Air Fryer Fish Sticks (From Scratch)
These homemade Air Fryer Fish Sticks (or Fish Fingers) are exceptionally crispy, delightfully flavorful, and remarkably simple to prepare from scratch.
Serve them alongside homemade Tartar Sauce With Capers and Easy Asparagus in Air Fryer for a delightful weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
You can whip up this healthy seafood dish using either frozen or fresh fish, giving you a taste that beats the store-bought options.
These tasty Fish Fingers are homemade and ready in just 25 minutes. They make a great snack, lunch, or speedy weeknight dinner that everyone will love.
Using an air fryer ensures they come out crispy and crunchy without the excess oil from deep frying.
Please continue scrolling down to find the recipe card below, which contains the complete list of ingredients with measurements, detailed recipe instructions, additional notes, and nutritional information.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Fish – For this recipe, you’ll need boneless, skinless fish fillets. Cod is my favorite, but you can also use tilapia, haddock, seabass, or pollock. If your fish is frozen, be sure to thaw it before using it.
- Plain flour (all-purpose flour) – It helps the eggs stick better to the fish pieces.
- Eggs – Eggs help the breadcrumbs stick to the fish fingers. All you need is one large egg for this recipe.
- Breadcrumbs – I prefer panko breadcrumbs because they’re light and airy, and have a larger grain than regular breadcrumbs. They crisp up perfectly golden brown in the air fryer. However, you can use any breadcrumbs you have on hand.
- Seasoning – I keep it simple with salt and pepper but feel free to add any other seasonings you like. I usually mix the seasoning into the flour, but you can divide it between the flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs if you prefer.
How to Make Air Fryer Fish Sticks From Scratch?
Important Note
Before you start cooking, note that times may differ among air fryers. I develop my recipes using a Cosori 6.8 air fryer. If you’re using a different air fryer, view my recipes as a general guide and tweak the cooking time—add a bit more or cook slightly less as needed.
Making these crispy and delicious fish sticks in an air fryer is a straightforward process.
To achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:
If you’re using frozen fish, make sure to thaw it completely before starting. Then, pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels.
Next, slice the fillets lengthwise into strips approximately 4cm x 9cm (1 ½” x 4″).
For example, if you’re using cod fillets, you can divide each one into 4 strips, resulting in a total of 16 strips.
Season the flour with salt and pepper, and spread it out on a shallow dish. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, and place them next to the dish with flour.
Take another shallow dish and put the breadcrumbs in it, setting it beside the bowl with eggs.
Now, dunk each fish piece into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess flour.
Then, dip the flour-coated fish into the whisked eggs, followed by covering them with the breadcrumbs.
Ensure each piece of fish is fully coated at each step. Repeat the process with the remaining fish pieces.
Quick Tip!
You might need to wash your hands once or twice during this process.
Once the fish sticks are thoroughly coated, drizzle or spray a little oil on them.
Place the fish fingers in the Air Fryer basket in a single layer, without overlapping them.
Cook them at 200 °C (400 °F) for 10 minutes, flip them, and then cook at 240 °C (480 °F) for another 5 minutes.
Serve them alongside your favorite dip and a bowl of Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Just like Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer, preparing fish sticks in an air fryer offers a healthier alternative to frying.
- These fish fingers make a delightful lunch or dinner option that the whole family will enjoy.
- With air frying, you achieve the crispy, crunchy texture of fried fish sticks without the need for deep frying, resulting in less cleanup time and effort!
- Making homemade fish sticks in an air fryer from scratch is incredibly simple.
- Leftover fish sticks are perfect for crafting delicious fish finger sandwiches.
Expert Tips From the Chef
- Cook the fish sticks in a single layer, ensuring they don’t overlap. If needed, cook them in batches. To keep the first batch warm while cooking the rest, place them on a baking sheet and transfer to a preheated 100°C (200°F) oven.
- Cooking times may vary depending on your air fryer and desired crispiness, so adjust accordingly.
- Cut the fish fingers into similar sizes for even cooking.
What Goes Well with Air Fryer Fish Sticks?
For a nutritious meal, pair the Air Fryer Fish Fingers with a fresh salad or vegetables such as Turkish Shepherd Salad (Coban Salatasi), Crispy Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Easy Asparagus in Air Fryer. You can also enjoy them in a sandwich or wrap.
They taste delicious with Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries and a side of homemade Tartar Sauce.
Recipe FAQs
These homemade fish fingers are much healthier than the ready-made shop-bought ones.
Especially when cooked in an air fryer, they make a healthy meal served with some salad or in a wrap.
Having no added preservatives makes the homemade version so much better than a prepackaged fish finger.
The leftovers would keep for up to 2 days when refrigerated. If using fresh fish fillets, you can freeze the leftovers for up to two months. To reheat the homemade frozen fish fingers, use a preheated air fryer or oven at 175 °C (350°F) for about 12 minutes.
To reheat leftover fish fingers and retain their crispiness, use the air fryer’s reheating function for 2 to 3 minutes. This ensures they’re just as crispy as they were the first time around.
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Please give us a five-star rating and leave a comment below.
I hope you enjoy the process of preparing these Homemade Air Fryer Fish Sticks from scratch just as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂
Bon appétit!
Air Fryer Fish Sticks (From Scratch)
Ingredients
- 600 g white fish (cod, haddock, or tilapia)
- ¼ cup plain white flour / all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup breadcrumb
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tbsp vegetable oil or sunflower oil
Instructions
- If you're using frozen fish, make sure to thaw it completely before starting. Then, pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels.
- Next, slice the fillets lengthwise into strips approximately 4cm x 9cm (1 ½" x 4"). For example, if you're using cod fillets, you can divide each one into 4 strips, resulting in a total of 16 strips.
- Season the flour with salt and pepper, and spread it out on a shallow dish. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, and place them next to the dish with flour.
- Take another shallow dish and put the breadcrumbs in it, setting it beside the bowl with eggs.
- Now, dunk each fish piece into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess flour.
- Then, dip the flour-coated fish into the whisked eggs, followed by covering them with the breadcrumbs. Ensure each piece of fish is fully coated at each step. You might need to wash your hands once or twice during this process.
- Once the fish sticks are thoroughly coated, drizzle or spray a little oil on them.
- Place the fish fingers in the Air Fryer basket in a single layer, without overlapping them.
- Cook them at 200 °C (400 °F) for 10 minutes, flip them, and then cook at 240 °C (480 °F) for another 5 minutes.
Notes
- Cook the fish sticks in a single layer, ensuring they don’t overlap. If needed, cook them in batches. To keep the first batch warm while cooking the rest, place them on a baking sheet and transfer to a preheated 100°C (200°F) oven.
- Cooking times may vary depending on your air fryer and desired crispiness, so adjust accordingly.
- Cut the fish fingers into similar sizes for even cooking.
- The leftovers would keep for up to 2 days when refrigerated. If using fresh fish fillets, you can freeze the leftovers for up to two months.
