Please grab your Air Fryer and make this Crispy Air Fryer Fish as soon as you can. Covered in a crispy, delicious crust, you can have guilt-free fried fish as often as you like.
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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
Summer fish fries are my favorite outings to attend. I’m talking about catfish, whiting, perch, and yummy! I had those days when I wanted that amazing fish at home, but I didn’t want to deal with frying it in oil.
I bought an air fryer on a whim during my pregnancy. Now, I can easily make delicious golden fried fish filets without all the grease. I can make them whenever I want.
Simple to prep and cook, the floured and seasoned white fish is perfectly flavorful, and the crust is addictively crispy.
Be sure to try my Easy Oven-Baked Fish too!
Ingredients for Crispy Air Fryer Fish
Fish and Oil
- Whiting fish fillets, or other suitable types of white fish, like cod, tilapia, haddock, or halibut
- Oil (for misting) - any high-heat oil will do. I use olive oil or avocado oil.
Fish Seasoning
- Old Bay seasoning
- Salt
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Very fine cornmeal
- Flour
How to make Crispy Air Fried Fish
Air Fried Fish is pretty straightforward and takes about four simple steps. The beauty of this recipe is that you don't need any extra ingredients outside of your typical fish breading and a little bit of oil in a spray bottle. All you'll do is:
Add fish seasoning in a sealable bag, like a Ziplock bag, and shake. Set to the side. In the alternative, you could use your favorite fish batter mix.
Rinse and pat dry your fish fillets with paper towels. They should still be damp.
Place fish fillets in a ziplock bag and shake until fillets are fully covered with seasoning.
Place fillets on a baking rack to allow any excess flour to fall off.
Grease the bottom of your air fryer basket and place the fillets in the basket. Cook filets on 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes.
Open the basket and spray the fish on the side facing up before flipping, ensuring that the fish is fully coated.
Flip and cook on the other side for 7-8 minutes. Remove fish and serve.
What's the best fish to use?
I use whiting fish in this recipe; however, this method will work for any other kinds of fish. If making a fried catfish version, follow my method for soaking in milk first.
Can you make this recipe with frozen fish?
I'd suggest using fresh fish fillets for this recipe or good quality frozen fillets. If using frozen, make sure that they are fully thawed before seasoning them, and pat them with a paper towel to remove excess water.
Is it healthier?
Fish is a great high protein and low-fat food, and it's recommended that you eat two portions a week as part of a well-balanced lifestyle. Because this fried fish is cooked in the air fryer, you only need a fraction of the oil compared to traditional frying and it comes out way crispier than oven baking. It's the best of both worlds!
What do you serve it with?
This crispy air fryer fish is perfect to serve for an easy weeknight family dinner with potato and veggie sides, and of course some hot sauce, remoulade sauce, and tartar sauce! Serve it up with some of these favorites:
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Spray your oil only halfway through cooking as this will increase crispiness.
- Do not overcrowd your air fryer basket or your fish will steam rather than fry.
- Make sure when spraying, the fish is fully covered in oil and all seasoning has been fully covered with no flour spots showing. If flour spots are showing, you will not get that good golden color.
- Eat fried fish immediately. All fried foods are better that way.
- You must have hot sauce. I mean, it's just a must.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
More Air Fryer Fish Recipes
- Lobster Tails in the Air Fryer
- Marinated Air Fryer Salmon
- Air Fryer Tilapia
- Air Fryer Whole Fish
Air Fryer Fish
Ingredients
- 4-6 Whiting Fish fillets cut in half
- Oil to mist
Fish Seasoning
- ¾ cup very fine cornmeal
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 teaspoon old bay
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- OR
- Your favorite fish seasoning
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for fish seasoning in a Ziplock bag and shake. Set to the side. In the alternative, you could use your favorite fish seasoning.
- Rinse and pat dry your fish fillets with paper towels. They should still be damp.
- Place fish fillets in ziplock bag and shake, until fillets are fully covered with seasoning.
- Place fillets on a baking rack to allow any excess flour to fall off.
