Air Fryer
Air Fryer Cod
Flaky cod fillets in 8 minutes. Why you pat them dry, why you never turn them, and why flaking beats the clock for knowing when they are done.
Ingredients
- 4 cod fillets, about 170g each
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus 1 tsp zest
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 4 small knobs of butter
Method
- Pat the cod fillets completely dry with kitchen paper, both sides. Wet fish steams instead of colouring.
- Stir the olive oil, lemon juice and zest together and brush it over both sides of each fillet.
- Mix the salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder and scatter it over both sides, patting it gently so it sticks.
- Lay the fillets in the air fryer basket in a single layer with space between them and put a knob of butter on each.
- Air fry at 200°C (390°F) for 8-10 minutes. Do not turn them.
- They are done when the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, or reads 60-63°C (140-145°F) in the centre of the thickest fillet.
Notes
- Go by flaking, not by the clock. Cod fillets vary enormously in thickness and a thin tail piece is done minutes before a thick loin.
- Pat it properly dry. This is the difference between fish that colours and fish that sits there steaming in its own moisture.
- Do not turn them. Cod is delicate and flakes apart when you move it halfway through — it cooks through perfectly well on one side.
- Do not crowd the basket. Fillets touching each other steam rather than roast. Cook in two batches if you need to.
- The butter goes on before cooking here rather than after, because a fillet cooks in 8 minutes and the butter bastes it rather than burning.
- Air fryer models vary. Treat the times as a guide, go by colour and crispness, and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Watch it
More Air Fryer Fish
Air fryer models vary in power and basket size, so treat the times here as a guide — go by colour and crispness rather than the clock, and adjust the seasoning and glaze to your taste.
Recipe source: Quantities and method from Wholesome Yum (wholesomeyum.com): 4 cod fillets of about 170g each, patted dry, brushed with a mix of 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp lemon zest, seasoned with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 3/4 tsp paprika and 1/2 tsp garlic powder, then air fried at 200°C (390°F) for 8-10 minutes to an internal 60-63°C (140-145°F). Corroborated against Primavera Kitchen and Upstate Ramblings, who also cook at 200°C (390°F) for 8-10 minutes and also add a pat of butter and lemon on top. None of them turn the fillets, and all three judge doneness by flaking rather than the clock, because thickness varies.