You won’t believe how simple it is to make Air Fryer Frozen Fish Fillets! Frozen fish fillets are golden brown, crispy, and ready for dinner in just a few minutes in the air fryer!
Overview
If you’ve graduated from air fryer Fish sticks, but aren’t quite ready to make air fryer fresh salmon yet, this recipe for air fryer frozen fish fillets is going to be just perfect for you!
Frozen fish fillets are breaded pieces of whole fish that have been flash-frozen, and are designed to be baked in the oven.
But you already know that we can do better than that!
The air fryer can cook any of your favorite frozen foods way better and much faster than the oven can. In fact, it takes less than 15 minutes start to finish to cook fish fillets in the air fryer.
What you’ll need
Frozen Fish Fillets – These directions will work for any brand and type of frozen fish fillets. Here I’m cooking beer-battered fish, but the type coated with breadcrumbs will also cook perfectly using this method.
That’s it! You don’t need any oil or extra seasonings to cook frozen fish fillets in the air fryer.
how to cook them
- Remove as many frozen fish fillets from the packaging as you’d like to cook. I was able to fit 6 small fillets in my Cosori air fryer basket.
- Arrange the frozen fillets in a single layer in the air fryer basket. You don’t want the fish pieces to be touching or overlapping at all.
- Air Fry at 360°F/180°C for 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the fish is cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F/63°C.
- Serve immediately with tartar sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
A note on cook time
The exact cooking time depends on the size and thickness of the fish pieces, and the air fryer that you’re using.
Larger or thicker pieces of fish will take at least 14 minutes, and maybe a few extra minutes, while smaller pieces should be done after 12 minutes of cooking.
Ideally, you should use a thermometer to be sure that the internal temperature of the fish fillets is at least 145°F. At that temperature, frozen fish is fully cooked and safe to eat.
serving ideas
I like to serve air fryer battered fish fillets with homemade tartar sauce and fresh parsley. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice would also be delicious.
Turn these fillets into an English-style fish and chips dinner, and serve them with a batch of Air Fryer French Fries.
Or make a healthier veggie side dish, like air fryer frozen broccoli, crispy air fryer brussel sprouts, or corn on the cob.
Be careful with battered fish!
Freshly battered fish fillets cannot be cooked in the air fryer!
Freshly battered fish is covered with a liquid that will just fall to the bottom of the air fryer when you try to cook it. That’s not ideal and it makes a big mess!
The only reason that these battered fish fillets can be air-fried is that they’ve been frozen. Frozen battered fish fillets are solid, so they will cook perfectly in the air fryer.
FAQs
Nope. For all frozen foods, you should cook them directly from frozen. They aren’t designed to be thawed, and will not cook properly if you let them.
Gorton’s fish fillets are very similar to the Van De Kampp filets that I’ve cooked here. We’ve tested both brands, and both are cooked perfectly using this air fryer recipe.
Air Fryer Frozen Fish Fillets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 8-ounce frozen fish fillets
Instructions
- Remove the frozen fish filets from their outer packaging.
- Place the frozen fish fillets in the air fryer basket in a single layer, ensuring they are not overlapping. Cook in multiple batches if need be.
- Air Fry at 360°F/180°C for 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the fish is cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F/63°C.
Notes
- The nutrition facts for this recipe will depend on the brand of frozen fish fillets you are cooking. Please see the packaging for those details.Â
- Do not thaw frozen fish fillets before cooking. Add them to the air fryer still frozen.
- Frozen fish is safe to eat once it’s been cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F/63°C.
- Pro Tip:Â This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
- Pro Tip:Â Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes air frying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.
Nutrition
Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
Thank you! I’d almost given up trying to cook fish. I was either getting burnt batter or soggy fish. I tried your tips with the air fryer and got it perfect on my first attempt.
Jon Seed – a VERY grateful reader!
Hi Jon! I’m happy we have been able to restore your faith in cooking fish! Thanks for letting us know you loved it 🙂