How to Cook Frozen Fish Fillets in an Air Fryer

Using an air fryer to cook frozen fish fillets is wonderful because it helps the fish cook quickly and become crispy and golden without the use of a deep fryer. Cooking in this manner is also healthier than cooking fish in a deep fryer; while deep frying requires you to cook food in a lot of oil, you don't need to use very much, if any, when cooking food in an air fryer. Here is how to cook frozen fish fillets in an air fryer.

Can You Cook Frozen Fish Fillets in an Air Fryer?

Yes, you can cook many different types of frozen fish fillets in an air fryer. Whether you want to cook frozen breaded fish or frozen battered fish, they will become perfectly cooked in an air fryer. Air fryers are also great for cooking pork, chicken, and sausage, among other foods.

Why Cook Frozen Fish Fillets in an Air Fryer?

Cooking your frozen fish fillets in the air fryer can give you better results than using an oven, and that's because of the hot air circulation that the air fryer provides.

Here's why I enjoy using my air fryer to cook frozen fish fillets:

• Fast: Your fish fillets will be done in less time than it would take for your oven to preheat.
• Healthier: Most fish fillet brands have already been pre-cooked to some extent, so deep-frying them again to cook them will add more calories while using an air fryer means you won't require any oil, resulting in healthier fish and fewer calories.
• No Preparation: There is no need to measure, chop, or shop for a long list of ingredients to cook frozen fish fillets in an air fryer. You will only need a box of breaded or battered fish fillets and whatever garnishes you would like to serve it with, such as tartar sauce and lemon wedges.
• Great for Novice Cooks: If you are new to cooking and you just want to start cooking easy dishes, an air fryer will be your new best friend as it's easy to use and yields great results.
• Hands-free: Using the air fryer for to cook food tends to be hands-free, only requiring you to shake the basket or turn the food halfway through cooking it.

Is Cooking Frozen Fish Fillets in an Air Fryer Healthy?

Fresh fish fillets are always better than frozen when it comes to flavor and texture. However, frozen fish fillets are a nutritious and convenient standby that is quick and easy to prepare.

Crumbed, battered, or flavored frozen fish fillets can be high in sodium and fat, so for a healthier option, you can choose to go for uncoated frozen fillets instead.

On the other hand, cooking your frozen fish fillets in the air fryer is way healthier than cooking them by deep-frying, and that's because the air fryer doesn't require any oil to make the fish crispy and golden.

How Long to Cook Frozen Fish Fillets in an Air Fryer

As the instructions below say, your frozen fish fillets will take around 12 minutes to cook in an air fryer at a temperature of 350 F. However, you should be aware that this timing may be different for you. Here are some reasons why.

Different Air Fryer Brand: Air fryers circulate hot air around the food you are cooking, however, different air fryer brands circulate air at different speeds which means your cooking times might be a little different.

Different Frozen Fish Fillet Brand: Frozen fish fillet brands may include thicker or thinner fish, which means they may require more or less cooking time.

The first time you cook frozen fish fillets in the air fryer, I recommend that you keep an eye on them to ensure they are cooked through. It is a good idea to use a meat thermometer to see if the internal temperature of your fish fillets has reached 145 F. If it does, your fish fillets are ready to be served.

What to Serve with Fish Fillets

Cooked breaded fish fillets in the air fryer can be served with a variety of dishes like:

• Grilled or Steamed Vegetables
• Pasta
• Salad
• Potato Chips
• French Fries
• Quinoa
• Rutabaga Fries (fabulous keto substitute for potatoes)

If you would like to try other types of sauces with your fish rather than tartar sauce, these are the sauces that I recommend serving with your air-fried fish fillets:

• Yum Yum Sauce
• Masago Sauce
• Alfredo Sauce
• Mediterranean Sauce

Additionally, if you really want to pile on the carbs, then try adding some mushy peas to your plate. They aren't really popular in the U.S., but I love pairing them with my fish fillets.

Storing & Reheating Leftover Air Fryer Fish Fillets

If you have any leftover fish fillets, you can store them in the fridge if you going to eat them in the next few days or in the freezer if you want your cooked fish fillets to have a longer shelf life. Here is how to store the leftover fillets in the fridge and freezer.

Storing Fish Fillets in the Fridge: Store your cooked fish fillets in a shallow airtight container in order. Then, let them cool to room temperature before placing them in the fridge. The fish fillets can be stored in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.

Storing Fish Fillets in the Freezer: Allow your cooked fish fillet leftovers to cool to room temperature, and then store them in an airtight container. Properly stored, your fish fillets should keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

When it's time to reheat your fish fillets in the air fryer, here is what you need to do:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 350 F for about 5 minutes.
2. Place the fish in the air fryer basket after spraying them with oil spray. If you reheat frozen fish fillets, there is no need to defrost them.
3. Cook the fillets for 3 to 5 minutes until heated through.

The fish fillets should be crispy and delicious like when they were originally cooked.

Can You Cook Uncoated Frozen Fish in the Air Fryer?

