11 Best Types Of Fish To Cook In The Air Fryer

Air fryers have become a kitchen must-have. For a while, many jokes floated around that people who owned one never stopped talking about it. Consider me guilty of this, as I can't stop raving about it, too. It's made life so much easier, and made cooking all types of things much quicker. As someone who works in the food business, I will take all the help I can get from a kitchen appliance, and after a long day of cooking professionally, I often look to my air fryer as a way to get dinner on the table without too much prep and time. No need to preheat an oven, or wait for an hour to get a roast chicken cooked, or some roasted potatoes. What I'm most amazed by is how quick it is to cook a succulent piece of fish. Fish of all kinds can take anywhere from eight to 15 minutes tops. Even cooking certain fish from frozen is an option in the air fryer.

You want to be more careful when cooking fish in an air fryer, though. This more delicate protein can end up overcooked or dry if you cook it at too high a heat or for too long. Certain types of fish are better suited for an air fryer than others. Don't despair because there are plenty of options you can turn to. Here are some of the best types of fish to cook in an air fryer.

For people who are new to using an air fryer, it can be a bit of a learning curve with knowing what tends to cook well in one, for how long, and what temperature to use. There are various rules of thumb you can learn to follow, but it doesn't mean that the air fryer is the answer for every type of fish. There are, however, many types of fish that do work great when prepared correctly. Perhaps one of the best types of fish to cook in an air fryer is salmon. The fish is fatty, making it less likely to dry out and more forgiving than other leaner fish. Plus, it's a sturdy protein and, in my experience, tends to hold its shape well.

You can also achieve a crispy or brown exterior without overcooking the interior. You can also prevent your salmon from drying out in the air fryer by salting your salmon properly. This can mean either doing a longer dry brine and wiping off the salt before cooking, or waiting to only salt your salmon right before you throw it in the air fryer. This will prevent too much moisture from being drawn out of the fish due to the salt, whereas a longer dry brine allows the salt enough time to permeate into the flesh and break down some of the proteins, making your salmon more juicy and a bit firmer.

You could also cook salmon with its skin on, wherever possible. The skin gets nice and crispy in the oven, and also helps keep the fish from drying out. Otherwise, all you need is a little brush of olive oil and salt, and not much else to have a really tasty result.

This might be a bit surprising, but sardines are a good type of fish to cook in the air fryer. If you're a canned sardine lover, you may not be aware that these little fish are ridiculously tasty when fried or roasted until crispy. And, if you're not a fan of these oily, fishy morsels when canned, then don't pass up a chance to try them cooked this way. You may be won over instantly by the more mellowed-out flavor and pleasant texture. The good news is, you can get perfectly crisp sardines in your air fryer. Since they are small in size, they're almost the perfect thing to use your air fryer for. They don't require long cooking times, and need a quick flash in some high heat to get the right texture.

You'll need to buy fresh sardines or frozen ones that you thaw out. It's my preference to remove the spine so that I don't have to fiddle with each little fish before popping them in my mouth. Luckily, you can sometimes buy sardines that have been deboned and cleaned inside. Give them a light brush with some olive oil and the seasonings of your choice. But to get that desired crispy exterior, don't load them with too many wet ingredients like lemon juice and garlic so that the skin can dry out enough to crisp up.

Sticking with the type of fish you usually find in canned form, mackerel is another good fish to cook in an air fryer. Many people love mackerel for its strong, punchy taste, but unfortunately, that taste comes with a potent fishy odor that stays in your kitchen long after you've cooked it. I've found that cooking it in the air fryer totally helps prevent a smelly kitchen, because it's cooked much quicker and in a contained environment.

Mackerel is also fatty enough to stay moist and juicy in an air fryer, and you can even achieve a crispy skin that makes it even tastier. You may be wondering if you can use your canned fish to cook something flavorful in the air fryer, and the answer is yes. You can drain your canned mackerel from its oil and dress it up with all kinds of ingredients to create a whole new dish. Throw on some onions, garlic, lemon zest, tomatoes, and bell peppers, and give it a go in the air fryer. Don't let it cook for too long, though. Since your mackerel is already cooked, you just want to give your added ingredients enough time to meld together with your fish and get a bit roasty and caramelized.

Haddock is the perfect fish to introduce kids to, especially if they aren't used to the taste of fish yet. It's a little sweeter and milder than most fish, and is versatile in how you can prepare it. Additionally, it's an easy fish to cook in an air fryer, as it's firm and holds itself well. This is especially the case if you're using fillets, which is likely the most common way people consume haddock. Regular haddock fillets are cooked in under 10 minutes in the air fryer.

In my experience, cooking haddock fillets from frozen also works great, saving me the hassle and time of having to thaw them out first. Haddock can be cooked quite plainly in the air fryer with a little olive oil and your favorite seasonings. As a fish, its sweetness also plays really well with creamy foods. That's why haddock bake or haddock pie is so popular, as the combination of fish, potatoes, cream, and a cheesy topping is incredibly delicious and comforting. Luckily, you can even make haddock bake in the air fryer, as long as you have an oven-proof dish or container that fits into your air fryer basket. Watch the cheese topping melt, get beautifully browned, and crispy.

Another easy fish to cook in the air fryer is sea bass. Whether you're using fillets or a whole fish, skinless or with skin, you can get a flaky, juicy result in your fryer. I find sea bass to be an all-purpose fish as it has a mild, fresh taste, and also absorbs other flavors well. That means you can cook it with simple seasonings in your air fryer, or load it up with flavorful toppings.

