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Air Fryer Fried Catfish is another hit for me with the Air Fryer. I had been dying to try out frying catfish in my Air Fryer. This weekend I had a reason to test it out. It is Labor Day Weekend and one of my close friends is in town for a visit.
Summer holiday weekends usually involve COOKOUTS! My friend is a pescatarian. She only eats seafood and does not eat any other meat. Unfortunately for my friend, cookouts are usually filled with grilled chicken, beef, and pork.
There wasn’t going to be any grilled seafood at the cookout we were planning to attend. Being the good friend I am, I decided to whip up some fried catfish that we could bring to the cookout with us for her to eat.
I was amazed at the results of the Air Fryer! This fish turned out very crispy with an amazing crunch. Using the Air Fryer instead of deep-frying saves almost 400 calories and 45 grams of fat per serving.
I also love that there is no stinky house after making these! I rarely fry foods in my home, and certainly not fish because the deep-fried smell lingers for DAYS! Thank you, Air Fryer!
I used trial and error to determine the cooking time. The fillets I prepared were very long. Because of the length, I opted to cook each fillet one at a time. Use your discretion here and do what works best for you.
Use your judgment on if you will need more or less fish fry seasoning noted in the recipe ingredients. The amount you will need will vary based on the size of your fillets. Each fillet should be fully coated with seasoning, but not overly coated.
Cooking time will likely vary based on the Air Fryer brand you use and how crunchy you prefer your fish.
I cooked the filets at 400 degrees for about 22 minutes total. Time will likely vary based on the Air Fryer brand you use and how crunchy you prefer your fish. At 10 minutes I flipped the fish. I then allowed them to cook for 10 more minutes, flipped them one last time, and cooked for 2 minutes.
What I love most about the air fryer is that I get to incorporate all of the foods I left behind, back into my lifestyle. We ate fried catfish and spaghetti pretty often growing up. For some of you this may sound like an interesting combination! Over the years I have learned this may be a Midwest dinner choice!
I have missed it so much! Thank goodness for the air fryer!
If you prefer catfish nuggets those should work just fine, too! Simply add the breading to the catfish nuggets.
If you are looking for more Air Fryer Catfish check out 17 Air Fryer Recipes You Have to Try or my Air Fryer Salmon and Air Fryer Fish Sticks recipes.
If you are looking for more information on southern-style Air Fryer Catfish, check out 17 Air Fryer Recipes You Have to Try.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Hush Puppies
Air Fryer Southern Style Pork Chops
Air Fryer Crab Cakes
Air Fryer Fish Sandwich
Air Fryer Potato Skins
Air Fryer Scallops
Air Fryer 3 Ingredient Fried Catfish
Ingredients
- 4 catfish fillets
- 1/4 cup Louisiana Fish Fry Coating
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- Pat the catfish dry.
- Sprinkle the fish fry onto both sides of each fillet. Ensure the entire filet is coated with seasoning.
- Spritz olive oil on the top of each filet.
- Place the filet in the Air Fryer basket. Do not stack the fish and do not overcrowd the basket. Cook in batches if needed. Close and cook for 10 minutes on 400 degrees.
- Open the air fryer and flip the fish. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Open and flip the fish.
- Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until desired crispness.
- Top with optional parsley.
Notes
Nutrition (displayed with net carbs)
More Air Fryer Recipes:
Air Fryer Southwestern Egg Rolls
Air Fryer Homemade Pop Tarts
Air Fryer Fried Shrimp Po Boy
Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Breaded Fried Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Parmesan Truffle Oil Fries
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic Truffle Aioli
Air Fryer Sriracha Honey Bourbon Fried Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Bang Bang Panko Breaded Fried Shrimp
Air Fryer Apple Cinnamon Dessert Empanadas
Air Fryer Beef Taco Fried Egg Rolls
Danny
Sunday 8th of September 2024
$26.00 for a 10oz. packet on Amazon of that Louisiana seasoning?? Seriously? Not gonna purchase.
staysnatched
Sunday 8th of September 2024
Then don't. You get to decide what you buy.
gyanguide
Friday 26th of July 2024
Greetings! Very helpful advice
sal
Friday 21st of June 2024
I drive half an hour to a grocery store that sells catfish, I buy 5 lbs at a time. I coat them with a little bit of tartar sauce and coat with seasoned panko crumbs. Cook as directed, sprayed with a bit of oil. Absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS!
staysnatched
Sunday 23rd of June 2024
Yes! Love that.
Rere
Saturday 18th of May 2024
FIRE! Best air fryer fish ever. We like extra crunch so each side was cooked on 22 min. Nice and crunchy I did flip at 11min intervals. Made some tarter sauce outta Greek yogurt pulled out leftover gumbo greens and made some brown rice. This one is going in the meal prep rotation for sure try it with some air fryer green beans wont miss fries at all.
staysnatched
Monday 20th of May 2024
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Bill Trautmann
Monday 15th of April 2024
I grew up a farm boy in the middle of Missouri. It was common to fish the deeper creeks nearby. I have eaten catfish all my life and I'm 70y ears old. My wife and I routinely eat catfish, farm raised. A lot of people who have eaten catfish (that are farm raised) - City Slickers -LOL. I on the other hand much prefer wild caught. So many people have eaten farm raised fish, it's not unusual for their comments to be negative such as "it tastes dirty" or " they taste gamey). For me I love the taste of the wild caught. Bread your filets with cornmeal with Old Bay for seasoning. Nirdoma is only a taste away.