Crispy Air Fryer Fish | Easy 15-Minute Fish Fillets
You need just 5 ingredients to make Crispy Golden Air Fryer Fish fillets so the whole family can indulge in a healthier version of super delectable, crunchy fried fish without the guilt!
Hey, hey. Like this juicy Air Fryer Salmon, golden crispy Air Fryer Fish Fillets is one of those easy weeknight dinners I didn’t realise I would love this much. I tried it once, and I was hooked. It is legit on repeat, especially on days when I have to fit dinner in between one kid’s dance class and the other one’s art lesson.
I love that it’s quick, super crispy, mess free, tastes better than my Friday night fish shop takeout at a fraction of the cost. And it is just as good as these Air Fryer Fish Sticks and well loved Air Fryer Chicken Breast.
Here Is What Makes This Recipe Great
No complicated weeknight food here. Simple food you will make on repeat.
- Minimal prep: Grab fillets, seasoning and a bag, and you are mostly done.
- Pantry staples: Great news, this is made with simple budget-friendly ingredients.
- Fast: Your easy weeknight dinner is ready in just 15 minutes.
- Lighter: This has fewer calories and less fat than traditional deep-fried versions.
- Fail-proof: You get fish with golden crispy edges, that is light and flaky on the inside every time.
- Family Friendly: Kids and adults love this dish! Just like Air Fryer Frozen Tilapia.
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Best Fish to Use For This
It all starts with picking the right fish for you. White fish works great, so go for your favorite affordable and local white fish. Tilapia tends to be cheaper, but the fish shop classics like cod and haddock work too. I also make this with any white fish that is on discount like sea-bass, grouper and snapper. A more budget friendly option is frozen fillets but, you will need to thaw these fully before cooking.
Ingredient Notes
This is fairly easy to pull together. But I have some notes and variations for you.
- White Fish fillets: Choose your favorite fillets from the grocery store.
- Cornmeal: The crispy cornmeal coating is one of the best things about this fish. Plus using cornmeal keeps this gluten free. You can use gluten free flour or breadcrumbs instead if you prefer. To make this low carb, skip the cornmeal.
- Seasoning: I kept this simple with smoked paprika, cajun seasoning, salt and garlic powder. It’s also great with Italian seasoning, lemon zest, Blackened Seasoning or easy Greek Seasoning.
Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Air Fryer Tools on Amazon.
How To Cook Fish In Air Fryer
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Preheat air fryer to 400F / 200C.
- Mix the cornmeal, cajun seasoning, paprika, garlic and salt together in a Ziploc bag (or shallow dish).
- Rinse the fillet, pat fully dry, and place it in the bag.
- Seal the bag and then shake until the fillet is fully coated in the cornmeal mixture.
- Place fish fillet in the air fryer basket in a single layer. And repeat. (If you have a small fryer you will need to cook them one at a time). Spray with low-calorie cooking spray or cooking oil and Air Fry for 10 minutes.
- Turn the air fryer fish fillets over and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until done.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and sides that you like.
Bintu’s Top Tips
Sharing some tips, so you end up with the best fried fish in air fryer.
- Dry the fish very well so that the coating sticks on.
- Don’t let the fish sit in the cornmeal crust mix or it will get soggy. Coat the fillets and then immediately place in the air fryer to cook.
- I suggest splitting your seasoned cornmeal mixture into 2 bags. Your first bowl of seasonings may start to clump together and get soggy from dredging the fish. Having a second bag ready to go will help.
- Your fillets need to be thick enough for this recipe. If too thin they will cook through before the crust has time to crisp up. Thinner fillets need less time to cook.
- Only spray a small amount of oil evenly to cover cornmeal spots so that the fish is golden all over. If you notice any dry spots when turning fillets over, then spray a bit more.
- If you prefer to dip this in egg, then make sure you let the excess egg drop off the fillets before coating.
- There is just 1 Blue Plan SmartPoint in a serving of this.
Chef’s Tip: Since air fryer temperatures can vary depending on the make and model, this recipe includes a range of suggested cook times. I recommend starting with less time, checking for doneness, and then adding more time as needed.
Serving Suggestions
This goes well with potatoes dishes like crispy Air Fryer French Fries, Air Fryer Potato Wedges, the best Air Fryer Tater Tots and delicious Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries.
Sauces and sides you can serve this with include Tartar Sauce, Homemade Ketchup and Sriracha Aioli and your favorite hot sauce. To turn this into air fryer fish tacos, cook fish as directed, then slice, add to taco shells, and top with shredded cabbage, salsa, avocado, sour cream, etc.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Air Fryer Salmon.
- Air Fryer Frozen Fish Sticks.
- Air Fryer Fish Sticks.
- 15 Minutes Air Fryer Fish Tacos.
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken.
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Breast.
- Mexican Air Fryer Corn on the Cob.
- Cilantro Lime Air Fryer Shrimp Skewers.
- Air Fryer Hibachi Shrimp Dinner.
- Gluten Free Fish Casserole Recipe.
- Or these Air Fryer Fish Recipes.
