This easy Air Fryer Cod recipe is a quick fish dinner with just 5 min of prep. Made with garlic, paprika & lemon keeping it light and healthy.
Do you love easy dinners that come together quick? Those are my favorite kind. No one wants to spend their whole day cooking and then cleaning up afterward.
That’s why I love this recipe for cod, made in the air fryer. Not only does it satisfy my fish-loving family – but it is almost effortless to make. You can’t beat that!
I really love that this comes together faster than I could drive to get take-out or wait for delivery. I mean, prep and cooking all done in about 20 minutes – that’s FAST!
Not to mention that it’s healthy too. No breading or frying – just the cod and a little seasonings. It doesn’t need anything else and it’s so delicious! I know you’ll love it as much as we do.
air fryer cod fish
Here are some commonly asked questions
How Air Frying Works
While air fryers are relatively new to the market, the technology isn’t really a new concept. They basically work like tiny convection ovens that you can use on your countertop.
Similar to a convection oven, it circulates the hot air within the cooking area using a high-powered fan. This helps evenly distribute the heat around the food which not only creates more evenly cooked food but also reduced cooking times.
By circulating the hot air, which contains the fine oil droplets from adding a light mist layer before cooking, and allows you to remove the need for submerging our foods in heavy oils to create the deliciously crunchy foods we all love.
What are the benefits of air frying?
Healthier
It’s no secret that fried foods are more fattening – but did you know that there are 9 calories in every gram of fat? With air frying, we can reduce the fat by removing most of the oils usually needed to create crunchy foods. This helps to drastically reduce fat intake and calories.
Convenience
I love being able to cook with my air fryer and eliminate the need for large baking sheets and lots of pots and pans. Most of my air fryer recipes can be made with just a mixing bowl or two or a small saucepan in addition to my air fryer.
Energy Efficient
Someone said to me once, “why make this in the air fryer if you can do it the conventional way in the same amount of time?” Well, air frying helps eliminate the need for a conventional oven.
Not only can you keep your home cooler in the summer by not using the oven, but you are saving money with reduced energy consumption costs as well.
Time Saver
I don’t know about you, but if I can avoid turning on the oven and having to wait 20 minutes for it to preheat, I’m happy about that. Most air fryer recipes either don’t require that you preheat the fryer – or the preheat time is 5 minutes or less. That is a huge time saver over using the oven.
Take it on the go
I love that the air fryer is compact and easy to take along on trips. We pack ours in our RV and find that air fryer cooking while camping is so much easier than trying to deep fry foods on a small RV stove or camping burner.
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What air fryer do you use?
We actually have 3 air fryers. I have a smaller one from Phillips that we started with. I have since given that to my son since he’s only cooking for 1.
But the more I used the air fryer I realized I really wanted a digital screen. It wasn’t any more expensive, in fact- our XL air fryer from GoWISE was less expensive than the Phillips and I love its ease & extra functions.
Plus it comes with a lot of the extra accessories I like to use when cooking with my fryer.
But I when I started working on my second air fryer book, I wanted to change things up. I picked up this LARGE air fryer that has been wonderful. It has Touch Screen Presets plus it is XL Family Size, which is great!
I have a bake option and other special features on my air fryer, is that the setting? Or do you put it on “air fry” setting?
All of my recipes were created with an air fryer that had only a temperature & timer setting – since not all air fryers have all the additional settings.
You can use the bake setting when making recipes that you would traditionally bake – but if possible, please just set the temperature & time for this recipe.
HOW DO YOU MAKE AIR FRYER COD?
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees.
- Lay the cod fillets out on a sheet of parchment or on a plate. Pat dry.
- Drizzle the cod with olive oil.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper and stir.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the top of the cod.
- Place the cod in the preheated air fryer.
- Cook for 9-15 minutes (depending on the size of the fillets) or until the internal temp reaches 145 degrees.
- Remove and serve on a bed of fresh, blanched green beans and topped with a sprinkle of parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
cod fillet
Why is my food dry, chewy, or not crisp?
