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homemade healthy air fryer fish sticks on plate above
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4.50 from 4 votes

Homemade Healthy Air Fryer Fish Sticks Recipe

This Homemade Healthy Air Fryer Fish Sticks Recipe only requires 10 ingredients (INCLUDING salt and pepper): cod or tilapia, spices: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, whole wheat flour, eggs, lemon juice, panko breadcrumbs, and old bay seasoning! Oven baked instructions listed as well.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer, healthy, seafood
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 437kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 (4 oz) fillets frozen cod or tilapia thawed
  • 1/4  cup  whole wheat flour
  • teaspoon  paprika
  • teaspoon  garlic powder
  • teaspoon  salt plus more for sprinkling after air frying
  • 1/2 teaspoon  pepper
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large lemon juiced, plus more for serving after air frying
  • cup  panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 teaspoons old bay
  • Tarter sauce HIGHLY recommended for serving

Instructions

  • Thaw fish, if using frozen.
  • Cut each fillet of thawed fish into 4 pieces. You should end up with 16 sticks that are 1 inch wide by 2 inches long.
  • Pat dry with paper towels.
  • In a medium sized bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  • In another bowl, whisk together eggs and lemon juice.
  • In an additional bowl, whisk together panko and old bay seasoning.
  • Dunk each fish piece into the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and lastly, the panko mixture.
  • Make sure each piece of fish is getting fully coated at each step. You may need to press the panko mixture into the fish to get it to stick. 
  • Spray tops with cooking spray to encourage browning.

For the air fryer: recommended method!

  • Hit “ON” on the air fryer.
  • Then hit “PRE-HEAT”. 
Set the temperature to 400 degrees F and set the timer to 10-12 minutes.* I'd start with 10 minutes.
  • Hit “START”.
The air fryer will beep at you when it’s finished preheating.
  • Once preheated, spray the basket with cooking spray and place in approximately 6 pieces of fish. Make sure they aren’t touching.
  • After 5 minutes, carefully flip each piece of fish, then continue cooking for the remaining 5 minutes.
  • Remove from air fryer, sprinkle with more salt (if necessary, I definitely needed more salt) and a generous squeeze of lemon.
  • Repeat with remaining fish.
  • Serve with tarter sauce!

For the oven:

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
  • Place prepared fish onto prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. You may want to broil at the end to get these more crispy. 
  • Remove from oven, sprinkle with more salt (if necessary, I definitely needed more salt) and a generous squeeze of lemon.
  • Serve with tarter sauce!
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Notes

*I needed 10 minutes. Time may vary depending on thickness. You can always add more time after checking one piece of fish.
I actually think the nutritional information is a bit aggressive, since you don't actually use all the flour/eggs/panko. This is just a rough estimate. 

Nutrition

Serving: 4pieces (out of 16) | Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 1014mg | Potassium: 757mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 830IU | Vitamin C: 15.4mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 5.2mg