Air fryer fish fingers
These chunky fish fingers have a delicious, golden crunchy coating and cook really quickly in an air fryer. Serve with mash and peas, or pile into a lightly toasted bun with salad and tartare sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 x 250g/9oz boneless, skinless cod loins or other thick white fish fillets
- 1 medium free-range egg
- 50g/1¾oz coarse dried white breadcrumbs, such as panko
- 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
- 2–2½ tbsp sunflower oil
- lemon wedges, for squeezing
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, then cut each piece into 2–3 fingers depending on its shape. Each finger needs to be around 2cm/¾in thick.
To make the batter, break the egg into a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly. Scatter the breadcrumbs over a dinner plate. Sprinkle the flour over a second plate and season with a little salt and pepper. Put the bowl and plates in a row starting with the flour, then egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Put a small tray or board lined with baking paper at the end of the row.
Take one of the fish pieces, dust lightly in the seasoned flour and then dip into the beaten egg so it is coated on all sides. Immediately place into the breadcrumbs and coat firmly on all sides. Lay the coated fish finger on the lined tray and continue coating the remaining fish pieces in the same way.
Place the crisper plate (grill pan/tray) in the drawer (basket) of your air fryer and preheat at 200C for 3 minutes.
Brush with a little of the oil. Arrange the fish pieces on the crisper plate, leaving space between them for the oil to flow.
Dab the crumbed surface gently with half the oil using a pastry brush, taking care not to lift the crumbs. Cook at 190C for 4 minutes.
Turn the fish pieces over gently and brush gently with more oil. Return to the air fryer and cook for 4 minutes, or until the crumbs are crisp and golden and the fish is cooked through. You can always return to the air fryer and cook for a little longer if you need to. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.
Recipe Tips
It’s important to choose thick fish fillets here, because thin fillets (or tail end pieces) will cook quickly and could be ready before the crumbs are crisp.
If you prefer, you could spray the fish fingers with sunflower oil instead of dabbing with a brush, but you’ll need to ensure it is a pure cooking oil, not one with added ingredients.
This recipe was tested in a 4 litre/7 pint capacity air fryer. If yours is larger, you will be able to cook more fish fingers at a time, as long as they fit in a single layer across the crisper plate.
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