Air Fryer Frozen Fish Sticks (Fish Fingers) (2024)

Air fryer frozen fish sticks! It is convenient, quick and easy to make and comes out crispy at all times. No need to wait around for the fish to thaw and no oil is needed too. Serve with my 5 minutes homemade tartar sauce.

Why you will love this recipe

Today I am sharing with you all I know and have learnt about how to cook frozen fish sticks or fish fingers as we call it here in the UK. These tips can also be used for most type of fish such as pollock, hake, catfish, basa and the likes.

If you are new to cooking frozen food in your air fryer and you are wondering if you can cook frozen fish in your little gadget. Yes, you can and here is a quick overview of what frozen fish stick looks like.

It is typically white fish like cod or haddock loins cut into finger sizes then dipped into egg wash before coating with plain or golden breadcrumbs.

It is easy to make at home from scratch but for convenience, you can opt for frozen options as I do sometimes. Not a fan of frozen food then check out my air fryer cod recipe with homemade lemon butter sauce. Restaurant quality food served at home.

You need to know these before cooking air fryer frozen fish sticks

To achieve a crispy fish stick that is not overcooked or soggy, these are the following things to consider. This is hardly a recipe but a technique of perfecting how to cook fish in your air fryer, whether it is a stick (finger) or fillet.

What is the size and thickness of the fish sticks or finger: every recipe found online would specify the cooking temperature that worked for the recipe shared and also offer advice on getting it right at home. The thickness and size of your frozen fish sticks determines how long you cook it for.

The make, size and the wattage of the air fryer: one of the perks of cooking with air fryer is that you can check on the food intermittently without losing any heat. Remember to adjust cooking time to suit whatever you are cooking.

Use the right temperature: It is important to cook your frozen fish using the correct temperature as it a factor that determines how long you cook it. A low temperature could result in soggy fish sticks while a high temperature could result in false cooking.

The fish fingers would cook on the outside but would still be frozen and undercooked on the inside. To be sure the fish is cooked through, you can cut one open. the inside should not be cold and the fish should flake easily.

What you will need

Frozen fish sticks: you can use any brand of choice, here in the UK, most supermarkets stock their own brand and I am using frozen haddock fish fingers from ASDA. Birds eye is a popular brand too.

How to cook frozen fish sticks in the air fryer.

Preheat the air fryer at 200C/400F for 3 minutes. This is optional but as I mentioned above, if you don’t cook at the right temperature the fish might come out soggy.

Arrange the breaded frozen fish fingers in the air fryer basket making sure they are not overlapping. Leave space in between them for proper air circulation.

Cook for 8 minutes at 200C/400F, flipping halfway through.

Serve and enjoy!

How to serve fish sticks

While fish fingers are popularly served to children for lunch or dinner. Adults can enjoy it too as a sandwich filling. I particularly love it with my homemade tartar sauce or fry sauce and toasted brioche bun as brunch. You can serve it with mashed potatoes, chips and peas or broccoli.

Tips

Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket. I am using Cosori 5.7L XL and you can fit 12 fish fingers in the basket conveniently. Adjust the numbers to suit the size of your basket without overcrowding.

Do not overlap or stack the fish fingers when cooking. The fish would not cook evenly this way and it will turn out soggy.

Flip the fish sticks once during the cooking time.

Don’t leave the frozen fish out on the counter for longer than necessary before cooking. For optimum result, I cook the fish directly from the freezer into the air fryer.

More air fryer recipes

The best air fryer chicken drumsticks

Air fryer roasted potatoes

How to cook chicken breast in the air fryer perfectly at all times

Perfect air fryer steaks

More seafood recipes

Easy shrimps stir fry

Instant pot cod

baked salmon in foil

Honey garlic salmon

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