Tilapia with Olives, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

One of our favorite tilapia recipes! This quick and easy one-pan meal is cooks the tilapia with onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, and olives.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated March 10, 2022
Elise Bauer
Tilapia with Olives Mushrooms Tomatoes
Elise Bauer

Tilapia Filets

Tilapia, a tasty farm-raised fish originally from Africa, has become more and more popular here in the States. Tilapia recipes are abundant, and the fish is easy to prepare as long as you buy filets.

I recently brought home a whole tilapia from our local Asian fish market and made quite a mess of trying to fillet it myself. Dad pitched in, with no more luck than I, and we ended up throwing the pieces (you couldn't quite call them fillets anymore) into a fish stew.

Now we know better. Just buy the straight fillets.

Tilapia with Olives Mushrooms Tomatoes
Elise Bauer

Fresh Tilapia Recipe

Tilapia are mild tasting, and fresh vegetables can really shine and highlight this relatively inexpensive fish. Here is a quick and easy way of cooking tilapia, a one-pan way of preparing this versatile fish that we found years ago from Better Homes and Gardens.

The preparation is similar to Veracruz-style in this tilapia recipe, shallow poached on top of a bed of sliced onions, tomatoes, green olives, and mushrooms. It's fresh, easy, and delicious.

What to Serve With Tilapia

This tilapia is practically a meal unto itself! This said, a piece of crusty bread or a scoop of rice would go quite well alongside.

Want More Easy Fish Recipes?

Tilapia with Olives, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Servings 4 servings

Feel free to use any tender white fish fillet with this recipe, for example cod or red snapper.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 small onion, 1/4-inch slices, sliced lengthwise

  • 1 clove garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)

  • 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

  • 1 cup sliced cremini or button mushrooms

  • 3/4 cup green pimento-stuffed olives, coarsely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

  • 4 (6- to 8-ounce) tilapia fillets

Method

  1. Cook the onions and garlic:

    Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more.

    Sautéing onions and garlic for tilapia recipes
    Elise Bauer
    tilapia recipes - making pimiento
    Elise Bauer
  2. Make the sauce:

    Add the canned tomatoes and their juices. Add the sliced mushrooms, chopped olives, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.

  3. Add the fish:

    Lay the fish fillets gently on top of the onion tomato olive mixture and spread a little sauce over the fish.

    tilapia fillets in pan with tomatoes onions mushrooms
    Elise Bauer

    Return to a simmer (it's just the juices from the tomatoes that are simmering). Lower the heat to low and cover the pan.

    Cook or 8 to 10 minutes or until the fish easily flakes when tested with a fork.

  4. Serve:

    Use a wide spatula to lift the fillets from the pan to a serving plate. Spoon sauce over fish.

    Serve with rice, and/or crusty bread.

Original recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
197 Calories
12g Fat
13g Carbs
14g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 197
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 24mg 8%
Sodium 1004mg 44%
Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 13mg 63%
Calcium 72mg 6%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 641mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.