You're Probably Making These Big Mistakes When Air Frying Fish
From its typically compact size to its ease of use, the air fryer is totally worth the hype. Instead of dining on dried-out fish, maximize the benefits of your air fryer fish by avoiding these mistakes!
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00:00From its typically compact size to its ease of use, the air fryer is totally worth the hype.
00:06Instead of dining on dried-out fish, maximize the benefits of your air fryer fish by avoiding
00:12these mistakes.
00:14Moisture is an important factor when you air fry fish. Raw cardfish is hardly appetizing,
00:20so using a marinade or oil can be your best friend when it comes to saving your fish from the fryer.
00:26Rude. You have an air fryer?
00:28Moderation is key here, so there's no need to douse your fish to the point that it's drenched.
00:33Just use enough of either to protect your fish from drying out.
00:37This is definitely something you should keep an eye out for if you're air frying skinless
00:41fish fillets. According to Air Fryer Bro, there's a reason for this.
00:46The marinade acts as a barrier to keep moisture in, much like the skin would.
00:50Now, if you want to keep the flavor of your fish pure, you can always opt for a few spritzes of
00:55oil instead of a marinade. This will ensure you get all the moisture while retaining the flavor
01:00you want. If you're the kind of person to go all out and add some of your favorite flavors,
01:05you can mix garlic and dry spices with oil to create a quick marinade that will enhance your
01:10fish.
01:12When it comes to traditional frying, having enough oil is key, so it's easy to think that
01:17this translates to air frying as well. But actually, the opposite is true. While moisture
01:22is important, being heavy-handed with oil can give you smelly results. Everyday family cooking
01:28suggests sticking to the golden rule of using no more than a tablespoon of oil when air frying.
01:33And if you have a spray bottle, this becomes even easier, as you can just apply a few spritzes and
01:39adjust as you see fit. A basting brush also works well here, because it gives you the control to
01:44apply only as much as you see fit. It's hard to overdo it with one of those.
01:49Using too much oil in your air fryer may cause it to drip down onto the hot tray and burn,
01:54causing a nasty smell. It might also result in overly greasy food, which is far from appetizing.
02:01If you're working with skin-on fish, you might notice that the skin gets nice and crispy,
02:05and your fish gets less dry. If you're going skinless, oil is going to make or break your fish.
02:11A little bit of oil helps your food to stay moist so it doesn't dry out, which makes it
02:16all the more enjoyable when it's time to dig in. While vegetable oil dominates for traditional
02:22frying, it doesn't apply to air frying. When it comes to your air fryer, you actually have a bit
02:27more flexibility with what oil you use, and it all comes down to having a high smoke point.
02:33Avocado oil, with its smoke point of 450 degrees Fahrenheit, is a great option for air frying your
02:39fish, according to Big Time Kitchen. Instead of smoking too quickly, it'll give your fish
02:44the moisture it needs. However, if you were to use something that has a low smoke point,
02:48like olive oil, it may begin to impart some unsavory, smoky notes before your food is
02:54finished cooking. When it comes to safe oils, there's options. Walnut, grapeseed, peanut,
03:00and vegetable oil are all safe bets for getting perfectly cooked fish in your air fryer.
03:05There seem to be two schools of thought on whether to use a parchment paper liner in your air fryer.
03:10Some air fryer fanatics can't live without it, while others would rather leave it off and let
03:15the air circulate more freely. You might also find that by serving as a layer between your
03:20fish and the hot air fryer tray, the paper may help to prevent your fish from burning,
03:25according to airfrying.net. When cooking something like fish, you may have marinade
03:30or oil drippings, and a liner will protect you from that burning on the bottom tray.
03:35Just make sure to use properly fitted liners or cut your parchment paper to the exact size,
03:40so your paper doesn't get too close to the heating mechanism at the top.
03:44It's a quick way to circulate a burnt paper smell throughout your home.
03:48Fattier fish like salmon is an exception to the rule. Because it has a lot of its own oils that
03:54it expels while cooking, it may provide enough moisture for you to be able to skip the parchment
03:58paper altogether. If you just want to prevent your fish from sticking to the tray but would
04:03rather skip the liner, you can still make sure your food is properly oiled. This will provide
04:08a layer and help to prevent your fish from adhering to the tray. With a spatula, it should
04:13be a breeze to remove.
04:15Well, my dependable spatula, shall we?
04:18Thawing food before throwing it into the air fryer seems to be a contentious topic.
04:23Some foods like wings can be thrown into the air fryer for an easy weeknight meal that's
04:27ready in a matter of minutes. When it comes to fish, though, the answer isn't so straightforward.
04:33It depends on the type of fish you're cooking. If you scored some frozen pre-breaded fish
04:38fillets from your grocery store's freezer section, you can add them to the air fryer
04:42while frozen. For fillets that you plan to bread, you may be better off thawing them
04:46beforehand. Air Fryer Eats suggests thawing your fish before breading them so the bread
04:51crumb can stick. For unbreaded fish, you might find that adding it to the air fryer while
04:56frozen can generate too much water during the cooking process, making your fish bland
05:01and oddly textured, as City Fish Market states. The choice is yours, but if you want perfectly
05:07moist and flaky fish, we suggest letting your fish thaw before air frying. If you want
05:12quicker results, use a lower temperature like 80 or 90 degrees to defrost the fish in 10 minutes.
05:19We've all been there before. After you've loaded your air fryer basket up with your
05:23food and patiently let the food cook in the basket, you take it out only to discover it's
05:28mushy and unevenly cooked. Although an air fryer is a miracle machine for many, there's
05:34no replacement for adequate space between your food. This allows the air to evenly hit all the
05:39hidden spots and provides you with an even, golden brown cook. With fish, the same line
05:45of thinking applies, whether you're working with breaded or unbreaded pieces. As The Food Network
05:50puts it,
05:51"...stacking food results in underwhelming results."
