Seafood is often passed over in favor of other proteins when the weather is cold or stormy and you have to cook it indoors. Grilling or smoking seafood outside keeps the house free of fishy odors. The air fryer is a good option for cooking fish in your kitchen. It is quick and easy and the odors can drift right up into your range exhaust hood and outside.
You can cook fresh filets of fish, shellfish, and even fish cakes in your air fryer. Air fried fish is light and healthy. There is no need to sauté in butter or deep fry in oil to achieve a crisp skin or crunchy breading and flaky flesh. Here are some tips for perfect air fried seafood.
Keep it Fresh
When choosing fish for your air fryer, it is a good idea to go for what is fresh and in season. In fact, that is preferable for any cooking method. There is nothing wrong with frozen or canned seafood. I use both of those for making fish cakes, bisques, and casseroles.
Once you have tried fresh fish cooked in your air fryer, you might not reach for frozen fish again. When shopping for fresh fish, make sure the eyes are clear, the skin is glossy, and there is no fishy odor. If possible, look for wild caught fish. Our air fryer salmon recipes are healthy and delicious.
Season Lightly
The flesh of much fish and shellfish is mildly flavored and delicate. There is no need to marinate or brine most fish. The exception would be curing fish that you can dehydrate into jerky in your air fryer. For the most part, keep it simple so the seafood is the star.
There are some less flavorful fish filets that can take on a little more seasoning or heat. Tilapia is a fish that fits this bill. Try our Blackened Tilapia Filets recipe.
Make it Healthy
Do you love fish and chips with a thick batter deep fried in oil? Or, perhaps you enjoy crunchy, breaded and fried shrimp or fish sticks? There is no denying that these are tasty. With the air fryer, you can still have crispy coated fish and shellfish without all the added fat and calories.
If you are on a low-carb diet, coat your seafood in coconut flakes or nut flour instead of breadcrumbs. Coconut shrimp takes only 7 minutes to cook in the air fryer.
Below you’ll find links to our tasty air fryer seafood recipes. If there’s some recipe you would like to see on our site, please leave a comment below.
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