I used to live in a seaside town and nothing gives me more childhood memories than fish and chips. This hot dish consists of battered fried fish with golden chips on the side. It’s rarely thought of as a healthy meal because it’s often deep fried in oil.
Not until air fryers came along.
Air fryer fish and chips taste the same- crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The best thing is you don’t have to worry about those extra calories and fat that you would get from a deep fryer. Here are the details on how you can make this comfort food in your home.
How do you cook frozen fish and chips in an air fryer?
What You’ll Need
Air Fryer
An air fryer will cook your fish and chips like they had been crisp into golden perfection in a deep fryer, minus the extra oil and calories. If you don’t have an air fryer yet, I recommend that you get one so you’ll feel less guilty when eating fried food.
I use the Ninja AF101 which has a 4-quartz capacity and an intuitive one-touch control panel. This size is great for 1-2 people. If you have a larger family, get a larger capacity.
Spatula
You’ll need a spatula to turn the fish to cook the other side. Alternatively, you can use a pair of tongs to handle the fish.
Additional Items
For Option 1
Oven Chips
The best oven chips to use are less oily. So far, my favorite is the McCain Oven Chips because they look exactly the same as the chunky chips served in fish and chip restaurants.
Frozen Breaded Fish Fillets
There are many brands of frozen breaded fish fillets you can choose on the market today. I use the SeaCrisp Breaded Square Cod which contains 39 pieces. Other good options are cod, haddock, and any other white fish.
For Options 2, 3, And 4
Fish
Selecting the right fish is important in making the perfect fish and chips recipe. My top three choices are cod, pollock, and haddock.
Cod is the most popular choice because of its mild flavor and soft texture. This white fish is perfect if you want to enjoy the big difference between the crispy outer shell and the tender meat inside. Pollock is related to cod but it packs more flavor.
Haddock, on the other hand, has the best flavor. This type of fish has a mild sweetness that goes well with the creamy flavor of the batter. Its flesh is tender as well.
Potatoes
It’s always a good idea to make your own chips for health purposes. To make chips from scratch, you’ll need potatoes. The best potatoes are firm and blemish-free.
For variety, here are some great alternatives for potatoes:
Frozen French Fries
If you like to save time in making the chips from scratch, you can buy frozen french fries in your nearest grocery store. Any type and brand of frozen french fries will do. My favorite is the Andy Capp’s BBQ Flavored Fries because they turn out very crispy from the air fryer.
Zucchini
For the Keto diet (option 4), you’ll need something low with carbohydrates. Instead of potatoes and other store-bought chips, you can use zucchini. A cup of raw zucchini contains less than 5 grams of carbohydrates.
Cooking Spray
No oil is needed when cooking food with the air fryer. However, you may add a little bit of cooking oil to the food before frying to give an extra crunch. You can use any cooking oil you want but for the Keto diet, you should use unprocessed vegetable oils, like coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and avocado oil.
Seasoning Mix
The seasoning mix will give flavor to the bread crumbs. I use Old Bay Seasoning because it already contains all the best spices and herbs to help the fish reach its full flavor potential. If you want to make your own seasoning mix, combine celery salt with paprika, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and ginger.
Salt And Pepper
These condiments are great in seasoning your fish and chips. They make the fish more flavorful. For Keto, use Kosher salt or sea salt because they’re unrefined and natural.
All-Purpose Flour
The flour will make the fish crispy on the outside. It also helps the flesh to become tender as it serves as a good protective coating of the fish. For Keto (option 4), use almond flour or coconut flour.
Egg
The egg will bind all the breading batter together. The yolk will soften the gluten strands of the flour, providing more delicate crispiness to the crust. The proteins of the egg keep your fish tender and prevent the batter to absorb oil.
There’s no need to use eggs for Option 3.
Light Beer (Only For Option 3)
For the beer batter fish and chips airfryer, you’ll need light beer. The bubbles in the beer will give a lighter texture to the batter. I use light beer or light pale.
Bread Crumbs
The bread crumbs will give that nice crunch to the fish fillet. They also give that nice golden-brown color making the fish more appetizing. You can omit this for Options 3. For Option 4 (Keto), Pork Panko is a good substitute for bread crumbs.
Bowls
You’ll need three bowls to contain the three different batter mixtures for your fish. One bowl for the flour mixture, a second bowl for the egg mixture, and a third bowl for the bread crumbs.
Whisk
A whisk will help mix the dry and liquid ingredients properly. If you have no whisk in your kitchen, use a fork instead.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Option 1: Frozen Fish And Chips In Air Fryer
How do you cook frozen fish and chips in the air fryer? It’s easy because there’s no preparation involved. All you need is a bag of frozen chips and frozen breaded fish.
