! Your blog is very inspirational!
Hi Ellen, thank you so much for the encouragement 🙂
This looks really interesting. I’ve never baked fish like this before. Definitely trying this!
Oh it’s wonderful! I hope you LOVE it! 🙂
Oooh was that delicious!
I prepared it without marinating and saute the fish (what effect has it actually?) and added olives.
– Wkusnjatina! –
The marinade removes any fishiness from the fish :). I’m so happy you loved the recipe!
My husband is the fish chef in our house. This looks like one our whole family would enjoy.
Hi Kathy! I hope you all love it as much as we do 🙂
I am so excited to see this recipe, Natasha! My best friend’s mama used to cook fish like that and I remember loving it!!! You are right, it does taste incredibly light, healthy but YUMMY! My husband and kids don’t do bones so this will be perfect. 🙂 Pinning it and making it soon.
I’m happy to report that we didn’t find a single bone :). I hope you love it and thanks so much for pinning it!
I tried this tonight. It was super delicious! However I think I’m going to try a different fish next time. We served it with rice and it was incredible. My husband when came home after work said I’m not really hungry but he actually went in for seconds. I told him its Natasha’s kitchen new recipe. Thank you, I love your site.
I’m so happy you loved the recipe! 🙂 Thank you for the great review. Do let me know what fish you try next. I’m super curious! 🙂
What a beautiful casserole! I love the colors from the vegetables, makes it seem so festive. I pinned it, and I really hope I remember to go back to this recipe next time I want to make fish. 🙂
Thank you so much for pinning! I sure appreciate it 🙂 I hope you LOVE the casserole 🙂
Oh Thankyou Natasha so much for the recipe. I’ve been looking for something like this for so long. I’ve surch YouTube couldn’t find anything of this style. I’m sure we going to love it.
Just one question do your once the marinate completely with cold water?
Thanks again.
I’m planing to do this next week
Are you asking if I rinse the fish first? Yes I do rinse my meats and fish in cold water usually before using them, just in case. 😉
Wow, what a coincidence. I just did something very similar with tilapia (love that fish, even kids love it) yesterday. I don’t even bake mine. I just layer the veggies (this time I only used onion and carrots), then the fish and veggies again in the same pan that I cooked the fish and veggies to prep them. And I don’t marinade either. But I like your idea of baking, that’s an awesome idea to cook for bigger groups.
The marinade is nice to make sure the fish doesn’t have any hints of fishiness (just in case) :). Your casserole sure sounds good and easy too! Thanks for sharing your method 🙂
I got to try this! We do a lot of fish but mostly just really simple and I’m always on the look out for yummy fish recipes. This one looks awesome! I love the combination of flavors.
I love fish dishes too, but we don’t eat fish nearly often enough :). Thanks Katya 🙂
Mmmm! I love tilapia! Can’t wait to try this! Where do you get your tilapia fillets?
I hope you love it! I purchased these at Costco. They are a little more expensive there than other stores, maybe it is because they are tilapia loins and a little bit larger than the fillets you would purchase at say a Walmart? I’m not sure. 🙂
I do a very similar dish all the time. I don’t like tilapia, so I use salmon or swai (these two don’t taste fishy at all, so I skip the marinade ). Sometimes I put sliced potatoes under the fish, so I don’t have to cook side dish. This is my go to recepe when I need to cook something fast and I’m so happy you posted it.
Thanks for sharing how you make yours. Sounds delicious!! Do you use the same veggie mix?
pretty much the same mix. I add celery sometimes. I actually made it today with salmon and used your garlic/lemon/dill sauce on the salmon and put the veggies on top. Thank you so much for this! Your blog is great, I’m finding so much inspiration here. Thank you for taking the time to post the recipes
I’m so happy you are enjoying the site! Celery seems to make everything taste better 🙂 I love your idea for using salmon in a casserole!
With the sliced potatoes on bottom… How do you adjust the cooking time?..
The potatoes would have ro be nearly-cooked or they wont cook through in the oven. If you bake longer, your fish could become tough and dry.
I slice potatoes, toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and arrange in the baking dish in one layer. I start baking at 400 F 20-25 minutes before fish goes in.
With the sliced potatoes on bottom… How do you adjust the cooking time?..
Looks very yummy. What do you serve on the side with this dish?
Thank you
Dorina, this dish pairs well with a lot of different food. You can serve it with rice, quinoa, buckwheat, mashed potatoes. We ate it with mashed potatoes :).
I’ve been waiting for this recipe since you posted a teaser on IG. It’s finally here. My grandma even bragged about her daughter in law and her new fish casserole. I think this is the same recipe. I can’t wait to make it. Defrosting fish as I type this.
Do let me know if it is the same or similar! I hope you totally love it! 🙂
I am so excited to make it. Thanks for the awesome recipies, Natasha!! I love ur recipies!
Thank you so much Alina! I’m so happy to hear you are enjoying the recipes 🙂