Homemade air fryer fish sticks have a delicious, crispy breaded outside and moist and tender inside all without the added calories of deep frying.
Homemade fish sticks are heavenly. These are delicious, comforting, and a perfect treat for every occasion.
Whether it's game day, date night, kids' party, or movie night, nothing can go with a plate full of homemade fish sticks with your favorite dip or sauce.
Although most people deep fry fish sticks but that calls in for a lot of calories and oil. So, why to deep fry them when you can air fry fish sticks?
The air-fried version is far healthier and crispier.
Above all, it is super easy.
Jump to:
Why we love this recipe?
Surprisingly, fish sticks are very easy to make. You don't need to go through an extensive preparation method.
Everything is readily available in your kitchen. You have to assemble a few things, get them ready, dip the fish pieces one by one, and that's it!
The process hardly takes 10-15 minutes.
Now, the air fried version is always better than the deep-fried one.
That's because you get rid of oil and unhealthy fats. So, if you are looking for a healthier lifestyle, make sure you have an air fryer.
Fish sticks cook perfectly well in the air fryer. They are soft from the inside and crunchy from the outside. The cooking is on point.
What kind of fish to use for fish sticks
Cod fish filets were used for this recipes, but you can always sub out cod for another whitefish such:
- pollock
- hake
- haddock
- rock fish
- ling
⏲️ Cooking time
The total cooking time is about 10 minutes per batch.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. of cod fish filets
- 1 ½ cups of flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups of panko crumbs
- 2 tbsp old bay seasoning divided
- Lemons and parsley for garnish
Equipment
The equipment you'll want to use to make these air fryer fish sticks are:
- air fryer
- knife
- cutting board
- 3 medium bowls
- tongs to flip the fish sticks
Instructions
Step 1: Mix flour and ½ tbsp of old bay seasoning in a bowl.
Step 2: In another bowl, beat the eggs.
Step 3: In the last bowl, mix the rest of the old bay seasoning along with the panko crumbs.
Step 4: Cut up the fish filets into the desired size for the sticks.
Step 5: Roll a fish stick into the flour mixture until fully coated, then roll the fish stick in the egg mixture until fully coated and lastly the panko crumbs. Repeat for the next pieces of fish.
Step 6: Preheat the air fryer.
Step 7: Mist the air fryer basket with oil and place 4-5 coated fish sticks in the basket. Mist the fish sticks with oil.
Step 8: Cook on 390°F for 6 minutes, flip sticks and mist again with oil. Cook on 390°F for an additional 4 minutes.
When done, move to your plate and enjoy!
If you want, you can add a squeeze of lemon for some fresh lemon juice on your fish sticks.
Dipping Sauces
I think the standard favorite dipping sauce for fish stick is tartar sauce, but there are other dipping sauces out there. Here are some ideas:
- Tartar sauce - Our favorite tartar sauce brand(if we don't make homemade) is Marina tartar sauce.
- Cocktail sauce
- Ranch
- Ketchup
Leftovers
I love this recipe because you can freeze the fish sticks in the freezer for up to 3 months.
And whenever you feel like eating them, take them out of the freezer and fry them in the air fryer.
Side dishes
Here are some unique and not so unique ideas to pair with these homemade fish sticks:
- The classic pair: You can't miss out on fish and chips, can you? The classic pair is actually a match made in heaven. But, if you want to give a modern twist on the classic pair, we have a few ideas. How about you make sweet potato fries instead of French fries? And what's even better is that you air fry them as well. A perfectly healthy combination.
- Baked potato: Try fish sticks with a baked potato. It will taste delicious. For more flavor, you can sprinkle garlic powder, paprika, and parmesan cheese on the potato.
- Salsa: bring in the tanginess of salsa. You can either make your own salsa at home or go for a store-bought one. Either way, the combination will be perfect.
- Guacamole: Now, who doesn't love perfect guacamole? Mash avocados with cilantro, lime juice, jalapenos, and fish sticks - what can be better than this?
- Mac n cheese: Nothing can go wrong with mac n cheese. It is the perfect dish. Whether it's lunch, dinner, or even breakfast, you can never get tired of it. And what about pairing it up with fish sticks?
- Salad: If you want to add freshness to the table, you can serve fish sticks with fresh salad. A salad goes well with everything. Plus, the freshness will go perfectly well with the crunchy coating of the fish sticks.
Recipe
Air Fryer Fish Sticks
Homemade air fryer fish sticks with a breaded, crispy crust and tender and moist fish meat on the inside.
Ingredients
- • 2 lbs. of cod fish filets
- • 1 ½ cups of flour
- • 2 eggs
- • 2 cups of panko crumbs
- • 2 tbsp old bay seasoning divided
- • Lemons and parsley for garnish
Instructions
1. In one bowl, mix flour and ½ tbsp of old bay seasoning.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.
3. In a last bowl, mix remaining old bay seasoning with panko crumbs.
4. Cut fish filets into desired size sticks.
5. Fully coat a fish stick in the flour, then the egg and lastly the panko crumbs. Repeat for all fish sticks
6. Preheat air fryer.
7. Spray the air fryer basket with oil and place 4-5 fish stick in basket. Spray the
fish sticks with oil.
8. Cook on 390°F for 6 minutes, flip sticks and spray with oil. Cook at 390° for 4
additional minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 4 fish sticksAmount Per Serving: Calories: 678Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 306mgSodium: 1610mgCarbohydrates: 77gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 69g
Other air fryer recipes you might enjoy:
Homemade hush puppies
Frozen air fryer fish sticks
Frozen corn dogs in the air fryer
Christiansen
I like cod the best. My store always sells cod loin in addition to filets and it s a nice thicker section of the cod which is perfect for making fish sticks!