Air Fryer Crispy Fish Tacos
These crispy golden Air Fryer Fish Tacos are quick and easy to make in under 30 minutes. Made with very little oil, these air fried fish tacos produce tender, flaky fish with with crunchy panko outside.
Servings 8 tacos
Calories 262kcal
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 3 medium White fish fillets thawed (about 500 grams/1 pound)
- 1 cup /110 grams panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 large eggs
- Sea salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Cooking spray oil
For Tacos
- 8 medium Flour Tortillas
- ¼ cup Spicy mayonnaise
- 8 Lettuce leaves
- 2 medium Tomatoes, diced
- 1 Lime
Optional
- 1 handful Fresh Corriander/Cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 large Red chili, seeds removed and diced
Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer to 400 F / 200 C and line a baking tray with baking paper/parchment paper.
- Cut up Fish: Remove excess moisture from fish by patting dry fish fillets with kitchen paper or towel. Cut fish fillet into 4 pieces of roughly equal size and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Set up Bowls: In bowl 1 add the eggs and beat lightly. In bowl 2, add panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, onion powder and dried oregano.
- Bread/Crumb Fish: One at a time, dip each piece of fish in the egg mixture and shake off excess. Then lay flat in the breadcrumbs and press gently both sides to coat.
- Cook Fish: Place the fish in the air fryer basket without overcrowding it and lightly spray on one side. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to cook the fish in two batches. Cook fish at 400 F / 200C one side for 4 minutes then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Fish is cooked when gold and crispy.
- Warm Tortillas and Assemble: Once fish is cooked, removed from air fryer and warm tortillas in the air fryer by laying flat and set to cook for a 10 seconds. Alternatively you can warm them in the microwave. Assemble taco with fish and garnish. Serve with your favorite sauce and lime wedge.
Notes
- Air Fryer: The Air Fryer used in this recipe is 1300W and has a round basket. Its 4.5 kg which is a bit more than 5 Quarts. I would consider it to be medium size and I cooked the fish in 2 batches.
- Type of Fish: You can use either fresh or frozen fish for this recipe, and the best kinds are a firm white fish like like Mahi Mahi, Tilapia, Cod, Halibut and Barramundi. Cutting the fish into 4 equal sized fillets will ensure that they cook evenly all the way through.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: these are a light Japanese breadcrumb perfect for achieving a crispy and crunchy texture when air frying. Panko are different to regular breadcrumbs as there are no crusts, just the bread, allowing it to cook to a beautiful colour without retaining the oil.
- Salt and Pepper: this is essential for the basis of the seasoning of the fish. Even if you don’t use any of the other spices, salt and pepper will still achieve a deliciously seasoned fish fillet.
- Eggs: these are used to dip the fish pieces in so that they hold the panko breadcrumbs. The egg helps to create a “stickiness” so you get more panko and thus crunch on your fish. You could skip the egg, but the panko will have trouble holding onto the fish.
- Spices: I used a combination of garlic powder, ceyenne pepper, chili powder, onion powder and dried oregano for a punchy, spicy Mexican flavour with some heat. Alternatively you could omit the pepper or chili powder if you don’t like the heat or are making it for kids.
- Cooking Spray: Spray oil is perfect for using in the air fryer. I like to use a vegetable oil, or extra virgin olive oil spray. Really, though as you don’t use a lot of oil, you could use any variety or spray oil.
- Calories: calories are calculated per taco (8 in total), using mini flour tortilla tacos with salad. 8 tacos was enough for 3 people for dinner.
Nutrition
Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g