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Air-Fryer Beer-Battered Fish

We love a crispy piece of beer-battered fish, but we don't always want the calories that come with deep-frying. So we turned to the air fryer to develop a recipe with all the characteristics of the traditional dish—a light, crunchy-yet-airy exterior and a flaky, luscious interior. The secret to this recipe is in the method. Traditionally, the fish would go into a wet beer batter and then cook in hot oil. But in order to work in the air fryer, we needed to make some important changes. Get all the step-by-steps below, and learn how we tweaked the process, from the dredge to the oil, to create crispy air-fried fish.

Active Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Yield
Serves 4

How to Make It

1. Step
Pat fish dry; refrigerate while making batter.
2. Step
Whisk 3/4 cup flour, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a shallow dish; set aside. Whisk the remaining 1 cup flour and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add beer and egg and whisk until smooth (the batter should be thick). Refrigerate the batter.
3. Step
Preheat air fryer to 390°F (see Tip). Coat the basket generously with cooking spray. Remove the fish and batter from the refrigerator and set a large rimmed baking sheet on the counter. Pat the fish dry again. Lightly dredge each piece of fish in the flour-spice mixture, tapping off excess, and transfer to one half of the baking sheet. Spread the remaining flour-spice mixture on the other half of the baking sheet.
4. Step
Using 2 forks, dip a piece of fish into the batter, letting excess batter drip off, then place in the flour-spice mixture, gently flipping until well coated. Repeat with the remaining fish. Once all the fish is coated, spray the top side with cooking spray until no dry flour remains. Arrange the fish pieces sprayed-side down in the air-fryer basket, without touching. Generously spray the tops and sides of the fish with cooking spray. Cook until the coating is golden brown and the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 13 minutes. Gently remove the fish with a flexible spatula (some batter may stick to the bottom of the basket). Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and serve immediately.

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ pounds skinless cod fillet, about 1 inch thick, cut into 8 portions
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup beer, preferably lager
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • Olive oil cooking spray

Tags

Dairy-FreeHigh-ProteinNut-FreeSoy-Free

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