Air Fryer Frozen Fish Fillets
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We love fish fillets and learning how to cook raw fish fillets from frozen in the air fryer is super easy and we think you’ll love them too! They come out crispy and absolutely delicious! Cooking Air fried frozen fish is a game changer.
How to Cook Air Fryer Frozen Fish Fillets (RAW)
Frozen fish fillets are better air fried than a regular oven because the hot circulating air makes the fish fillets crispy without having to oil them. Add some tarter sauce and a few slices of lemon and voila! It’s perfect with the bright lemon juice and dip. And if you want to make it a meal, air fry some french fries after for a perfect fish and chips air fryer dinner! All time, temp and details are in the recipe box below.
Video: Air Fried Frozen Fish Fillets
What Time and Temp for Raw Frozen Fish Fillets
- All the frozen fillets we found were frozen RAW. There’s so many different brands of frozen fish fillets: Gortons, Van de Kamps, Great Value, Birds Eye. Mrs. Pauls and Marie Calendars are a few brands to look for.
- When you’re air frying the fish fillets, check to make sure they’re cooked through on the inside and crispy on the outside.
- After air frying for the initial base time of 12 minutes, check on the fillets and flip them. Add additional minute or two of cooking until they are crispy and cooked through.
- Your first batch will basically be like the “test”. After that, you’ll know exactly what time and temp you’ll use with your specific air fryer. After that, you’ll be the air frying fish fillet expert!
- See recipe below for detail on time, temperature and step-by-step photos.
- Pro-Tip: here’s our favorite tools to help make air frying easier:
We LOVE Evo Oil Sprayers. Not the prettiest, but they’re functional and spritz oil great! They don’t clog up like many others we’ve bought. There’s different styles, but all seem to have the same great spray head. Works great for grilling!
There are Square Mats & Round Mats. These perforated non-stick silicone mats are used to cook food in your air fryer or steamer to minimize sticking. Holes allow hot circulating air to cook the food & keeps the food from sticking.
Parchment sheets are great for your air fryer or bamboo steamer (food tends to stick most on wire basket or tray). Choose from different sizes, shapes, white and brown (unbleached). Holes allow air to cook food evenly.
Should you thaw the frozen fish fillets before air frying?
No, you don’t have to. Besides, if they’re thawed they will be hard to handle. It’s best to air fry them directly from frozen. But for what ever reason if they ended up being thawed, air fry them for about 8 minutes then check on them. Add additional 2 minutes or more of air frying until they are cooked through and crispy to your preference.
Air Fryer Frozen Fish Fillet
Ingredients
- 4 Frozen Breaded Fish Fillet
- optional dipping sauce (tartar, aioli, garlic/lemon butter, soy-ginger, sriracha mayo, nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce), hot mustard, etc.)
Equipment
Instructions
- Place the frozen breaded fish fillet in the air fryer basket. Make sure they aren't overlapping. No oil spray is needed.
- Air Fry at 380°F/193°C for 12 minutes. Flip the fish fillets over.
- Continue to Air Fry at 380°F/193°C for another 2-4 minutes or until cooked through and the coating is crispy.
- Serve with optional dipping sauce.
Notes
- No Oil Necessary. Cook Frozen – Do not thaw first.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Lay in a single layer.
- Recipe timing is based on a non-preheated air fryer. If cooking in multiple batches back to back, the following batches may cook a little quicker.
- Recipes were tested in 3.7 to 6 qt. air fryers. If using a larger air fryer, they might cook quicker so adjust cooking time.
- Remember to set a timer to flip/toss as directed in recipe.
If your air fryer is preheated or if you are cooking multiple batches, you may need to reduce timing by a few minutes (unless preheating is called for in the recipe).
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
What To Dip with Air Fryer Crispy Fish Filets?
- Classic tarter sauce is always a favorite.
- Thousand island dressing isn’t just for burgers! Try this with the air fired fish fillets, you just might love it.
- Marinara sauce or pasta sauce: these are so much more flavorful than plain tomato sauce. Red sauce goes great with the air fryer fish fillets
- Classic ketchup : can’t go wrong with this classic
- bbq sauce : we love the flavors of the smoky bbq sauces
- Different types of hot sauces: the spicy dips are an awesome balance against the crispy fish. Use sriracha or even chili garlic crunch (chili crisp)
- Buttermilk ranch : this creamy dip is always a favorite
- blue cheese dip: the tangy, rich flavors of blue cheese are great.
- honey mustard sauce : sweet, tangy and always delicious
You Might also Love these Air Fryer Fish Recipes
- (Homemade Fresh) Air Fryer Fish Fillets
- Air Fryer Shake N’ Bake Style Crispy Fish Fillets
- Air Fryer Frozen Fish Sticks
- Healthy Air Fryer White Fish with Garlic and Lemon Pepper
- Here’s some great fish fillet recipes to try in your air fryer.
This recipe was originally published in 2019 and re-publihsed in 2020 with updated notes.
19 Comments on “Air Fryer Frozen Fish Fillets”
It’s awesome that I don’t need to thaw the fish ahead of time. Air fryer did all the job for me.
I am so glad to find your site asI have ordered your cookbook. Looks like great easy and delicious recipes for us new comers.
Thanks Kathy! Welcome to our community and thanks for your support!
I’m really happy with how my fish turned out. Thanks for the recipe.
Turned out perfectly crisp!
Thank you
This is an excellent recipe..My fillets were so crispy and good..thank you..
Can you cook frozen fish fillets and frozen fantail shrimp and frozen steak fries all together in an air fryer?
Hi Jennifer, it’s best to cook those separately. That way each item can cook to it’s optimal texture. Thanks for asking!
Looking really forward to this typre of cooking. Am in my 70,s and eager to learn new things.
Welcome Madeleine to our air fryer community! Hope you find new and easy air fryer recipes fo your new cooking journey.
Haven’t tried it yet but soon I will.
followed your instructions step by step and they came out perfect. thanks for the easy recipe.
Shake the basket periodically instead of leaving them to cook for 12 minutes without touching. That is a better way to get a good outcome in my experience.
Just the info I needed. The beer battered Trident fish planks from Costco do not have air fryer directions on the package. This guideline worked for my Ninja Foodi with the small tweak of 390 since 380 is not an option. The timing was perfect.
Thanks for the info!
Thanks for sharing Wendy! Glad that brand worked well with our timing.
Thanks for the directions for frozen fish fillets. My 6qt. pressure cooker gave up the ghost, so for Christmas I got an Instant Pot duo crisp with Air Fryer lid. I love it. Today, the first thing I did with the air fryer lid was frozen fish fillets. I followed your directions, 380 degrees for 12 min. I turned them over when the lid instructed, when done I added some leftover french fries I had put in the freezer, just put them in with the fish, cooked them for another 5 min. and the fillets were perfect. As good, if not better than when done in my convection oven, and the fries were nice and crispy the way I like them. So much easier and quicker then heating the oven, and they have to cook longer, so saves energy, doesn’t heat up the kitchen, and were delicious. I look forward to more of your recipes and directions. Thank you!
thank you Pam for sharing all this and so glad you’re enjoying your new air fryer combo from Instant Pot. It’s a great one.
Thanks for talking about the different brands. They are all truly different sizes. Mine turned out great and kept checking every 4 minutes.
First day , i will comment in a day or two.