These crispy air fryer fish fingers simply blew me away with their insane crispiness on the outside and melt-in-mouth juiciness & softness inside! This air fryer fish finger is a must try if you already own an air fryer!
I am really mad at myself for not trying these incredible air fryer fish fingers until now! And I repeat – these are just I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E without an iota of doubt!
And to compensate for my lapse, I have another batch of these crispy fish fingers going on in my air fryer as we speak (or as I write to be specific!); so I’m inevitably gonna take a couple of breaks in between to munch on these gorgeous cuties!
I have owned this Instant Vortex air fryer from Amazon for exactly 2 years now and have made uncountable recipes so far; but these crispy fish fingers came out as a winner in their very first appearance itself even though they joined late in the competition!
I would sincerely urge you not to do the same mistake as I did and get these crispy air fryer fish fingers going today itself as you read!
Trust me, these air fryer fish fingers would turn out to be the best snack to devour especially if you are in your weightloss journey just like me!
Since I have restricted any deep fried item from my meals, I was badly missing those crispy goodness since ages! At that very moment came these fish fingers as my savior and I ate them like a umm… what’s the word I’m looking for… a CRAZY person!
What is an air fryer fish finger?
Fish finger is quite a popular snack among seafood lovers thanks to its crispiness which gives immense pleasure to our taste buds when combined with the succulent juiciness inside.
To put it more simply, fish fingers are essentially fish sticks which are breaded with an outer coating using breadcrumbs.
The popular choice of fish for fish fingers is any white meaty fish which are completely boneless.
For my air fryer fish fingers, I used tilapia filets which are quite easily available in my city. Other alternatives of fish that you can consider are cod, hake, haddock or barramundi (also known as ‘bhetki’) filets.
Ingredients for air fryer fish fingers
Fish filet: Undoubtedly, this is the key ingredient for a restaurant style crispy fish fingers irrespective of whether you are making them in an air fryer or by the traditional deep frying method.
Choose a white fish which is meaty and can hold the breading beautifully. As I have mentioned above, I used tilapia filets and my air fryer fish fingers simply turned out mind blowing!
You can also try this recipe of fish fingers using filets of cod, haddock, hake or our good old ‘bhetki’ which is also called barramundi.
Breadcrumbs: This is the second most important ingredient which will ensure you have a perfect batch of seriously crispy fish fingers every time! You can use the Japanese style Panko breadcrumbs or the regular breadcrumb.
I made my air fryer fish fingers using both the varieties and both came out unbelievably crispy & crunchy! No discrimination whatsoever!
Egg: I used an egg to give my fish filets a quick egg bath before coating them with the seasoned breadcrumbs. Egg not only keeps the fish (or even the poultry) tender & succulent, but also helps the breading stick to the filets nicely.
Garlic & Onion Powder: Aromatics are a must in any fish recipe and this one is also no exception! As I used a dry spice mix to season my fish filets, I opted for garlic and onion powder.
You can get both garlic powder and onion powder from Amazon!
Pro tip: These aromatic powders come in handy when you want to impart that sensational aroma without getting any burnt bits of garlic and onion paste! And they have a long shelf life when kept refrigerated or in the freezer section which is how I prefer to store them!
Red chilli powder: We like a kick of spiciness in our food and hence my crispy air fryer fish fingers are laced with just a touch of heat with our favorite Indian spice powder that is red chilli!
Salt & Pepper: Season the breadcrumbs nicely with salt to taste and freshly crushed black pepper as per your liking. Black pepper works beautifully with fish; so do not skip it!
Oil: My air fryer fish fingers require minimal oil and that too only for brushing the top to ensure the fish fingers do not dry out while being air fried and come out super crispy. You can use any flavorless oil for this like canola, sunflower or any vegetable oil of your choice.
How to make air fryer fish fingers?
Now are you curious to know how you can make these restaurant style crispy air fryer fish fingers and impress your guests? Let’s dive in!
Step 1: First, wash and pat dry the fish filets. Then cut each filet into long strips keeping the thickness of about 1 inch.
Pro tip: You can take a call on how long & thick you want your air fryer fish fingers to be; just ensure to keep all the fingers of the same size so that they cook evenly at the same time.
Step 2: Now season the filets with salt on both sides and brush or massage them using your hands so that the seasoning is spread evenly. Set them aside.
Step 3: Next take a large plate or a mixing bowl and add all the other dry ingredients to it – breadcrumbs, garlic & onion powder, red chilli powder, salt & black pepper.
Step 4: Give a good mix so that the breadcrumb is evenly mixed with all the seasoning and aromatics. Take time at this step so that you are not left with pockets of spices clumped together; everything must be uniformly distributed.
Step 5: If you have mixed the breadcrumbs in a bowl, then transfer it to a shallow plate now for the breading process.
Step 6: Break the egg in another shallow plate and beat it evenly along with a pinch of salt.
