Can you cook frozen battered fish in an air fryer?

Frozen battered fish is a favorite in many homes, as it is not only delicious, but also a quick fix for lunch or dinner.

You can serve it with some chips, mashed potatoes, baked or roasted, grilled vegetables, corn on the cob or just make a delicious fish fillet sandwich with tartar sauce.

When you think of frozen battered fish, you naturally lean towards frying it, as it has always been the most popular way to cook it.

However, with people becoming more health conscious and looking for ways to preserve the natural nutrients in food, most have turned to air frying.

Compared to deep frying, air frying is much healthier and reduces calories by 80-90%. Reduce the amount of fat by limiting the use of oil and potentially harmful compounds in food.

Some of the best foods to make in an air fryer are French fries, chicken nuggets, donuts, small pizzas, and more. But what about frozen battered fish?

Can you cook frozen battered fish in an air fryer? Yes, you can cook it in an air fryer and it will come out perfectly crispy and delicious. However, to make sure that it is well cooked on the inside and safe to eat, you have to do it correctly.

Read on to learn how to cook frozen battered fish in an air fryer and how it tastes compared to other cooking methods:

How to cook frozen battered fish in an air fryer

You can cook all kinds of frozen fish in an air fryer at home, be it battered or breaded. The results are magnificent and can make your fish fry a real hit.

To cook frozen battered fish in an air fryer, here’s what you need to do:

• Set your air fryer temperature to 400°F and preheat for 5 minutes. 
• Do not thaw the fish and keep it frozen until you are ready to put it in the air fryer.
• Line up the frozen fish in a single layer and cook for a few minutes, depending on the type of fish you are using. (Note also that frozen battered fish is usually partially cooked, so the total cooking time will depend on that as well.)
• Halfway through, drizzle the fish with a little olive oil and add a teaspoon of lemon juice if you like.
• Flip the fish so that both sides are evenly browned and crisp. This step is not required, but is recommended.
• When the air fryer beeps, check to see if the fish is crisp and golden and enjoy with your favorite garnishes and seasonings.

Frozen battered fish works very well in the air fryer, as the thick batter provides a similar crunch to fried battered fish.

Any food with a wet batter should not be placed in an air fryer because without an adequate amount of oil the batter will not cook, resulting in a wet batter all over the place and fish that will not be crispy at all.

A little drizzle of olive oil halfway through cooking can greatly improve the crunch of your frozen air fried fish in batter and will prevent it from drying out.

Also, a little lemon juice will add the necessary moisture and flavor, especially if you are using a type of fish that tends to dry out.

Avoid using very thick fillets if you want them to be crispy and opt for thinner fish fillets instead. Although you will have to reduce the cooking time.

Also, make sure you never overcrowd your air fryer basket, as spacing out the fish allows it to crisp up on all sides.

How long do you have to cook frozen battered fish in the air fryer?

Cooking times vary between different types of fish, such as frozen haddock, which is particularly thick and takes longer to cook, and frozen battered cod, which only takes a few minutes.

You can compare the cooking time of frozen battered fish to frozen chicken breasts, as a smaller piece takes less time and a larger chicken breast takes relatively longer.

If you air fry frozen haddock, the cooking time will be about 16 minutes because it is thicker than other frozen fish and you have to make sure it is fully cooked.

When working with cod, you don’t have to worry about it not being able to cook all the way through, as it’s much finer. On average, frozen battered cod requires 8 minutes in the air fryer.

Frozen battered tilapia or other white fish fillets are amazing in the air fryer, have a better crunch than cod and require an average cook time of about 12 minutes.

The best way to tell if your frozen battered fish is done is to test it with a fork, angled into the thickest part of the fish and gently turning.

If the meat flakes easily and doesn’t look translucent and raw, it’s done.

You can also check its internal temperature with a thermometer, which should read 145°F when done.

When the fish is done and has a crispy golden coating, carefully remove it from the air fryer and place it on a cooling rack for a few minutes before serving.

Air Frying Frozen Battered Fish vs. Other Methods

Frying and baking are two of the most common cooking methods for frozen battered fish.

However, cooking frozen fish in the oven often leaves it very dry and lacking in moisture, and while fried fish is absolutely delicious and hard to compete with, it does have some real drawbacks.

Frying adds unnecessary calories to the fish and sometimes takes away its original flavor, depending on the choice of frying oil.

Air frying frozen fish is the best of both worlds as it leaves the fish tasting delicious and moist while retaining all of its essential nutrients. Not to mention, it doesn’t leave as much of a mess to clean up as with frying.

You can fry frozen battered fish until perfectly golden making sure the oil temperature is correct and the total frying time is correct. Use a kitchen thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil, which should be 350°F.

Fry for 5-7 minutes until crispy and cooked through. Be sure to reheat the oil before adding more fish fillets.

Once done, transfer the fish to a cooling rack and use a few paper towels to soak up any excess oil.

