Air Fryer Fish Fingers make a quick and easy snack or light meal. Also known as Air Fryer Frozen Fish Sticks they have a crispy skin and white fish fillet filling.
Recipes like my Air Fryer Salmon with Skin and Teriyaki Salmon Air Fryer are all about cooking fish in the air fryer.
My Air Fryer Spatchcock Chicken (Butterfly Chicken), Air Fryer Roast Chicken and Air Fryer Lamb Chops (Air Fryer Lamb Cutlets) are family favourites!
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Recipe Highlights
- Quick, easy and convenient
- Freezer friendly, grab, cook and eat
- Meal prepped when tired and no time for anything else
- On hand, snack, appetizer or light meal
- Kid friendly, family friendly, freezer friendly.
- Food in the freezer that can be cooked quickly to feed the hungry!
- Seafood as the protein instead of meat
- Can be cooked by all chef levels eg teenagers
- Crispy food that has a breadcrumb coating and soft filling
Top tip: Having a few freezer options that can be easily air fried means food (healthy not snack options) is always at the ready. Simply with the touch of a few buttons.
Ingredients
The ingredients needed for the recipe are shown in the photo below.
- Frozen Fish fingers (Frozen Fish Sticks): you will find a wide variety of these readily available in the freezer section of the supermarket. You will find products that use Hoki, Alaskan Pollock, Hake, Cod and more. There will also be crumbed (textured) or battered (smoother coated) fish fingers
- Yogurt sauce: if you don't have tartare sauce at home, I recommend using Greek Yogurt with a squeeze of lemon juice. It is a simple way to provide flavour and texture without hours of work. See Lemon Yogurt Sauce for a recipe specific version.
Top tip: Not all frozen fish fingers are the same. There will be variety in fish, crumb (breadcrumb or not) and quality. Read the packet and search for your favourite. Steer clear of boxes that simply list 'fish' and not specify what type. Crunchy and crispy are the goals! Not soggy and mushy!
Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make frozen fish sticks in the air fryer.
- Add frozen fish fingers to the Air Fryer basket in one layer (Photo 1)
- Cook fish fingers for 10-15 minutes until crispy on the outside and soft in the centre (Photo 2)
Top Tip: I don't find it necessary to spray the air fryer basket/tray with olive oil or the fish fingers themselves. If you want to do that, you can. At times this aids clean up and ensures food with extra crunch!
Serving Suggestions
Fish Fingers are fine to serve on their own, also delicious when dipped in sauce.
You can try serving them with my Air Fryer Chips or Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings for a complete feast!
For a lighter option, they also work very well pair with my Herb Salad, Caprese Salad or Panzanella Salad.
If homemade sauces are your thing, you might like to try my Herbed Yogurt Sauce, Lemon Yogurt Sauce or Basil Yogurt Sauce.
Substitutions and Variations
Growing up my parents always gave us the option of cheese on our fish fingers if we wanted. I was pretty torn as cheese and fish weren't a natural flavour pairing in my mind, so I chose some with cheese and some as they are!
We used to oven bake them as air fryers weren't invented then (back in the day).
You will find all different brands of fish fingers (Birds Eye, Coles brand, Woolworths Brand, Aldi, Gorton's) basic home brand or a super chef (Jamie Oliver) version. Some will be 'wild caught' or 'sustainable'.
Find your favourite brand and stick to it.
You can make homemade fish fingers, vary the sauce options, use a either standard breadcrumbs or panko. You can even air fry seafood patties, fish cakes or salmon cakes.
How to Guide
How to store
If you have served the fish fingers and they have gone cold, it is fine to heat them up in the air fryer for 2-3 mins.
However, it is not recommended to cook them, leave in the fridge and then reheat later. They are best consumed immediately upon cooking.
How to reheat
If reheating fish fingers, simply place back in the air fryer and heat till warmed through.
It is not recommended to reheat cooked fish fingers more than once.
How to freeze
Fish fingers and Fish sticks come frozen, which makes them so convenient. It is not recommended to refreeze any fish fingers/sticks that have been cooked.
Top Tips
- There is no need to use spray oil or baking paper
- You can flip the fish fingers half way through cooking if you choose
- Serve immediately after cooking
- Pair with tartare or Lemon Yogurt Sauce
- Go straight from freezer to air fryer
- Sprinkle some dried herbs over the fish fingers prior to cooking
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cook frozen fish fingers?
You can cook frozen fish fingers in the oven, deep fryer or air fryer.
See my Air Fryer versus Deep Fryer (Deep fryer vs Air Fryer) post for advantages and disadvantages of each appliance.
How do you cook fish fingers in an Air Fryer?
To cook fish fingers in the air fryer, simply place the frozen fish fingers into the air fryer basket or tray, close the appliance and cook for 10 -15 mins.
It is not necessary to use spray oil in the basket or on the fish fingers as them come pre coated.
You can also cook homemade fish fingers in the air fryer, the cook time for these depends on the size of the fish finger and if they are being cooked from fresh or frozen.
How long should you cook fish sticks in an air fryer?
Fish Sticks will cook in 10 to 15 minutes in the air fryer.
Thicker fish sticks will take longer to cook than thinner versions.
You can preheat the basket for 2-3 mins to ensure that they start cooking as soon as you close the appliance.
Can I cook fish fingers and chips in an air fryer?
You can cook fish fingers and chips in the air fryer the same way as you would the oven!
They turn out crispy and delicious with a soft fish or potato filling.
The trick is to not overfill the air fryer so make sure that when adding both the fish and chips to the basket, they are still in one layer.
Touching is ok, but stacked won't give crispy results.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
If you love using your air fryer for frozen foods, then you might like to try one of the ideas below.
- Air Fryer Frozen Spring Rolls
- Easy Air Fryer Party Pies
- Air Fryer Frozen Samosa
- Vegetarian Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Sticks (Cheese Sticks)
- Air Fryer Chips
- Quick Air Fryer Mini Corn Dogs
- Air Fryer Mini Hot Dogs
- Air Fryer Sausage Rolls
Or check out all of my Air Fryer recipes!
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Adrianne xx
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Fish Fingers (Fish Sticks)
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Kitchen Tongs
Ingredients
- 10 frozen fish fingers (fish sticks) Note 1
- sauce Note 2
Instructions
- Preheat the Air Fryer at a temperature of 180°C/350 F for 2-3 mins
- Place the frozen fish fingers into the air fryer basket or tray and close the appliance.
- Cook the fish fingers for 10 to 15 mins, so that the crumb is crispy and the fish fingers hot in the centre.
- Serve with sauce.
Notes
- Note 1 Not all frozen fish fingers are the same. There will be variety in fish, crumb (breadcrumb or not) and quality. Read the packet and search for your favourite. Steer clear of boxes that simply list 'fish' and not specify what type. Crunchy and crispy are the goals! Not soggy and mushy!
- Note 2 If you don't have tartare sauce at home, I recommend using Greek Yogurt with a squeeze of lemon juice. It is a simple way to provide flavour and texture without hours of work. See Lemon Yogurt Sauce for a recipe specific version.
lucy says
Making these for the kids dinner tonight. Thank-you.
Adrianne says
I appreciate your feedback, thanks Lucy!