Off Topic Air Fryers for fish ?

Rob V

Well-Known Member
R.O.C. (Radio Operator's Certificate)
I've read a couple of posts here about air fryers and it seems most people are happy with them. I'm looking for a less messy and hopefully healthier way to cook my fish vs deep frying. Before I take the plunge I was hoping for some real life experience from the pros on this board ! What's everybody's experience been cooking fish in one of these things ? Can you coat them the same way you do when you deep fry them (dry coating)? Is there much of a learning curve when it comes to figuring out how to use these things ? Any and all input is/would be appreciated.
 
Hi @Rob V you can cook Walleye and Perch in the oven as well.
Here's how we do it.
1 - we cut the fillets into smaller flippable pieces
2 - we cut the thicker pieces to match the thickness of thinner pieces
3 - melt some butter, add some seasoning to personal preference (usually a 1/3 - 1/2 a stick of butter if you're cooking for 2)
4 - dredge the fish through the butter and then into seasoned Panko bread crumbs, covering all sides
5 - then place them on a cookie sheet.
6- put them into a preheated oven on the middle rack... oven on broil
7- after 4 minutes flip them, and back in for 4 minutes, usually 8 minutes total cooking time
8 - eat them!

We use some seasonal in the melted butter and cajun in the Panko bread crumbs.

You will have 2 bowls, a cookie sheet and a spatula to clean. We just toss it all in the dishwasher.

We will often serve this with creamy coleslaw. And cucumber salad and/or in the summer slices of cucumber and tomato from the garden.

1682425734022.jpeg
 
Opt for all metal construction @Rob V . If you want to go the plastic route, I have 2 Instant Pot air fryers, one never opened, that I will part with.
 
I have seasoned/dusted all sorts of food/meats and cooked them in my AF.

I have not done any cooking in mine with a wet batter.

Results are very similar to other methods of cooking. (almost always edible) 😄

@stomp advises all metal. That's what I have and agree. There has never been off-putting tastes or smells from our AF.

Put it under a smoke detector and you'll always know when your food is done. 🤪 🌻
 
I personally got rid of the air fryer we had. I didn't like the results it gave me. I can get better results using the oven.

As @rastam4n said there are many different ways that you can cook fish if you don't want to batter/bread and deep fry it.

Oven, pan fried, steamed, poached, bbq just to name a few. It really comes down to and depends on what you feel like doing, how comfortable you are doing it, and how hard you feel like working to clean the mess once you're done cooking. If you're not battering or breading, there won't be much of a mess to clean and it'll just be a matter of deciding how you want to cook it and what seasonings you want to use.

Remember,

1) especially if you're doing it in a skillet or frying pan, always skin side DOWN first especially if you've left the skin attached and just scaled it.
2) Whether in the oven, or on top you should only flip it ONCE. (if you intend to flip it at all)
3) IF you're going to poach it or slow roast it in the oven, especially salmon, ALWAYS remove the skin prior to cooking because the skin will not crisp and will become gummy and be texturally unpleasant.
4) if doing larger fillets or whole fish in the oven, scoring the skin will allow any seasonings and other garnishments used for flavor (ie lemon slices) to penetrate deeper into the flesh adding to the flavor when cooking is complete.

The other thing, as much as it pains me to say it, if you're looking to cook it "healthier" simplest way to ensure that it is healthier is to NOT bread or batter it at all regardless of how you intend to cook it.

Best oils to use when doing fish.........Canola oil or extra virgin olive oil. (I use Canola because it's cheaper)
 
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The air fryer works well on many things but totally useless if you want to cook battered fish in it. It doesn't work, talk about a sticky mess. 👎
 
Hi @Rob V you can cook Walleye and Perch in the oven as well.
Here's how we do it.
1 - we cut the fillets into smaller flippable pieces
2 - we cut the thicker pieces to match the thickness of thinner pieces
3 - melt some butter, add some seasoning to personal preference (usually a 1/3 - 1/2 a stick of butter if you're cooking for 2)
4 - dredge the fish through the butter and then into seasoned Panko bread crumbs, covering all sides
5 - then place them on a cookie sheet.
6- put them into a preheated oven on the middle rack... oven on broil
7- after 4 minutes flip them, and back in for 4 minutes, usually 8 minutes total cooking time
8 - eat them!

We use some seasonal in the melted butter and cajun in the Panko bread crumbs.

You will have 2 bowls, a cookie sheet and a spatula to clean. We just toss it all in the dishwasher.

We will often serve this with creamy coleslaw. And cucumber salad and/or in the summer slices of cucumber and tomato from the garden.

View attachment 72520
I see you like your black pepper seasoned with food too. (y)
 
I’ve tried 3 different air fryers with all sorts of food and calling them “fryers” is very misleading. They’re just small convection ovens so food is the same as oven food, not pan or deep fried. Very inconsistent cooking too, unless you’re cooking for only two people. Much better results using the oven.

Choosing a healthier oil and using a deep fryer properly is the way to go. Correct temperature, food size, and coatings make an enormous difference. Far too many people deep fry with too low of temps and too large of batches. When done properly the food is crisp and juicy with practically zero excess oil.
 
Opt for all metal construction @Rob V . If you want to go the plastic route, I have 2 Instant Pot air fryers, one never opened, that I will part with.
100%

So my wife was doing a ton of research on the topic of “plastics and metals” in our food. It makes me kring to think I use to put a plastic bowl in the microwave and eat the contents with a fork…. Where do you think the etchings on the plastic goes?
So we had an air fryer and it was coated with Teflon. Did you know that when cooking with Teflon that some parts end up in your food? A European study showed that when cooking with air fryers (especially if you over cook your food) that there is 100x more metals in your food.

So we bought a stainless steel air fryer oven. It does a good job and my wife is happier 😉🪱
 
If you want a Air Fryer wait for the garage sales this summer. :vomit: :D
Your oven is a Air Fryer, just a little larger.
My grandson wasted a feed of Perch I gave him cooked in a Air Fryer, tasted like the picture above:poop: of a lazy Dog owner that leaves it on my grass.😤😤
 
If you want a Air Fryer wait for the garage sales this summer. :vomit: :D
Your oven is a Air Fryer, just a little larger.
My grandson wasted a feed of Perch I gave him cooked in a Air Fryer, tasted like the picture above:poop: of a lazy Dog owner that leaves it on my grass.😤😤
Air fryer is different than an oven.
Air fryer heats from the top with a high speed fan blowing pass the element. That’s why it cooks fast and gives a crispy layer on your food as tho it was fried
 
If it wasn’t cooked properly it won’t taste good
Air fryers are tough they all cook a little different you will need to play with the temps and time to get it right
 
I don't know about fish, but fresh cut fries cooked in an air fryer are way better than anything our oven has produced! Other than that, I don't know the first thing about air fryers. Great fries, that's it!
 
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