Air-Fryer Beer-Battered Fish

Nutrition Notes

Is This Recipe Healthy?

Overall, this recipe provides a ton of nutrition. It's high in protein, low in fat, and packs a nutritional punch with several nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin D, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and vitamin B12.

Tips from the Test Kitchen

What’s the Benefit of Double Dredging in Flour?

The pieces of fish are lightly dusted with seasoned flour to give the beer batter something to stick to—the flesh itself is too slick for the wet mixture to adhere. After a dip in the batter, it's dredged again in the flour. This serves two main purposes: First, adding flour on the exterior of the battered fish makes it easier to handle and transfer to the air fryer (without it, all the batter would make a mess in the air fryer basket). Second, the flour is also dry enough to absorb the cooking spray (skipping this step means the cooking spray will slide off the wet batter).

Why Use Beer for the Batter? Is There a Substitute?

Beer provides that quintessential fish-and-chips tang, but we're mostly after the CO2 it contains. As the fish cooks, the bubbles in the beer froth and suspend in the flour, providing a light and crispy texture. Go for a mellow pale-colored beer (like a lager or amber) as stronger porters or stouts can overwhelm the fish. If prefer not to use beer, club soda is a great substitute.

What Type of Fish Should I Use?

A mild white fish, like cod, pollock or haddock, is ideal for this recipe. They have a meaty yet flaky texture and tend to stay moist when cooked. It's important to use pieces that are about 1 inch thick—any thinner and they'll dry out before the batter turns golden brown, any thicker and they'll take too long to cook properly. And make sure the pieces of fish are patted very, very dry before you batter and air-fry them, otherwise you won't get the crispy results you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Get Crispy Fish in an Air Fryer?

The secret to this recipe is in the method. Traditionally, the fish would go into a wet beer batter and then cook in hot oil. But in order to work in the air fryer, it's important to apply oil to the exterior of the battered fish. The easiest way is with cooking spray. Simply spray the fish with it until no dry flour remains. Using cooking spray during the dredging and air-frying process saves about 150 calories per serving compared to deep-frying.

Additional reporting by Carrie Myers and Jan Valdez