Crispy, flaky fish served on soft tortillas with a tangy homemade sauce—that’s our air fryer fish taco recipe! You can enjoy delicious fish tacos in under 30 minutes following our simple recipe.
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Fish Tacos in the Air Fryer
Before making fish tacos in the air fryer, we rarely bothered to make them at all. Cooking fish properly can be frustrating, especially when you want it to be crisp on the outside while remaining soft on the inside.
But with this recipe for air frying fish tacos, there's no frustration at all. It's beyond easy, and the flavor is incredible! The perfectly cooked, flaky white fish of these fish tacos, seasoned with our signature chili seasoning, pairs beautifully with our mango pico de gallo, creamy fish taco sauce, and shredded cabbage. You'll savor every bite!
Ingredients in Air Fried Fish Tacos
- Cod: These crispy fish tacos work best with flaky yet firm white fish filets, such as cod, haddock, mahi mahi, or tilapia.
- All-Purpose Flour: Used in the breading mixture. Feel free to use gluten-free flour if necessary.
- Yellow Cornmeal: For the breading mixture.
- Chili Seasoning: While you can use store-bought seasoning, we highly recommend mixing your own chili rub for the best flavor. Our chili rub includes salt, pepper, sugar, chili powder, and garlic powder for a truly flavorful experience. If you don't want to use chili seasoning, use your favorite fish taco seasoning.
- Tortillas: Use flour or corn tortillas according to your preference.
- Fish Taco Sauce: Our fish taco sauce blends mayo, sour cream, lime juice, and a small handful of other ingredients for a truly flavorful experience.
- Shredded Cabbage: The perfect slaw for fish tacos! Shredded cabbage is especially tasty paired with our fish taco sauce.
- Mango Pico de Gallo: One of our favorite fish taco toppings is our mango pico de gallo. It's the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.
- Cilantro: We love pairing these tacos with fresh cilantro leaves. If you're not a fan of cilantro, you can replace it with fresh parsley or leave it out.
- Fresh Lime Wedges: For lime juice!
How to Air Fry Fish Tacos
Dry and cut fish
Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Pat 1 pound cod dry with paper towels and cut into ½-inch thick strips about 2 inches long.
Mix dry batter
Mix together ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup yellow cornmeal, and 2 Tablespoons chili seasoning in a medium bowl until well combined.
Coat fish
Using a fork, place a piece of cod in the seasoning mixture to coat evenly on all sides. Place seasoned cod on a parchment lined baking tray in a single layer. Continue coating each piece of cod in this manner until all cod is coated evenly on all sides. Discard any excess seasoning mixture.
Spray
When the air fryer is preheated, spray basket with oil and use tongs to carefully place seasoned cod in the air fryer basket in a single layer and not touching. Spray with oil spray to coat each piece of fish.
Cook and remove
Cook in the preheated air fryer for 5-6 minutes until golden brown. If needed, continue cooking any remaining fish in a separate batch. Using tongs, carefully remove fish to a serving plate.
Heat tortillas
Place 6 small flour tortillas in the air fryer basket in a stack and put a weighted, heat proof item, such as a ramekin, on top to hold them down. Air fry at 400°F for 1-2 minutes, or until heated to your liking.
Assemble air fried fish tacos
To assemble fish tacos, top warm tortillas with shredded cabbage, mango pico de gallo or salsa, and crispy fish. Garnish with cilantro and a generous drizzle of creamy fish taco sauce. Squeeze fresh lime juice onto tacos if desired. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- You don’t have to turn fish over during cooking. The air fryer circulates the air and cooks the fish evenly on all sides.
- Heating tortillas: We like to heat the tortillas in the air fryer. You might want to heat them in batches, but it works great to stack them in the air fryer. Just be sure to place a weighted, heat proof item, such as a ramekin, on top of the stack to keep them in place while air frying. Alternatively, you could heat the tortillas in a skillet on the stove or in a toaster oven.
- We love Mango Pico de Gallo, but your favorite store-bought Pico works great too!
- Cook time may vary depending on your specific air fryer. As always, use the cook time and temperature as a guide until you are more comfortable with your specific brand of air fryer.
- If cooking in multiple batches, be sure to check on the remaining batches early, as they may cook more quickly.
Air Fryer Seafood Recipes
How to Store Leftover Fish Tacos
- Store leftover fish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. We don't recommend storing fish for longer than this. Store all sauces and toppings separately, as well as the tortillas. See our mango pico de gallo and fish taco sauce recipes for how to store these sauces.
Air Fryer Fish Tacos FAQ
Yes! Just be certain to watch the fish closely to avoid overcooking, and as always be sure to flip halfway through the cook time.
Cod is a firm white fish that crisps up well and won't fall apart. We highly recommend cod for fish tacos!
More Air Fryer Taco Recipes
Serving Suggestions
- Coconut Lime Rice
- Creamy Fish Taco Sauce
- Mango Pico de Gallo
- Air Fryer Salsa
- Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
Leave a comment and review for us below if you enjoyed this recipe, or if you have questions about any of our air fryer recipes!
Air Fryer Fish Tacos
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
Fish Taco Ingredients
- 1 pound cod or other firm white fish
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 Tablespoons chili seasoning
- 6 small flour tortillas or corn tortillas
Suggested Fish Taco Toppings
- creamy fish taco sauce
- shredded cabbage
- mango pico de gallo
- cilantro
- fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F.
- Pat 1 pound cod dry with paper towels and cut into ½-inch thick strips about 2 inches long.
- Mix together ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup yellow cornmeal, and 2 Tablespoons chili seasoning in a medium bowl until well combined.
- Using a fork, place a piece of cod in the seasoning mixture to coat evenly on all sides. Place seasoned cod on a parchment lined baking tray in a single layer. Continue coating each piece of cod in this manner until all cod is coated evenly on all sides. Discard any excess seasoning mixture.
- When the air fryer is preheated, spray basket with oil and use tongs to carefully place seasoned cod in the air fryer basket in a single layer and not touching. Spray with oil spray to coat each piece of fish.
- Cook in the preheated air fryer for 5-6 minutes until golden brown. If needed, continue cooking any remaining fish in a separate batch.
- Using tongs, carefully remove fish to a serving plate.
- Place 6 small flour tortillas in the air fryer basket in a stack and put a weighted, heat proof item, such as a ramekin, on top to hold them down. Air fry at 400°F for 1-2 minutes, or until heated to your liking.
- To assemble fish tacos, top warm tortillas with shredded cabbage, mango pico de gallo, and crispy fish. Garnish with cilantro and a generous drizzle of creamy fish taco sauce. Squeeze fresh lime juice onto tacos if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- You don’t have to turn fish over during cooking. The air fryer circulates the air and cooks evenly on all sides.
- Heating tortillas: We like to heat the tortillas in the air fryer. You might want to heat them in batches, but it works great to stack them in the air fryer. Just be sure to place a weighted, heat proof item, such as a ramekin, on top of the stack to keep them in place while air frying. Alternatively, you could heat the tortillas in a skillet on the stove or in a toaster oven.
- We love Mango Pico de Gallo, but your favorite store bought Pico works great too!
- Cook time may vary depending on your specific air fryer. As always, use the cook time and temperature as a guide until you are more comfortable with your specific brand of air fryer.
- If cooking in multiple batches, be sure to check on the remaining batches early, as they may cook more quickly.
- Remember, air fryer brands vary, so you may have to adjust the cook time to your specific air fryer.
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