- Alternatively, you can check out all my Air Fryer Recipes.
FAQs
Cornmeal or breadcrumbs give really good results aka crispy fish fillets. One way to bread the fish fillets is to lightly spray with low-calorie cooking spray or olive oil before coating it in your bread crumbs.
Alternatively, you can dip it in egg before coating it with breadcrumbs. This changes the flavor very slightly, but not enough to make a big deal out of it.
Don’t let the fish sit in the coating mix or it will get soggy. Coat the fillets and then immediately place them in the air fryer. Use a very light olive oil spray or brush a small amount of olive oil onto the fish fillets before dipping.
One question I have been asked if you can air fry fish without breading? And the answer is yes you can. Simply season with herbs and spices to your taste and air fry as normal.
Cooking times depending on the thickness of the fillets. Thicker fish takes longer than thinner fish.
This recipe took 13 minutes. When cooking fish fillets in the Air Fryer for the first time, I recommend aiming for 10 minutes on the first side, checking for doneness, turning, and then cook for 3-4 minutes on the second side. You can then increase or decrease the cooking time according to your results.
Yes, you can certainly cook Frozen Fish Fillets In Air Fryer. It’s handy for those days when you don’t have time to take out the fillets from the freezer beforehand.
Head on over to the Air Fryer Frozen Fish Fillets post to find out more.
The simplest way to make Air Fryer Fish and Chips is to first fry the french fries (aka chips), and get the fish seasoning ready while the fries are cooking. Then remove the fries, coat the fish, and fry.
The easiest way to tell if fish is cooked is to use a fork and these should flakes easily and be opaque. In addition, the internal temperature of fish should be 145 degrees F / 63 degrees C when checked with a meat thermometer. The total time to cook fish can depend on the thickness of the fish.
You certainly can. But you would need to thaw them out first otherwise the breading will not stick. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for smaller fillets leave in cold water till thawed out.
You can certainly use parchment paper rounds in the air fryer to help make cleanup a breeze. Preheat the Air fryer, then add the parchment rounds into the basket before adding the breaded fish and frying.
Thank you for reading my Air Fryer Cajun Fish recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
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Crispy Golden Air Fryer Fish
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- sea salt flakes to taste
- 2 white fish fillets
- low calorie spray
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400F / 200C.
- Mix the first 5 ingredients together and then add to a Ziploc bag.
- Rinse the catfish, pat dry and add fillets to the Ziploc bag.
- Seal the bag and then shake until the fillets are fully coated.
- Place in the air fryer basket. (if you have a small fryer you will need to cook them one at a time). Spray the fillets with low calorie spray, close the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Turn and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until done.
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Notes
- Use fresh fish fillets for the best results.
- Don’t let the fish sit in the coating mix or it will get soggy. Coat the fillets and then immediately place in the air fryer to cook.
- Make sure you let the excess egg drop off the fillets before coating with the breadcrumbs.
- Feel free to customize the flavor by using your favorite spices, herbs, and seasonings.
- There is just 1 WW Blue Plan SmartPoint in a serving of this.
Super flavorful and crispy. A perfect fish fillet for dinner.
Thank you so much for sharing. We absolutely loved these. They were so flavorful, and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This will be in my regular rotation!
We love how simple and yet delicious this recipe is! My kids and husband devoured it. Thanks for another great one!
I noticed in the recipe notes that you mention excess egg but it is not referenced in the recipe to dip the fish in egg. I will make it as the recipe states but would like to know if next time I need to dip the fillets in egg first.
It looks like I haven’t been using my air fryer to its fullest potential because I need to make this now!! Bookmarked to make this weekend, thanks so much for the recipe! 🙂
This is an amazing recipe and so delicious! My daughter and I loved how ours turned out. Such great flavor and crispy too!
This fish looks absolutely incredible! Love that crispy coating and the texture with the air fryer. So easy too!
Any time I can use my air fryer, I’m sold! Can’t wait to use it to make this fish!
I am air fryer obsessed and this recipe is perfection! Super easy to make and tastes even better than fried. yum!
Very good recipe. Loved the fish, outside was very crispy, fish was quite flakey. Making it again today with one slight tweak: less paprika as the kidlets found it a bit spicy [but still ate every bit]!
I don’t see cornmeal polenta in the store. Can I use plain cornmeal instead?
Thank you so much for sharing recipes.Great blog!!!
It looks very yummy.
Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe with us.
I can’t wait to get an air fryer and I’m going to need lots of help learning how to use it. This would make the best weeknight fish tacos. I need new ways to prepare fish so my kids will eat it!
Looks so crispy! I wonder, would this work with catfish, too?
This air fryer fish sounds amazing. I would definitely be trying this fish. But I need to get my air fryer ASAP. I see lots of recipe to try on your blog.
Lots of recipes*
you have sure mastered the air fryer, this looks sensational. I just bought another one as the first one burned out! Thanks for this recipe
i absolutely love fried fish, but like you i don’t like to cook it either. mostly because of the smell, i feel like i can never get that grease smell out of the air. i love this recipe in the air fryer. one of these day im going to have to make the plunge and buy one!