If you're cooking a whole sea bass in your air fryer, make sure it's the right size to fit in your basket. This, of course, depends on the size of your device and the size of your "catch" too. Not to worry if it's too large to fit in whole, though. When I've had a whole sea bass that's a little on the large side, I have simply removed the head and placed it alongside the fish in the basket of the air fryer. If you want the whole fish aesthetic, you can serve then serve it with the head in the right position. Alternatively, if it fits this way, you can keep it whole by "folding" up the head onto the side of the basket and cook it that way. Just don't get frightened later when you open your air fryer to find a fish head looking up at you!

Cod is a really common fish to use in your daily cooking, but some people are afraid to cook it in the air fryer as it's quite a lean fish. The fear is that it will easily dry out and become tough if you use an air fryer. In truth, there's nothing to worry about, but there are some steps you can take to prevent dry fish. Firstly, you should be cooking it for the right length of time without leaving it in for too long. I suggest checking on it about halfway to see if you need to adjust your timing. Also, make sure to adequately coat it with some butter or oil to keep it juicy while it cooks.

Another thing you can do is to wrap your cod in some aluminum foil before placing it in the basket of your air fryer. By creating a kind of insulated parcel, you can help keep the cod's natural moisture locked in. By adding a little liquid like white wine, you can even mimic a steamed fish result. Throw in some woody herbs and shallots into that foil parcel, and you'll have the tastiest cod ready in no time.

Perhaps one of the most obvious choices of fish to cook in your air fryer is any battered or "fried" fish when you want to make fish and chips. Making fried foods in the air fryer is one of its biggest selling points, and even where it got its name "fryer". Because it's a sort of rapid oven, it easily browns food on the outside, in a sense mimicking a deep fryer, but without all the hot oil. People may opt to use an air fryer for "fried" fish for health purposes, to reduce their oil consumption, or simply because it's easier, less labor-intensive, and even safer than trying to deep fry with hot oil.

For those of us who buy frozen fish that have already been battered, using an air fryer is a no-brainer to get the crispy exterior we're after. If you're making your fish batter from scratch, however, you can prepare everything as you usually would and place it in your air fryer at the step where you would usually drop it into your oil. If you're using a dry flour coating, you can even brush or spray the exterior lightly with some oil so you can ensure a crispy, but moist batter. One of the benefits of having an air fryer is also to reheat fried foods like fried fish and chips. Instead of soggy fish leftovers, get your batter crisp again by heating them in the air fryer.

You may worry about cooking a flatfish like halibut in the air fryer due to its thinness and the risk of overcooking. However, there's no reason why you can't perfectly cook flat types of fish like halibut (and even flounder). In fact, I prefer it as it cooks so quickly. The key is to cook it for a shorter time in general. This means you shouldn't pop it in the air fryer and walk away and forget about it. It can take as little as six or seven minutes to cook, depending on the size of the fillet, so it's best to stay near and check it at about five minutes.

Halibut is also quite lean, so it's a good idea to oil it up nicely or to introduce moisture into it. This can be done by cooking it with some lemon slices on top or in a wet marinade. With halibut, the skin can be a bit tricky and doesn't always turn out crispy and easy to chew. It's easier to cook it without the skin, so opt to buy it skinless for a more stress-free cook.

Tuna is one of my favorite types of fish to cook in my air fryer. These meaty steaks can be a hassle to achieve the perfect sear in a pan, and if I take my eye off it for too long, it overcooks on the inside. And in a regular oven, it's hard to achieve enough browning on the outside. The air fryer makes the whole process a cinch. The beauty of the air fryer is that it evenly sears the outside of the tuna without needing to flip it or change its position. The outside gets browned, and the inside stays pink, just how I like it.

To make sure to get that classic pink center, you really only need to cook it for a few minutes. Depending on the thickness of the steak, it can take as little as four minutes to just get a sear. Plus, if you're more of a "well done" kind of tuna eater, you can just leave it in there for an extra five minutes or so. It couldn't be easier. To inject extra flavor into the tuna steaks, give them some time in a marinade. I like to make a soy sauce-based marinade with some ginger, garlic, and vinegar. If you like the outside to be extra browned, include a spoonful of honey in your marinade. The sugars will caramelize and add incredible flavor and crispness.

Tilapia is a fish I've grown up eating, and it's been helpful to see it become more popular across the U.S. in general. This makes it a lot easier to find, and it's usually much cheaper than other types of fish. It's a great way to feed a family with less, and it is just as tasty and satisfying as other white fish. It's easy to cook in the air fryer, and you can cook it whole or in the form of fillets. Tilapia fillets are pretty thin, so as with other thinner fish, you don't want to overcook them. I've found that even as a thin fish, it stays moist and flaky when cooked in the air fryer.

If you're cooking your tilapia whole in the air fryer, it can be helpful to add a little moist stuffing to its center. That way, you can get a nice crispy skin while keeping the middle juicy. Anything from some lemon slices, ginger, lemongrass, or onions can create a little internal (and flavorful) steam.

Mahi mahi is one of the best fish to cook in the air fryer as it's got a thick and sturdy texture that holds up exceptionally well through the cooking process. This isn't the only reason to love this fish, though, as it's also relatively more affordable than similar types of white fish; it tastes light, succulent, and meaty. It has such a fresh flavor that it doesn't need much dressing or seasoning to make it delicious.

I find that some butter, salt, and lemon juice is all it takes to make an incredible meal out of mahi mahi, however, you can also play around with various sauces and additions, as it's a fish that lends itself to different flavor palates. Mahi mahi is often sold as fillets, which makes them easy to pop in your air fryer, either frozen or thawed. If you've got a particularly thick fillet, make sure to cook it for long enough until the center is fully cooked through. Still, this will probably take a maximum of 15 minutes in your air fryer, so it won't keep you waiting long. Make sure not to overcrowd your air fryer basket so that there's sufficient air circulation to cook your mahi mahi evenly.