Add The Oven Chips And Breaded Fish
Open the bag of oven chips and put them in the air fryer basket. Next, open your bag of frozen breaded fish and gently put them over the chips. It makes it fast to cook them together at the same time.
Cook The Fish And Chips
Cook the fish and chips at 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Two fish fillets take about eight minutes to cook at each side.
When it reaches the 8-minute mark, remove the breaded fish using your spatula. Shake the chips and return the fish to cook the other side for another eight minutes.
Serve And Enjoy
Once your fish looks crispy, it’s done. Serve with mushy peas.
Option 2: Air Fryer Fish And Chips Weight Watchers
If you’re looking after your weight, avoid frozen seafood because it contains too much sodium. The best way is to create your own breaded fish.
Prepare The Ingredients
Gather two pieces of fish fillets, two tablespoons of flour, one egg, 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, Old Bay Seasoning, frozen french fries or two potatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.
Make The Batter
In one bowl, add the flour. In the second bowl, whisk the egg. In the third bowl, combine the bread crumbs with Old Bay Seasoning.
Dredge The Fish
Dip the fish in the flour and shake it off to remove any excess flour. Next, dip the fish into the egg mixture to coat all sides. Finally, dredge the fish in the seasoned bread crumbs.
Make The Potato Chips
If you want to use the store-bought frozen french fries, skip this step and proceed to step 5. If not, it’s time to make your chips. Peel the potatoes and cut them into wedges. Season with salt and pepper, and lightly coat with cooking spray.
Cook The The Fish And Chips
Place the breaded fish into the air fryer basket along with the frozen french fries or potato wedges. Air fry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Serve warm with tartar sauce.
Option 3: Air Fryer Beer Battered Fish And Chips
If you want to eat fish and chips pub-style, then you can try this recipe which includes beer in the batter. The beer will give the fish a soft yet unique crunchy texture.
Prepare The Ingredients
To make two servings, prepare two fish fillets, one cup all-purpose flour, 6 ounces of light beer, Old Bay Seasoning, potatoes or french fries, salt, and pepper.
Make The Beer Batter
In a bowl, mix the flour, Old Bay Seasoning, beer, and salt. You want the consistency to be similar to a pancake batter. If it’s too thick, add a bit of water to thin it out.
Season And Dip The Fish
Season the fish with salt and pepper. After covering both sides, dip the fish in the batter. Coat well and let the extra batter drip off.
Cook To Perfection
Place the beer-battered fish in the air fryer, along with the frozen french fries or potato wedges. Cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 16 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the fish halfway through with your tongs or spatula.
Serve And Enjoy
Serve the fish and chips warm with lemon or tartar sauce.
Option 4: Air Fryer Fish And Chips Keto
The Keto air fryer fish and chips are all you ever wanted with low-carb ingredients cooked in perfect crispiness. This recipe will yield two servings.
Prepare The Ingredients
For the chips, you need one medium zucchini and salt and pepper to taste. For the fish, you need 3/4 lb of white fish, 1/2 cup of almond flour, one egg, Old Bat Seasoning, and Pork Panko.
Make The Chips
Cut the zucchini into thin slices and spray them lightly with cooking spray. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Make The Batter
Add almond flour in one bowl. In the second bowl, crack the egg and whisk to beat thoroughly. Combine a little of Old Bay Seasoning with the Pork Panko in the third bowl.
Dip And Fry
Dip the fish in the almond flour then into the beaten egg and the Pork Panko mixture. Place the breaded fish and the zucchini slices into the air fryer basket. Coat the fish with cooking spray and cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve And Enjoy
Serve the Keto fish and chips with Keto coleslaw and tartar sauce.
Additional Pro Tips
Season the fish with salt and pepper generously. Since you’ll not be using a lot of oil, you need to keep the fish well-seasoned to add flavor.
Keep the skin on. The skin of the fish locks the flavor and moisture in the flesh. Use a spatula to make sure that the fish stays intact when you remove it from the basket.
Spray the fish with oil halfway through to increase crispiness.
Enjoy Air Fryer Fish And Chips Today!
There are so many ways to cook fish and chips in the air fryer. You can dredge them in a beer batter or use low-carb breading for the Keto diet. No matter how you want to cook it, the crispiness and tender meat inside are still glory to behold.
Tell us how you want your fish and chips cooked in the air fryer in the comments section below. If you like this article, please share it with your friends to help spread the word.
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