Step 7: Now it’s time to start the process of coating your air fryer fish fingers.
Take one fish filet at a time using either a fork or your one hand keeping the other hand dry and dip it in the beaten egg a few times, then lift it up and let the excess liquid drip off.
Step 8: Then immediately place it on the breadcrumb mixture and using your dry hand coat it evenly with the breadcrumbs on both sides.
Press the breadcrumbs lightly over the filets using your fingers so that it sticks evenly all over the filet.
Step 9: Once you are happy with your coated fish filet, transfer it to another clean plate. Bread all the other fish filets similarly and arrange them on a clean plate in a single layer.
Step 10: Refrigerate the coated fish fingers for about 30 minutes; this chilling time will suck the excess moisture out from breadcrumbs making the fish fingers even crisper than your imagination!
Step 11: When you are ready to air fry, brush the bottom of your air fryer basket with some oil to avoid sticking and put the basket inside the machine.
Step 12: Set the temperature at 190 C / 375 F & timer for 10 minutes and start the air fryer to preheat.
Step 13: Once preheated, carefully place the breaded fish fingers on the basket in a single layer keeping a tiny gap between two to ensure even air flow. You may have to air fry your fish fingers in batches; otherwise they will not turn out crispy.
Step 14: After placing the breaded fish filets, brush the top lightly with oil using a brush.
Pro tip: If you have an oil sprayer, then use it to lightly coat the top of your fish fingers with oil.
Step 15: Air fry the fish fingers half way through the cooking time and then take the basket out and flip each one over.
Step 16: Brush or spray the other side with oil too and continue air frying them for the remaining time and your insanely crispy air fryer fish fingers are ready!
Step 17: Serve your crispy & tender fish fingers with tartar sauce or any other favorite dip of yours!
Check out the step by step video here of how to make crispy air fryer fish fingers!
More delicious air fryer recipes from Flavor Quotient
- White fish filet - 400 gms
- Garlic powder - 1 tsp
- Onion powder - 1 tsp
- Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
- Salt - ¾ tsp
- Black pepper powder - ½ tsp
- Breadcrumbs - 1 cup
- Egg - 1
- Oil for brushing
- First, wash and pat dry the fish filets. Then cut each filet into long strips keeping the thickness of about 1 inch.
- Now season the filets with salt on both sides and brush or massage them using your hands so that the seasoning is spread evenly. Set them aside.
- Next take a large plate or a mixing bowl and add all the other dry ingredients to it - breadcrumbs, garlic & onion powder, red chilli powder, salt & black pepper.
- Give a good mix so that the breadcrumb is evenly mixed with all the seasoning and aromatics. Take time at this step so that you are not left with pockets of spices clumped together; everything must be uniformly distributed.
- If you have mixed the breadcrumbs in a bowl, then transfer it to a shallow plate now for the breading process.
- Break the egg in another shallow plate and beat it evenly along with a pinch of salt.
- Now it’s time to start the process of coating your air fryer fish fingers. Take one fish filet at a time using either a fork or your one hand keeping the other hand dry and dip it in the beaten egg a few times, then lift it up and let the excess liquid drip off.
- Then immediately place it on the breadcrumb mixture and using your dry hand coat it evenly with the breadcrumbs on both sides. Press the breadcrumbs lightly over the filets using your fingers so that it sticks evenly all over the filet.
- Once you are happy with your coated fish filet, transfer it to another clean plate. Bread all the other fish filets similarly and arrange them on a clean plate in a single layer.
- Refrigerate the coated fish fingers for about 30 minutes; this chilling time will suck the excess moisture out from breadcrumbs making the fish fingers even crisper than your imagination!
- When you are ready to air fry, brush the bottom of your air fryer basket with some oil to avoid sticking and put the basket inside the machine.
- Set the temperature at 190 C / 375 F & timer for 10 minutes and start the air fryer to preheat.
- Once preheated, carefully place the breaded fish fingers on the basket in a single layer keeping a tiny gap between two to ensure even air flow. You may have to air fry your fish fingers in batches; otherwise they will not turn out crispy.
- After placing the breaded fish filets, brush the top lightly with oil using a brush. If you have an oil sprayer, then use it to lightly coat the top of your fish fingers with oil.
- Air fry the fish fingers half way through the cooking time and then take the basket out and flip each one over.
- Brush or spray the other side with oil too and continue air frying them for the remaining time and your insanely crispy air fryer fish fingers are ready!
- Serve your crispy & tender fish fingers with tartar sauce or any other favorite dip of yours! Enjoy!
Note 2: If you don't have an air fryer yet, you can still replicate this recipe! Just flash fry the breaded fish filets in any oil of your choice in a deep wok for 3 to 4 minutes on medium-low flame and take them out as soon as they turn golden brown!
Liked the recipe? Let us know!