Name: Crunchy Air-Fried Cod Fillets
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 1 small shallot , minced; 1 small garlic clove , minced; ½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ⅛ teaspoon dried; Salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley; 1 tablespoon mayonnaise; 1 large egg yolk; ¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest , plus lemon wedges for serving; 2 (8-ounce) skinless cod fillets , 1¼ inches thick

Why This Recipe Works

Fish is so moist that any attempt to give it a crisp crust (short of deep frying) is likely to end up soggy. Rather than fight this, we didn't try to bread the fish all over but instead simply pressed pretoasted panko crumbs onto the top, which streamlined the process and still gave us crunch in every bite. A coating of mayonnaise, egg yolk, and lemon zest boosted flavor and helped the crumbs adhere. But even with our streamlined breading, the flaky cod was too delicate to lift from the air-fryer basket without breaking. A foil sling came to the rescue, enabling us to rotate and later remove the fillets in one piece.

Before You Begin

You can substitute halibut or haddock for the cod. Serve with Creamy Chipotle Chile Sauce, if desired.

Instructions

Make foil sling for air-fryer basket by folding 1 long sheet of aluminum foil so it is 4 inches wide. Lay sheet of foil widthwise across basket, pressing foil into and up sides of basket. Fold excess foil as needed so that edges of foil are flush with top of basket. Lightly spray foil and basket with vegetable oil spray.

Toss panko with oil in bowl until evenly coated. Stir in shallot, garlic, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Microwave, stirring frequently, until panko is light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to shallow dish and let cool slightly; stir in parsley. Whisk mayonnaise, egg yolk, lemon zest, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in bowl.

Pat cod dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Arrange fillets skinned side down on plate and brush tops evenly with mayonnaise mixture. (Tuck thinner tail ends of fillets under themselves as needed to create uniform pieces.) Working with 1 fillet at a time, dredge coated side in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Arrange fillets crumb side up on sling in prepared basket, spaced evenly apart. Place basket in air fryer and set temperature to 300 degrees. Cook until cod registers 140 degrees, 12 to 16 minutes, using sling to rotate fillets halfway through cooking. Using sling, carefully remove cod from air fryer. Serve with lemon wedges.