Beer-Battered Air Fryer Haddock

Name: Beer-Battered Air Fryer Haddock
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pound haddock (cut into filets); 2 cups all-purpose flour; ¼ cup cornstarch; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 (8 ounce) lager beer; 1 egg white (whisked)

This Beer-Battered Air Fryer Haddock is soft and flaky on the inside and extra crispy on the outside. Whip these breaded fish filets up in 20 minutes and serve alongside your favorite chips recipe or turn them into the ultimate fish tacos drizzled with homemade tartar sauce.

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A tray of fish with lemons and tartar sauce.

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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
🔪Instructions
💭Recipe FAQs
👩🏻‍🍳Chef Tips
🥗Serving
More Recipes You May Like
🍳Recipe
💬 Reviews

🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe

A healthier alternative to deep frying. One of the best features of an air fryer is its ability to make a crispy, golden breading with very little oil. If you haven't already, try my extra popular Air Fryer Chicken and Waffles and Air Fryer Chicken Tenders next! Between these 3 recipes, you'll be hooked on air frying over deep frying.
Faster than the oven. I love baked haddock fillets, but sometimes I don't have time to wait for it to cook through completely. By using the air fryer, I can cut the cooking time down significantly. Air Fryer Haddock is one of my new go-to recipes for an easy weeknight dinner when I need something quick.
Pairs well with several sides. You can go the traditional fish and chips route and serve this beer-battered fish with your favorite homemade fries. I recommend my Air Fryer Frozen Fries or these Air Fryer Potato Wedges. Or, serve them with any of your favorite sides!

🥘Ingredients and Substitutions

Haddock - This mild white fish is a member of the cod family and is regularly substituted for cod fillets! It can be purchased fresh or frozen. If purchasing frozen, allow the haddock filets to thaw completely in the refrigerator. Frozen fish fillets have not been tested and cannot be recommended.
Flour - I have only tested this recipe using regular all-purpose flour. It's best for creating a light and crispy battered crust. Replacing this with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend may work but it has not been tested, so experiment at your own risk.
Cornstarch - Adding a light cornstarch coating is the best way to make the crispiest beer batter without much oil. If you prefer to make crispy fish without cornstarch, try my Crispy Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and panko crusted cod made with panko breadcrumbs.
Beer - I used a light, lager beer. It's more neutral in flavor profile than dark beers and won't overpower the flavor of the fish. Feel free to use your favorite beer, but know that this can change the flavor of the breading.
Egg - Egg white helps the batter stick to the fish and create a nice even, layered crust on the fish.

See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.

🔪Instructions

Mix together the flour mixture. In a shallow mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup of all-purpose flour with the cornstarch, salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
Make the beer batter. In a separate shallow mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup of all-purpose flour with the baking soda, lager beer, and egg white.
Dredge the fish. Pat the fish dry using clean paper towels, then dip the fish into the dry flour mixture, coating it evenly on both sides.
Dip in beer batter. Next, immediately place it into the beer batter and coat it on all sides.
Final dredge in flour mixture. Transfer the fish to the flour mixture one more time, coating on all sides then tapping off any excess.
Place the fish in the air fryer. Once sufficiently breaded, transfer the haddock to a parchment-lined air fryer basket. Lightly spray each fish filet with cooking spray to help it become nice and crispy.
Air fry. Cook the air fryer haddock for 10-15 minutes, flipping at the halfway point. When ready, the haddock will be golden brown on the outside and flaky in the center. If using a thermometer, the internal temperature of the haddock should read 145 degrees F.
Enjoy! Enjoy this crispy fish immediately while hot with desired sides and dipping sauces.

💭Recipe FAQs

Why is my fish not crispy in the air fryer?

This can happen for a number of reasons, but it's likely the air fryer was not set to a hot enough temperature, the fish was overlapping and not in a single layer, or they weren't sprayed with cooking spray. In order to get a nice crispy, beer-battered breading, it is essential to do all three of these things! Skipping or altering any of them will alter the results.

Can I put fish on aluminum foil in the air fryer?

Yes. I prefer to use parchment paper because I find the haddock is less likely to stick, but aluminum foil is a fine substitution. Avoid using things like wax paper - they are not meant to withstand high heat and will melt.

Do you need to flip fish in the air fryer?

I recommend it. Since there is a layer of parchment paper between the air fryer basket and the fish, the hot air won't circulate the same as it would without the parchment paper. Flipping the fish halfway through helps ensure both sides get nice and crispy. You can even respray the fish with cooking oil halfway through if you like yours extra crispy!

👩🏻‍🍳Chef Tips

Altered cook time may be required. Keep in mind that the cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your crispy fillets and the model of air fryer. Thicker fillets will take longer to cook through completely and may require the full 15 minutes (or longer!).
Don't skip patting the fillets dry. This is essential to allowing the dredging to stick to the fish. If the fish is too moist, the beer-battered breading may slide off of the fish.

Fish and chips on a tray with lemon wedges.

🥗Serving

Try this Air Fryer Haddock served with your favorite french fries, as a beer-battered fish sandwich, stuffed in taco shells, or as a tasty appetizer with your favorite dipping sauces. Here are some of my favorite suggestions:

French fries: Serve with these Air Fryer Frozen Seasoned Fries.
As a sandwich: Swap out the Salmon Burgers with beer-battered fish in this easy recipe: Air Fryer Salmon Burgers. Serve alongside Connecticut-style lobster rolls.
As tacos: Serve with your favorite slaw, lime wedges, Roasted Tomato Salsa, or Mango Salsa!
Dipping sauce: Tartar Sauce is a classic, but you can also serve with ketchup, a squeeze of lemon juice, or a Spicy Cajun Dipping Sauce!