- Grease the bottom of your air fryer basket and place the fillets in the basket. Cook filets on 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes.
- Open basket and spray the fish on the side that is facing up before flipping, ensuring that the fish is fully coated. Flip and cook on the other side for 7-8 minutes. Remove fish and serve.
Video
Notes
Non-Aerosil Oil Sprayer Bottle
Silicone Kitchen Tongs
- Spray your oil only halfway through cooking, as this will increase crispiness.
- Do not overcrowd your air fryer basket, or your fish will steam rather than fry.
- Make sure when spraying, the fish is fully covered in oil and all seasoning has been fully covered with no flour spots showing. If flour spots are showing, you will not get that good golden color.
- Eat fried fish immediately. All fried foods are better that way.
- You must have hot sauce. I mean, it's just a must.
Nutrition
Find more Air Fryer Tips and Trick here.
This post was updated with additional info on 5/2/2023.
Semraa says
Hi Tanya,
I just wanted to say I LOVE your air fryer site. The recipes and tips you share are awesome! I also love how your personality shows through - you have a great sense of humor!!
? Semraa
Tanya says
Thank you so much Semraa 😀
eddie burdette says
soaking fish will take the wild take the fishy taste out lot of people soak over night in butter milk I soak mine over night in cold water and lemon juice and salt drain water next morning wash fish off and refill water an soak all day or until time to cook
Tara says
Hi, thanks for your recipe! If I want the typical fried fish thick batter is better to use a frying pan then? Would you say an air fryer is more suitable for dry rubs rather than soggy batters??
Tanya says
Yes. I haven't had great luck with wet/soggy batters in the air fryer.
Kristal A Bortko says
Why soak the catfish?
Cindy S Coffman says
to get rid of the fishy gamey taste for those of us who dont like it. i soak mine for 30 mins
David Bailey says
My catfish was perfect. I adjusted the time on the air fryer because I was using thin fillets. Thanks for the tips in your guide.
I love air frying!!!
Tanya says
Awesome! So glad they worked out for you 🙂
Elizabeth Waksmunski says
I made this with flounder in my Breville Smart Oven Air but the coasting did not get very crisp. You mentioned in your recipe that that the fish should be patted dry but should still be moist. In comparing your pictures to my fish after coating it with the seasoning mixture, mine didn't look nearly as coated as yours. Should I have sprayed the fish first with water or dipped it in milk before coating it?
Also, afterwards I re-read your intro and realized that I sprayed the oil on the fish prior to placing it into the air fry oven. Your instruction in the into say to spray it just before flipping it, but it doesn't mentioned when (or if) to spray the side that was at the bottom initially. Can you clarify the best process for oiling the fish?
Thanks!
Tanya says
Hi Elizabeth, spraying your fish with water or dipping in milk isn't a bad idea to have that coating stick better. You'll want yours to be as coated as mine to get that golden color. I do not spray my fish before placing it in the air fryer basket. I grease the air fryer basket by spraying the basket so the fish doesn't stick. I then place the fish in the basket and air fry. Once I am ready to flip, I spray the fish, then flip, and spray again, and continue air frying.
Joe says
Enjoy your web site.. Just used your fried fish recipe and I'll need to make some adjustments to be in your league. Confused on recipe instructions to spray basket with oil, cook 10 minutes, spray with olive oil and flip. This means to me you only sprayed fish one time, if you don't count spraying fry basket.
Your comment to Elizabeth suggest spraying fish twice. Next time I cook fish I'm going to twice.
Observation: Your fry basket is different than my wire basket which won't hold the oil like yours. Looking forward to receiving new issues from you.
Tanya says
Hi Joe, I spray them twice. I place the fish in the greased air fryer basket without spraying. Then I cook. Once I am ready to flip, I open the basket and spray the fish, then I flip and spray the other side and then continue to cook. I'm familiar with the wire baskets (I have a Power oven xl as well). I spray the basket so the fish won't stick. If your fish is sticking to the wire basket, parchment paper liners may help.