Yes, you can cook your frozen fish in the air fryer if it doesn't hasn't any breading, but you should be aware that if you don't add any oil and seasoning first, your fish will stick to the air fryer basket. That is because it's very lean and doesn't have any sort of fat or breading that includes fat. As a result, when cooking frozen fish with no breading, always spray it with oil spray for the best results.

How to Make Keto Frozen Fish in an Air Fryer

One serving of this breaded cod fish fillets will provide you with 30 grams of net carbs per 5 ounces serving. As a result, the breading means the fish is not keto. However, if you would like to make keto fish instead, simply choose plain frozen fish fillets rather than breaded ones. You can coat them in a low-carb “breading” like almond flour or crushed pork rinds instead if you like.

How to Make Gluten-Free Frozen Fish Fillets in an Air Fryer

In order to make air fryer fish fillets gluten-free, you can either buy frozen fish fillets with no breading or buy fish fillets with gluten-free breading. Starfish and Ian’s are two brands that will provide you with gluten-free frozen breaded fish options. Both of these brands can be found on Amazon.

Air Fryer Frozen Fish Fillet Ingredients

• 1 pound frozen breaded fish fillets (I used Trader Joe's Frozen Breaded Cod Fillets)
• 1 medium lemon, quartered
• Tartar sauce, optional

Air Fryer Frozen Fish Fillet Instructions

1. Place the frozen fish fillets in a single layer on the air fryer tray. There is no need to use any oil spray as the breaded fish fillets already contain a significant amount of fat or oil. As a result, you should not need to use cooking spray.
2. Place the tray with the fish fillets in the top rack position of your air fryer, as this is the position that is closest to the heating element.
3. Air fry your frozen breaded fish fillets for 5 minutes at 350 F.
4. Once the cooking time has elapsed, flip the fillets over and put the tray with the fish back in the top rack position; continue air frying the fish for another 7 minutes at 350 F.
5. In the last minutes of cooking, check your fish fillets with the use of a kitchen thermometer to see if they have reached the minimum safe internal temperature of 145 F. If not, continue cooking the fish until it reaches 145 F.
6. Remove the fish from the air fryer and squeeze the lemon over the fish. Serve the fish with tartar sauce on the side.

Recipe Tips

• Avoid overcrowding your air fryer basket and always cook the fish in one layer. If needed, cook the fish fillets in batches to ensure they cook evenly.
• This recipe doesn't use any oil spray, however, you can add some if you would like the fish to become more crispy.
• The cooking time for the fish may vary from the recipe slightly, so consider checking it in the last few minutes to make sure you don't overcook it.
• Different frozen fish fillet brands may require that you use oil spray to prevent the fish from drying out.
• Don't forget to shake the air fryer basket halfway through cooking your frozen fish fillets, as that will help them cook evenly. You can use tongs to flip the fish fillets.

How to Cook Frozen Fish Fillets in an Air Fryer

Yield: 3 servings

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 13 minutes

Using an air fryer to cook frozen fish fillets is wonderful because it helps the fish cook quickly and become crispy and golden without the use of a deep fryer. Cooking in this manner is also healthier than cooking fish in a deep fryer; while deep frying requires you to cook food in a lot of oil, you don’t need to use very much, if any, when cooking food in an air fryer. Here is how to cook frozen fish fillets in an air fryer.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound frozen breaded fish fillets (I used Trader Joe’s Frozen Breaded Cod Fillets)
• 1 medium lemon, quartered
• Tartar sauce, optional

Instructions

1. Place the frozen fish fillets in a single layer on the air fryer tray. There is no need to use any oil spray as the breaded fish fillets already contain a significant amount of fat or oil. As a result, you should not need to use cooking spray.
2. Place the tray with the fish fillets in the top rack position of your air fryer, as this is the position that is closest to the heating element.
3. Air fry your frozen breaded fish fillets for 5 minutes at 350 F.
4. Once the cooking time has elapsed, flip the fillets over and put the tray with the fish back in the top rack position; continue air frying the fish for another 7 minutes at 350 F.
5. In the last minutes of cooking, check your fish fillets with the use of a kitchen thermometer to see if they have reached the minimum safe internal temperature of 145 F. If not, continue cooking the fish until it reaches 145 F.
6. Remove the fish from the air fryer and squeeze the lemon over the fish. Serve the fish with tartar sauce on the side.

Notes

• Avoid overcrowding your air fryer basket and always cook the fish in one layer. If needed, cook the fish fillets in batches to ensure they cook evenly.
• This recipe doesn’t use any oil spray, however, you can add some if you would like the fish to become more crispy.
• The cooking time for the fish may vary from the recipe slightly, so consider checking it in the last few minutes to make sure you don’t overcook it.
• Different frozen fish fillet brands may require that you use oil spray to prevent the fish from drying out.
• Don’t forget to shake the air fryer basket halfway through cooking your frozen fish fillets, as that will help them cook evenly. You can use tongs to flip the fish fillets.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 360Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 915mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 21g