Air Fryer Fish Tacos

How to make air fryer fish tacos with cod, halibut, or your favorite fillet. Perfectly tender yet crispy on the outside in every bite, taco Tuesdays with seafood are the bomb!

Ingredient Notes

You are going to want to cut fresh or defrosted fish nuggets essentially, cut into bite size pieces. The larger they are the longer the cook time will be, sizing below has turned out the best. I like the size of fish bites you see here just so it isn’t such a big mess when you try to eat them (especially in a group, that can be embarrassing).

Breadcrumbs or use a bag of ready made dry fish fry mixture you can find at the store. I like to know exactly what I am adding to my food so I prefer to make up the mixture myself (and shake ‘n’ bake actually would work too), but that is up to you.

Use any seasonings like garlic powder and/or salt and pepper you love to add flavor. Taco seasoning works good, Lawry’s or Old Bay to give it more flavors we love as well. You can include it in the crumbs or directly on the fish before adding the coating. A fresh lime juice squeeze is great when serving these babies.

How to Make the Creamy Sauce

Our cilantro lime sauce is the perfect way to top them all of course, or use tartar sauce if you prefer. Flour or corn tortillas are perfect, choose smaller sizes so you can pick them up easily. Cole slaw is a must too.

What type of fish is best for tacos?

We typically make air fryer tilapia because it is inexpensive and my kids love that flavor. You could easily make mahi mahi, cod, air fryer catfish or even salmon in air fryer if you prefer. You could even make more than one option so everyone can choose.

Honestly I used this white fish because that was on sale that day and How Long to Cook Cod is just easy peasy. We like any sort of air fryer fish honestly, I don’t think there’s a swimmer we haven’t loved.

Can you make these with frozen fish fillets?

Yes!! Not only can you air fry fish and cook frozen fish in air fryer to make these but it is delicious. The biggest difference is that you won’t be able to bread it, instead just shred or chop frozen salmon in air fryer before filling your tortillas. You’d never know it was rock hard just minutes beforehand.

Cooking Tips

If you have to cook frozen tilapia versus fresh you won’t be able to bread it. No worries, it will still be delicious, just a note on that option. Instead, use directions for the variety you are using (links above recipe card), dice or chop and fill.

One tip you should really remember is that the basket really needs a spray of non stick spray or olive oil. If not I have made this mistake and it wasn’t good. It sticks pretty good and all that nice breading will peel right off.

For best results, cut piece of fish into large bite size pieces. Make sure they’re the same size so they cook evenly. Dry them with paper towels to remove moisture.

Roll in your lightly seasoned bread crumb mixture until coated. Spray inside of air fryer basket with non stick cooking spray and lay coated pieces inside without overlapping (you can see the coloring on ours below).

I have not made these with processed pieces like air fryer frozen fish sticks but I you could if that is really the only option you have. I would use the directions linked above here for those and then cut into smaller pieces when you jazz it up with your toppings to give your guests the same feel of “fresh”.

Ninja Foodi Option

If you want to make Ninja Foodi recipes in that multi cooker it works well. You just follow the directions as is but use the lid on your machine that is attached. The round basket with the holes at the bottom is needed too.

with Slaw

You can make a batch up pretty quick using bagged slaw mixture with a simple bottled dressing like our Hawaiian coleslaw, buy in a container already made or homemade. I think the insides really need some crispy crunchiness inside but that is up to you. If you skip I would highly suggest a squeeze of lime and diced red onion for freshness.

Then it is time to load these babies up!! I like to set all kinds of different things out on the island and make a fish taco bar of sorts. Having a get together for Cinco de Mayo or want to mix up the holiday buffet? Try this!

What goes good with fish tacos?

White sauce is a basic vinegar and mayo mixture. Sour cream can be store bought with no effort on your part. Pico de gallo salsa is out of control especially if you grow tomatoes in your garden. Hot sauce of any kind can add heat if you like that.

If you wanted to offer other items to serve on the side we have options like making pressure cooker refried beans or Mexican rice. That will make it a really hearty meal and you won’t have to make as much protein because the sides will start filling people up too.

I mean we could eat these probably twice a week. Especially if you mix up the toppings and side dishes you offer everyone.

Great for those who are seeing low carb keto options that taste great. You can just shake a little of the crispy outer texture if you prefer or really roll it in there so it’s nicely coated well.

How to fix leftover fried fish?

When it comes to deep fried like at Long John Silvers, it really doesn’t save well. If you use more of a dry coating like this one it doesn’t get a weird and slimy. Use your Ninja Foodi or other brand to Reheat Fried Fish in Air Fryer for about 2 minutes.