Frozen fish in air fryer is the way to go! Flaky tender meat inside with perfect crispiness to the outside. Lemon pepper tilapia or salmon done perfectly.
Ready to learn how to cook frozen foods perfectly?? We were on a mission to figure it out, and share them all with you. THIS frozen fish in air fryer recipe turned out great, I think you will agree once you take a bite. Find this and more air fryer recipes here.
- We love air fryer fish!!
- It’s easy to cook if it’s fresh, but frozen is a bit of a head scratcher, we’re here to help you1
If you love air fryer recipes too, here are some resources to start with:
- THIS is my Favorite Air Fryer!
- You can find more Air fryer recipes here, we have Ninja Foodi recipes as well; bookmark them both!
- Grab the best air fryer cookbook here.
- Here’s a printable air fryer cook times chart here for your fridge.
- It has temp. and times for making the best frozen foods for air fryer too.
- Then join our Facebook page where you can share and find more ideas you’ll love. We have a Foodi social media group as well.
- First we made air fryer frozen shrimp with a parmesan crust for dinner and they were over the top!
- Next on the list was air fryer salmon but it was defrosted, so the next challenge was some air fryer frozen fish. Here. It. Is!
Tilapia was bought from the grocery store in a bag, but you could find halibut just as easily if you preferred that seafood variety. Grab some fresh lemons and parsley while you’re there and get to cookin’ y’all!
You can see what we used here. As far as the seasonings go you can really use your favorite ones, or use what’s listed in the recipe card below.
- That goes for any of our Ninja air fryer recipes in general.
- I tend to under-season and add salt and pepper at the end so everyone gets it exactly how they like it.
Now the difference between cooking Instant Pot frozen salmon vs. in your hot air machine is that you’ll get a bit of crispy crunch on the outside. It won’t be as much as if it were breaded, and that isn’t possible if your fish isn’t defrosted first but still.
If I had to choose whether I preferred an Instant Pot tilapia, or this method I think I’d opt for this one. Try them both though and decide for yourself.
Now let’s answer the question can I cook frozen fish in the air fryer? The answer is a resounding YeS!! Throwing a batch of air fryer fish sticks in there is SO good too if you want a quick meal.
- We have done this with a few of our Instant Pot fish recipes. That is convenient as well if you’ve forgotten to take your food out.
- If you are looking for air fryer Costco recipes this is a good one too. You can buy a bag of frozen salmon for a lot cheaper than the grocery stores and have a healthy meal in no time.
You can see here how yummy it comes out in just 12 minutes.
What color should cooked fish be?
Fish filet should be opaque, not translucent like when it’s raw. When cooked perfectly it should break easily into flakes when you nudge it with a fork. If it’s still translucent and doesn’t flake add a few more minutes.
Keep in mind that air fryer cook times will vary according to:
- How thick the fillet is
- The size of the fish
- Type of fish
- salmon will take a bit longer
- tilapia and halibut are about the same as the recipe card below
- air fryer scallops take little to no time
If you do remember to thaw it out, here are directions for air fryer tilapia. You can make fried fish it in just a few minutes with light breading but tons of flavor.
Here’s what you do make frozen fish in air fryer
- Spray air fryer basket with non stick cooking spray
- I like to preheat the air fryer ideally – to 390
- Put frozen fish fillets in and use sliced half of lemon to squeeze lemon juice on top
- Sprinkle seasonings on top
- Place 1 slice of other half of lemon on top of each filet
- Close drawer and set to 390 degrees for 12 minutes
Check, add 2 minutes at a time until meat is white and flaky with a fork.
Is air fryer fish healthy?
YES!! It’s a way to make each piece lower in fat, calories, and eliminates some potentially harmful elements sometimes found in typically fried foods. If you love deep-fried foods crispiness this is a healthier option to get that same crunch!!
Air fryer side dish recipes
- Try air frying zucchini sometime, it is amazing!!
- Air fryer corn on the cob is a healthy option and the kids always love them.
- For crispy air fryer broccoli with parmesan just set to 400 degrees for a few minutes with 1/4 cup water underneath so it’s crunchy but tender too.
- If you want to make fish and chips just pair this with air fryer french fries with a side of tartar sauce and you’re set!
Or you can choose the quicker option of cooking air fryer french fries!
Below is a printable recipe card to keep on hand, or just come back again to get directions to other easy dinners. We always love “seeing” you here on The Typical Mom blog.
- After this you’ll be ready to air fry everything and be obsessed just like we are.
- Even frozen snack foods are better I tell you. My kids won’t let me cook chicken nuggets any other way!
- And our air fryer fried shrimp is amazing beyond that.
- Here’s a bunch of other air fryer fish recipes here too.
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***** If you LOVED this recipe give it 5 Stars below and let everyone know what you thought about it. 😉
Frozen Fish in Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 4 fish fillets tilapia was used, frozen
- 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 lemon
- parsley
Instructions
- Spray air fryer basket with non stick spray and lay frozen fillets inside, do not overlap them.
- Cut lemon in half, lightly squeeze some of one half on to fish and then sprinkle with seasonings. (if you are only doing 2 at a time then only add half of seasonings to top of first batch)
- Slice other half of lemon and put a thin slice of fresh lemon on each fillet.
- Close basket and set to 390 degrees for 12 minutes, then check. Timing will vary depending on how thick each piece is and how "done" you like your fish to be. Add 2 minutes at a time and check again if you want them to have more time.
- Sprinkle diced fresh parsley on top and serve.
Virginia says
I have made this 2 times! I have used Pacific rock fish that was in a bag individually packed. I added capers to it at the end just for special. Served with zuc spirals and rice.
The Typical Mom says
Awesome!
Maggy Sawatsky says
Worked perfectly! Will use this again for sure!!
The Typical Mom says
Yay!!
Della says
I have a NuWave Brio 6 qt. Can I air fry frozen cod filets?
Jamie says
Wow I can’t believe how crispy it turned out! Great texture and I love the lemon flavor in this!
Patty at Spoonabilities says
This recipe is a game changer! I had no idea I could cook frozen fish in the air fryer! This is so perfect – thanks for sharing!
Andrea Metlika says
I had no idea you could use frozen fish. This is fantastic!
The Typical Mom says
It came out better than I could have imagined for sure
Erica says
Sounds delicious! I’m always up for trying new fish recipes! 😋
Angela says
This was so good! Perfect recipe for the frozen fish I had on hand. And easy to make! Thanks so much for sharing.
Linda Gandy says
if this really works, frozen fish in an airfryer, wow! will change my life for the better.
what about Cod. i have a terrible time with thawed Cod.
thank you,
Joy says
I’m very interested in learning to cook frozen cod filets in the Ninja Foodi Grill. I dislike the thawed version of cod and would like to serve it more often to my family.