Breaded Cod in Air Fryer

These breaded Cod Fillets are so easy to make in the Air Fryer and they turn out so crispy and delicious with just about 12 minutes of cooking time. They really are amazing and my family loves them.

The process is really easy. You just have to pat dry and season the fish fillets. And then coat with flour, egg, and panko bread crumbs and then Air Fry until they are done. It's just so easy. I make it often for weeknight meals at my home. Serve with some salad, fries, and some Tartar sauce. So good!

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

If you follow my blog or my Instagram page, you know how much I love cooking in my Air Fryer. I love making chicken, meat, and fish like Salmon and Tilapia. It works great for many vegetables including Brussels sprouts, potatoes, and eggplants. Air Frying cuts down the cooking time so much. Another plus is, that cleaning up is so easy. I use this Cosori Air Fryer and I just have to pop it into the dishwasher.

Seasoning Ideas for Cod Fillets:

I like the lemony peppery flavor. So I use lemon pepper seasoning. The one I use has salt in it so you'll notice that I do not add salt separately. Another really good seasoning that goes with cod is Old Bay seasoning. You can also use Cajun seasoning for a nice spicy kick. When I want to keep it simple, I just use salt and pepper and honestly, it's so good and gives you a clean flavor.

The correct way to add Breading

Breading has three steps to it. Flour - Egg - Bread crumbs.

The first step is to coat with a very thin coating of flour. The flour helps to dry out the surface of the fish fillet. So when you dip it in the egg mixture, it gets coated better. The flour layer also acts as a protective layer for the seasonings. Otherwise, when you dip the seasoned fish fillet in eggs, the seasonings dissolve into the egg mixture. It also helps to make it crispy.

The second step is dipping the fillet in the egg mixture. The eggs are needed for the bread crumbs to stick to the fish fillet. You can season the egg mixture too. But since I generously season my fish fillets and use Parmesan cheese with bread crumbs, I usually skip adding any seasonings to the egg mixture.

The third step is to coat it with bread crumbs. I like to use Panko bread crumbs. They make a crispier, more appealing, and tastier crust than regular/traditional bread crumbs. But if you don't have panko, you can use traditional bread crumbs for this. I like to mix some parmesan cheese into the breadcrumbs. It makes the breaded layer and the fish fillet taste great.

Air Fryer Cooking time for Breaded Cod/Fish

Air fryer cooking time may vary depending on how thick the cod fillets are. Also, it depends on the Air Fryer brand and model as well. Some (especially more compact air fryers) heat up too quickly and therefore they cook the fillets faster. For this recipe, 12 minutes of cooking time at 400F is the time and temperature I use. Always check the doneness with an instant thermometer. The cooked temperature for fish is, 145F.

Also, keep in mind that not all the Cod fillets might have the same thickness. Thinner cod fillets might cook faster than the thicker ones.

Serving Ideas

My favorite way to serve Breaded Cod (whether it's deep fried or made in Air Fryer), is with Tartar sauce and a side of fries. I sometimes serve a side of Asparagus, Brussels sprouts, or green beans as well to make the meal a little healthier.

You can also use Breaded Cod as a salad topper.

I also like to make rice bowls with it. You can add Jasmine rice, Some edamame, some sliced carrot, and cabbage, and then top it with bang bang sauce or any sauce of your choice. This is great as a quick healthy lunch bowl.