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Mastering the Air Fryer
Recipe
1 hr

Air-Fryer Better-Than-Boxed Fish Sticks

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Air-Fryer Better-Than-Boxed Fish Sticks
Author: Afton Cyrus

Recipe By Afton Cyrus

Published on August 6, 2024

Making your own fish sticks guarantees fresh fish and a flavorful coating anytime, and the air fryer can cook a serving faster than it takes the oven to preheat.

Time

1 hr

Yield

Serves 4 (Makes 20 fish sticks)

Why This Recipe Works

Meaty haddock stood up to a crunchy coating and held its shape during cooking. Brining the fish briefly ensured it stayed moist and well seasoned after freezing, and a generous addition of Old Bay seasoning in the coating brought classic flavors.

Ingredients

Salt and pepper
1½ pounds skinless haddock fillets, ¾ inch thick, sliced into 4-inch strips
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image
  1. Dissolve ¼ cup salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Add haddock, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.
  2. Toss panko with oil in bowl until evenly coated. Microwave, stirring frequently, until light golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to shallow dish. Whisk flour, mayonnaise, eggs, mustard, Old Bay, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in second shallow dish.
  3. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil spray. Remove haddock from brine and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge haddock in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then coat with panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer fish sticks to prepared rack and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. (Frozen fish sticks can be transferred to zipper- lock bag and stored in freezer for up to 1 month; do not thaw before cooking.)
  4. To cook fish sticks Lightly spray base of air-fryer basket with vegetable oil spray. Arrange up to 5 fish sticks in prepared basket, spaced evenly apart. Place basket in air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees. Cook until fish sticks are golden and register 140 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes, flipping and rotating fish sticks halfway through cooking. Serve.

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Air-Fryer Better-Than-Boxed Fish Sticks

Recipe By Afton Cyrus

Published on August 6, 2024

Time

1 hr

Yield

Serves 4 (Makes 20 fish sticks)

Air-Fryer Better-Than-Boxed Fish Sticks

Ingredients

Salt and pepper1½ pounds skinless haddock fillets, ¾ inch thick, sliced into 4-inch strips2 cups panko bread crumbs1 tablespoon vegetable oil¼ cup all-purpose flour¼ cup mayonnaise2 large eggs2 tablespoons Dijon mustard1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

Instructions

  1. Dissolve ¼ cup salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Add haddock, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.
  2. Toss panko with oil in bowl until evenly coated. Microwave, stirring frequently, until light golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to shallow dish. Whisk flour, mayonnaise, eggs, mustard, Old Bay, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in second shallow dish.
  3. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil spray. Remove haddock from brine and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge haddock in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then coat with panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer fish sticks to prepared rack and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. (Frozen fish sticks can be transferred to zipper- lock bag and stored in freezer for up to 1 month; do not thaw before cooking.)
  4. To cook fish sticks Lightly spray base of air-fryer basket with vegetable oil spray. Arrange up to 5 fish sticks in prepared basket, spaced evenly apart. Place basket in air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees. Cook until fish sticks are golden and register 140 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes, flipping and rotating fish sticks halfway through cooking. Serve.
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