Most people think that air frying is done completely without oil. However, you need just a little bit of oil so the machine can circulate those tiny oil droplets, which is what makes air frying create deliciously crisp and crunchy food.
So when your food isn’t turning out as expected, it is usually that you aren’t actually adding enough oil to the recipe. If those oil droplets aren’t present, all you are doing is baking your food, resulting in a less flavorful taste and texture. Be sure to not skip the step of spritzing the food with oil if the recipe calls for it.
Air Frying Doneness Tip
Every air fryer is a bit different and they all cook at different rates – so in general, all cooking times are approximate based on the pan and temperature.
You can always cook the recipe longer if needed and reduce the heat a bit. If needed, you can tent the top if it is browning too much.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Cod
- Alaska cod fillets
- olive oil
- granulated garlic
- paprika
- salt
- pepper
- parsley
- fresh lemon wedge
How to store leftover cod?
Place any leftovers in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 2-3 days. To reheat, place it back in the air fryer and cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
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What to serve with air fryer cod fillets?
This recipe is so versatile, the things you can serve with it are almost endless. Here is a list of our favorite things to pair with this air-fried cod.
- easy fruit salad
- sea salt garlic corn
- garlic parmesan pull-apart biscuits
- instant pot baked potatoes
- bacon and garlic green beans
- garlic mashed potatoes
- pesto pasta salad
Tips for cooking air fryer cod
- Season generously – since we are eliminating the flour, breadcrumbs and most of the fats – the flavors are the star of the show that help to enhance the cod.
- You can leave the skin on – it helps to lock in flavor and moisture.
- You can flip and cook the other side for an additional minute to crisp the bottom – if desired.
- Don’t overcook – once it cooks with an internal temp above 145 degrees – it gets rubbery.
- Don’t over-crowd the basket or tray. You need the air flow around the cod for the air fryer to do it’s magic.
- Use good-quality cod – this is the part you don’t want to skimp on.
- Oil – this helps to prevent sticking and gives the filet a beautiful look when serving.
Can I use frozen cod?
Yes, absolutely, that will work just fine. Just be sure to thaw them & pat them dry before using.
cooking cod
Can this be made with another type of fish?
You bet! This recipe is great using snapper, tilapia, bass or haddock too.
What oil sprayer do you use?
First, let me say that I highly recommend that you do not use cooking spray. It will leave a residue on your air fryer basket & cause it to smoke when you use it.
I really like this spray bottle – because it gives a nice mist & sprays consistently each time using just olive, vegetable, or canola oil. I couldn’t air fry easily without it.
Serving air fryer cod
- add to a bed of veggies
- with a side of rice
- add a dollop of guacamole on top
- top with pickled onions
- sprinkle with lemon juice
- add to fish tacos
How to prevent sticking in the air fryer
Sticking can often happen when using an air fryer. I understand that most would think to add non-stick spray to the basket to prevent this. I strongly encourage you to not do that.
Non-stick spray leaves a coating that won’t come off, even when washed. Over time – this will build up and cause smoking when you use our air fryer.
I also do not recommend putting down a sheet of foil. The idea behind air frying is to allow the air to circulate around the food.
This is why the basket or tray has holes in it. If you put foil down – this prevents the air from reaching all of the areas it needs to in order for it to cook properly.
Instead – I recommend spraying the basket with olive oil using this spray bottle. You can line the air fryer with perforated parchment paper.
Or you can use one of these really great silicone liners that still allow for airflow but are reusable and easily cleanable.
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If you love this Easy cod dinner recipe, you’re going to love these other recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
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Air Fryer Cod
Ingredients
- 2 Alaska cod fillets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- parsley
- fresh lemon wedge
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees.
- Lay the cod fillets out on a sheet of parchment or on a plate. Pat dry.
- Drizzle the cod with olive oil.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper and stir.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the top of the cod.
- Place the cod in the preheated air fryer.
- Cook for 9-15 minutes (depending on the size of the fillets) or until the internal temp reaches 145 degrees.
- Remove and serve on a bed of fresh, blanched green beans and topped with a sprinkle of parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Notes
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