05:54So instead of loading the fish into your air fryer basket like sardines in a can,
05:59try to allow each piece to have space on all sides.
06:03The convenience of the air fryer can make it feel much like a microwave. It defrosts fully
06:08frozen food to cooked perfection. It can prepare dinner in minutes while you're tackling other
06:13tasks. It even effortlessly bakes a batch of cookies. Because of its ease of use, it's easy
06:19to forget that there really is a key difference between popping food in your microwave and your
06:24air fryer. Much like an oven, if you don't preheat your air fryer, it can result in undercooked or
06:30unevenly cooked food. This is especially true if you're trying a new type of preparation of fish
06:35and relying on precise cook times. For larger pieces of fish, preheating is not recommended
06:41because the air fryer will be hot enough to start cooking the outside of your fish too quickly.
06:46If you'd like to buck convention and get your food in the air fryer basket without preheating,
06:51just remember that you may need to add an extra minute or two to the cooking time to ensure your
06:56fish is perfectly cooked. This is one of those judgment calls that depends on what you're cooking
07:01and how you want it prepared, but overall, preheating is one more way to ensure your
07:05food is cooked exactly as you want it. Some cooking hacks seem to make seasoning
07:11seem like a second thought. This is something that's hard to debate, especially when you
07:15consider that seasoning is as simple as a dash of salt and pepper. There's really not much to it.
07:21That doesn't mean the step isn't as important. It's pretty simple, really.
07:25Just pat your fish dry and then sprinkle seasonings of your choice on the fish before
07:30popping it into the air fryer, according to Professional Secrets. We even suggest a dash
07:35for pre-cooked breaded fish fillets as well. Salting your fish before cooking is the key
07:40to a well-flavored, balanced dish. The salt will soak into the fish and enhance the flavor as it
07:46cooks, but when you salt a dish after it's cooked, the salt doesn't absorb in quite the same way.
07:51We know the air fryer works magic, but some things you'll have to take into your own hands.
07:57Are you throwing toys in the fryer?
07:59Just don't literally take matters into your own hands and put toys in the air fryer.
08:04If you've ever noticed that your dish had the faint taste of something else,
08:09it might be the lingering oils of your previously cooked food. This should go without saying,
08:14but clean your air fryer and wipe it down.
08:17Depending on the material of your basket, you may not want to submerge it in water,
08:21but if you take a wet towel and wipe the entire inside of the machine down thoroughly,
08:26you'll be happy you did. It's easy to neglect your air fryer because it works so well without
08:31much maintenance, but cleaning it will help retain the pure flavors of your food.
08:35You should also clean your air fryer after each use, especially when cooking fish. It's
08:41the quickest way to ensure the next dish you cook doesn't take on any fishy qualities,
08:46and it also helps prevent the circulation of those fish smells.
08:50In some cases, a wet batter is key to locking in flavor and getting a thick crust on your
08:56fried fish. But with any kind of frying, including using an air fryer, patting your fish dry with a
09:02paper towel first can ensure that your fillets get nice and brown, according to City Fish Market.
09:08Ensuring your fish is dry before seasoning and cooking it will help to prevent your fish from
09:13taking on a mushy texture. The goal is firm, flaky fish, and it's rather simple to get these results
09:19in the air fryer thanks to how hot the air gets and how fast it circulates around your fish.
09:25When you remove some of that moisture, it allows the fish to achieve that dreamy,
09:29melt-in-your-mouth texture. Patting your fish dry won't solve all your problems,
09:34but it will make your air fryer fish way more enjoyable.
09:38With other methods of cooking fish, except roasting, flipping halfway during the cooking time is expected.
09:44But because air fryers circulate hot air, it's often assumed that flipping your fish is optional.
09:50We'd like to put this idea to rest. Even if you're pretty happy with your air fried fish,
09:55we suggest flipping your fish to get a more even cook.
09:58America's Test Kitchen explains that because air fryer baskets are so small,
10:03the air that's circulating doesn't have much room to move around.
10:06So it's in motion, but it doesn't have many places to go. By giving your fish a flip,
10:11you'll expose the bottom side to the same heat that the top side received,
10:15especially since the fans are usually at the top of the machine.
10:19While we like to think of air fryers as a fantastic set-it-and-forget-it option,
10:24keeping your eye on your device and flipping your fish halfway
10:27will help you to get perfectly cooked fish every time.
10:30Hey! Flipping is not as easy as it sounds!
10:36This is especially important if you're hoping to achieve the elusive crispy skin.
10:41It's more than possible in the air fryer. Just flip your fish halfway,
10:45ensuring the fish is skin side up during the second half of the cooking process.
10:50Overcooking fish is a risk when using any kind of cooking method. According to Exploradium,
10:56this is because the protein breaks down faster and with less temperature needed for beef or
11:01chicken. So it's easy to go from perfectly cooked to rubbery in a matter of minutes.
11:06In the air fryer, which uses a fan to circulate hot air, overcooked fish is all too common.
11:12When fish is raw, it's got an undeniable translucent quality.
11:17If you keep your eye on your air fried fish and take it out as soon as it's no longer translucent
11:22and has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees, as suggested by Better Homes and Gardens,
11:29you should be pretty happy with the final product.
11:31Because every air fryer operates slightly differently,
11:35there's no set of one-size-fits-all instructions for getting perfectly cooked fish.
11:40But starting with a temperature of 390 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for around 10 minutes,
11:45according to airfryer.net, should point you in the right direction.
11:49As soon as it's no longer see-through and it flakes apart with your fork,
11:53you should be all set to dig in to moist, perfectly cooked fish.