Cookie says
You can also add some hot sauce into your tartar sauce. That’s really good too.
Tanya says
That's a great idea!
Teresa says
Hi. Can l use fry light in air fryer
Victoria says
Can this be done in oven baked with same outom e of calories?
Tanya says
Hi Victoria, I haven't baked this but the calorie count wouldn't change from air fried to baked.
Ernest says
I notice you do something that my mother did that I do not...when it come to whiting fish: you leave the skin on! I once bought whiting were the skin was removed and it was a whole different world of taste! Now I still buy whiting frozen, however, I place the frozen fillet in room temperature water for about 30 seconds, after which the thin skin will peel off easily without destroying the fillet. Another thing you do is shake your fish in the coating. I also did the same for years, but now I find the most perfect way for air-frying is to 'encrust' the fillet. I do this by taking a thawed skinless fillet and placing it in a plastic bag with my coating, then first shaking like you do. However I follow up with laying the bag with the fish still inside on the counter- making sure to have extra coating above and below the fillet. I then use my hands to apply light pressure to the fillet so that the extra coating above and below embeds itself. The fillet is now beautifully encrusted and remains perfectly so during the cooking process! This extra step takes 10-15 seconds and the end product is slamming and looks as good as it taste! I have even used finely crushed ranch nachos, or regular tortilla chips to supplement/ mix with my coating. Another real plus is that when done this way, no eggs or milk are needed to adhere the batter! Just press and fry...air-fry!
Tanya says
Hi Ernest, I love your tips about the coating. I'll give that a try next time. Oh I love the fish that has been fried with the skin on, lol. I guess because it brings back memories for me 🙂
Andrew says
Can I do this without breading? I generally grill but it sticks badly and I lose some of it to the grill, I just season it and grill, can that be done?
Tanya says
Yes, you can do it without breading. It won't be crispy, just really flavorful flaky fish 🙂
Donna says
Just for the record, I have been using over the counter oil sprays (my favorite is the olive oil and the coconut oil one is good too) for over 3 years in my air fryer with no problems or loss of my finish on the basket. Sounds like someone was wanting to sell something to you when they told you that!
Tanya says
Hi Donna, I'm glad to hear that your basket didn't peel. My experience was a bit different. In my first Air Fryer, I used over the counter sprays a bit and my basket started to peel badly. I had to toss that one after a year. I've since purchased 4 additional brands of Air Fryers and none have peeled. I don't use commercial sprays in those. I actually received this information about the spray bottles from multiple sources and realized that it was probably why my basket peeled. Not all over the counter sprays are bad. It depends on what the ingredients are. I also found the cost of my spray bottle cheaper in the long run as I use the same oil I cook on the stove with in that bottle.
LISA says
aRE YOU USING OLIVE OIL OR CANOLA OIL?
Tanya says
I used olive oil for this recipe but either oil would work.
Erin says
@Donna, aerosol sprays are the problem. Traditional bottles of Pam fall in this category. There are a lot of non-aerosol oil sprays on the market now. Just double check the packaging.
James Wright says
What if catfish still have bones in? Do I need to alter recipe?
Tanya says
Hi James, no, you don't.
Donna says
Going to try this next, I tried a recipe that you put mustard on fish before breading it never got crispy I think the mustard was to much moisture, and when I turned it all the breading stuck to the bottom even tho I greased the bottom. Hopefully your recipe works for me or I’m going to have to go back to the frying pan ?
pat says
Made the crispy fish for lunch and it turned out wonderful. Just as pictured. Husband said it was better then any restaurant we have eaten at. That’s saying something. Because we are on low carb, I used ground flaxseed for the cornmeal and almond flour for the flour and the taste was just like a regular fish fry. Super recipe.
Connie says
I’ve made this twice now. The first time I tried spraying the fish with canned spray and it wasn’t very crispy, but the coating still had such good flavor that I tried again after purchasing an oil mister. What a difference! They were beautiful. I really love your coating mix, it is just right, light and a good compliment to the mild fish.