To bake frozen battered fish in a conventional oven, you need to preheat the oven to 425°F and place the frozen fish on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Let it cook for 20-22 minutes until crisp. Be sure to flip the fish halfway for the best results.

Can frozen breaded fish be cooked in the air fryer?

Battering and breading are different things, but they both add an extra layer to the fish. Battering is usually made with some type of flour, such as all-purpose flour, rice flour, or cornstarch, with a liquid or binding agent such as eggs or baking powder.

Breading, on the other hand, refers to multiple layers on the fish, starting with the flour so that the surface of the fish is dry and rough. The next layer is a liquid binder, such as eggs or some type of dairy product, that will adhere properly.

The last layer is something that gives the fish some texture, such as breadcrumbs, crackers, or breakfast cereal.

Like frozen battered fish, frozen breaded fish can also be easily cooked in an air fryer. This is what you have to do:

• Preheat air fryer to 350°F.
• Arrange the frozen breaded fish in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
• If your frozen fish already contains a significant amount of oil, you can skip basting it with a little more. If not, use a little cooking spray according to your needs.
• Place the tray on the top rack of the air fryer and allow the fish to cook for a total of 12 minutes at 350°F.
• Halfway through, flip the steaks so they are crisp on both sides and return the pan to the top rack.
• When the timer goes off, check the internal temperature of the fish with a thermometer. If it reaches 145°F, the fish is done and perfectly cooked.
• Serve it with the garnish of your choice and a delicious tartar sauce.

How long does air fried battered fish last?

Air-fried fish in batter, or any type of cooked fish, lasts a maximum of 3 days in the refrigerator. You have to be very careful about storing cooked fish safely so that you can reheat it later.

Keep the best before date in mind when cooking prepackaged frozen fish in batter, after which you have about 2-3 days to safely eat it.

Contrary to popular belief, you can also freeze cooked fish to extend its shelf life. Once cooked and properly cooled, you can put the fish in the freezer in airtight containers, where it will keep for up to 2 months.

Related questions

Now that you know all about frozen battered fish fry and how to ensure it stays crispy and delicious, here are some additional questions we thought you might have:

Can freshly battered fish be cooked in an air fryer?

Freshly battered fish is perfectly crispy when fried in oil. However, in an air fryer, where there is nothing to set the wet batter, it will just drip and create a mess.

If you want to cook fresh fish in an air fryer, it’s best to use a breading made from flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, rather than a batter. Breaded fish will cook perfectly in an air fryer, whether it’s fresh or frozen.

Can frozen battered fish be fried?

Yes, just like you can air fry, pan fry and bake frozen battered fish, you can also pan fry it until perfectly browned on both sides.

Take a heavy-based skillet (it doesn’t necessarily have to be non-stick) and heat it up before adding a bit of oil.

Line up the frozen fish fillets in the pan, leaving plenty of space between them. You will notice that the fish will stick to the surface of the pan initially, unless you have a lot of oil and are shallow frying it instead of pan frying.

Cook them for about 10 minutes and then flip them over . The trick here is to not move the fish until it naturally releases from the pan.

Depending on the thickness of the fish, it will cook in a few minutes, after which you can serve it to your liking.

Can frozen battered or breaded fish be microwaved?

Yes, you can microwave frozen battered or breaded fish if you can’t find alternative ways to cook it ; however, it can affect its texture and crispness.

Frozen battered or breaded fish is usually pre-cooked to some degree, so using the microwave to fully cook it shouldn’t be a problem.

All you have to do is line a microwave-safe plate with parchment paper and place the frozen fish fillets on top, making sure there is plenty of space between each fillet.

Next, heat the frozen fish on high for a couple of minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. Be sure to flip the fish halfway so it cooks evenly on both sides.

Remove when done and allow to cool, making sure the internal temperature of the fish is 165°F before serving.

While frozen battered or breaded fish in the microwave is a quick and convenient way to cook with an easy cleanup process, you’ll have to make peace with the loss of texture that comes with it.

You won’t get the crispiness of other cooking methods, like frying and baking.

Plus, they won’t look as good as their fried and baked counterparts, and there’s considerable room for error with technique.

How to reheat air fried battered fish?

You can reheat fried battered fish in a number of different methods, but since fish has a shorter cooking time than other meats, you have to be careful when reheating it so you don’t overcook it.

Some of the best ways are air frying, deep frying, light frying, broiling, using a toaster oven, steaming, baking in the oven, and last but not least, using the microwave.

To reheat battered fish in an air fryer, load it into the air fryer basket, drizzle a little olive oil, cook over medium heat, and serve.

The total cooking time to reheat fish in an air fryer is much less, in fact, it can take less than 6 minutes . You just have to make sure you flip the fish so it’s not soggy and both sides are equally crisp.

The ideal temperature to start reheating fish is 320°F, which you will need to eventually increase to 360°F to get it crispy again.

You can also use any of the above methods, with frying and baking being the preferred methods for many.

With the frying method, you preserve the crunchiness of the fish, although you have to deal with the excess oil that double frying entails.