Air Fryer Fish and Chips Recipe – Made With Fresh Fish & Frozen French Fries

Every winter this Air Fryer Fish and Chips recipe becomes extremely popular. It seems like everyone is wanting to make a good comfort food recipe to help them through the dreary cold months. Or they may be looking for a great recipe to make during the Lenten season.

Lightly breaded pieces of cod that are cooked in the air fryer. Then it is served with cooked French fries, which I also make in this amazing countertop appliance!

Whatever the reason that you are looking for this recipe, you are going to be amazed at how good it turns out. Not to mention how easy it is to make. In fact, you may not even want to head to your favorite fish restaurant any more!

Although during the summer months I will typically cook Air Fryer Salmon or unbreaded Air Fryer Cod and serve it with a side salad. However this is my go to fish recipe is one that I make most often in the winter.

There is just something about eating a classic comfort food meal that instantly makes you feel better. And for those who don’t eat meat on Fridays during the Easter season, it is a great recipe to add to the food rotation of cheese pizza and grilled cheese.

However, the real benefit of making this recipe is that it is much healthier than eating it at a restaurant. The fish that you get there is typically deep fried. Here the air fryer cooks it so that it is nice and crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside without being submerged in oil.

How An Air Fryer Cooks

For those who aren’t familiar with how an air fryer cooks, let me explain. In the most general terms an air fryer cooks with a top heating element and a fan. The fan circulates the air around the food and cooks it perfectly.

The result is food that is evenly cooked and done in less time than it takes to cook in a conventional oven. Essentially an air fryer is a small, counter top convection oven.

However because of its small and compact size, it will cook much faster than a full size kitchen convection oven. Therefore, when adapting recipes you must adjust the cook time appropriately.

Although I have listed the cook time below for this Air Fryer Fish and Chips recipe it may need to be adapted for your specific brand and style of air fryer. There are so many different types of air fryers on the market and each one cooks at different rates.

What Type of Fish To Use

Although many parts of the country make homemade fish and chips using Haddock, I have chosen to use cod for this recipe. This is due to the fact that I don’t have access to wild caught Haddock where I live.

However, it is easy to find wild caught cod in our area. Although the choice of fish that you use is really up to you!

You just want to make sure you use a mild, white fish that doesn’t have strong residual fish flavor when cooked. Whatever type of fish you choose just remember this recipe not only tastes great but the entire meal is made without turning on the oven or stove!

Although I have to admit that I don’t make the entire meal from scratch. Although I could take the time to make Homemade Air Fryer French Fries, I typically purchase a bag of frozen fries when making fish and chips.

And I would imagine that most of you will opt to use frozen fries as well! However, you can certainly make them homemade if you prefer.

Beer Batter vs. Breaded Fish

As much as we love traditional Beer Battered Fish and Chips, it is much more difficult to make this type of fish in an Air Fryer. The batter will run down into the bottom of the air fryer and you will end up with basically grilled fish.

This not only causes a mess, but more importantly the fish will have barely enough batter on the surface to make it nice and crispy.

Although you can do a reverse dredge where you dip the fish filets in batter and then in flour, I find that using the triple dredging station found in this recipe provides for better and more consistent results.

Air Fryer Fish and Chips

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces frozen French fries
• 1 pound cod fillet, cut into strips
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs

Serving Ingredients (optional)

• Tartar sauce
• Lemon wedges

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer at 400°F (200°C) and spray the basket with olive oil spray.

Bake Time For The Fries

Then add the frozen French fries to the basket and cook for 22 minutes, shaking 1-2 times during the cooking process.

While the fries are cooking in the air fryer, prepare your fish. First, in a small bowl mix the flour with the paprika, garlic powder and salt.

Then add a beaten egg in another shallow bowl and the panko breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl.

Pat the fish dry using a paper towel. Then dredge the fish in the flour mixture, then dip it in the beaten egg.

Finally place the egg drenched fish in the Panko breadcrumbs, pressing down lightly until the crumbs stick. Be sure to spray both sides with olive oil.

Once the fries are cooked remove them from the air fryer and set aside in a paper towel lined, shallow bowl.

Bake Time For The Fish

Then place the breaded cod in the hot basket and air fry for 10-12 minutes, turning half way through the cooking process.

The actual cooking time will depend on the thickness of your filets and the brand of your air fryer. Continue to cook until the fish is light and flaky and the exterior is golden brown in color.

Reheat The Fries

Remove fish from the air fryer and place the fries back into the basket. While the fish rests, heat the fries until warm. Then serve immediately with tartar sauce and lemon wedges if desired.

Enjoy! Mary

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