Easy Air Fryer Fish Fillets (Crispy on the Outside and Flaky on the Inside)

My easy air fryer fish fillets recipe is perfect for serving up white fish in a simple and tasty way. Crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside, there are plenty of ways to enjoy these fillets.

Serve them with crispy French fries, drizzle lemon juice over them, or pair them with roasted veggies, air-fryer peppers, or a salad for something a little lighter. You could also serve them in burger buns with burger toppings for a crispy fish burger. Oh, and don’t forget the creamy and tart remoulade dipping sauce for them, too!

Ingredients You’ll Need

To get started, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Fish – 4 basa fillets (or your preferred white fish fillets)
• Flour – 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Egg – 1 egg
• Breadcrumbs – 1/2 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
• Lemon – zest from a lemon
• Thyme – 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Paprika – 1/2 tsp paprika
• Salt – 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• Pepper – 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• Parsley – a handful of fresh parsley, optional, for garnishing
• Oil – oil cooking spray or 1 tbsp of oil, to brush on the fillets
• Tartar Sauce or Remoulade Sauce – 1/3 cup remoulade sauce (For a quick homemade remoulade sauce, combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp finely chopped dill, one spring onion finely chopped, 1 tbsp capers finely chopped, a pinch of kosher salt, a pinch of black pepper, and a pinch of sugar).

Step 2 – Bread the fish fillets (first in the flour, then in the whisked egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs).

Step 5 – Air fry the fish fillets at 390°F (200°C) for about 10 minutes until cooked to your preference. Flip halfway through. The total cooking time will depend on the thickness and type of fish fillet you’ve chosen. The pictured basa fillets below took 10 minutes.

Recipe Card

Air Fryer Fish Fillets

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Fish

Cuisine: Western

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Doina

Ingredients

• 4 basa fillets or your preferred white fish fillets
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
• zest from a lemon
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• a handful of fresh parsley optional, for garnishing
• oil cooking spray or 1 tbsp of oil to brush on the fillets
• 1/3 cup tartar sauce or remoulade sauce see notes for homemade version

Instructions

• Set up the breading station: flour, whisked egg, and breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to each. Then, add the paprika, thyme, and lemon zest to the breadcrumbs.
• Bread the fish fillets (first in the flour, then in the whisked egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs).
• Preheat the air fryer according to the manufacturer’s instructions (or for about 3 minutes if unsure).
• Spray the fillets with some cooking spray or brush on oil on the breaded fish fillets (using a pastry brush).
• Air fry the fish fillets at 390°F (200°C) for about 10 minutes until cooked to your preference. Flip halfway through. The total cooking time will depend on the thickness and type of fish fillet you’ve chosen. The pictured basa fillets below took 10 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve with tartar sauce or remoulade sauce.

Notes

For the remoulade sauce, combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp finely chopped dill, one spring onion finely chopped, 1 tbsp capers finely chopped, a pinch of kosher salt, a pinch of black pepper, and a pinch of sugar.

For the tartar sauce, see this homemade tartar sauce recipe.

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