Air Fryer 3 Ingredient Fried Catfish

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Air Fryer Fried Catfish is another hit for me with the Air Fryer. I had been dying to try out frying catfish in my Air Fryer. This weekend I had a reason to test it out. It is Labor Day Weekend and one of my close friends is in town for a visit.

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Summer holiday weekends usually involve COOKOUTS! My friend is a pescatarian. She only eats seafood and does not eat any other meat. Unfortunately for my friend, cookouts are usually filled with grilled chicken, beef, and pork.

There wasn’t going to be any grilled seafood at the cookout we were planning to attend. Being the good friend I am, I decided to whip up some fried catfish that we could bring to the cookout with us for her to eat. 

I was amazed at the results of the Air Fryer! This fish turned out very crispy with an amazing crunch. Using the Air Fryer instead of deep-frying saves almost 400 calories and 45 grams of fat per serving.

I also love that there is no stinky house after making these! I rarely fry foods in my home, and certainly not fish because the deep-fried smell lingers for DAYS! Thank you, Air Fryer!

I used trial and error to determine the cooking time. The fillets I prepared were very long. Because of the length, I opted to cook each fillet one at a time. Use your discretion here and do what works best for you.

Use your judgment on if you will need more or less fish fry seasoning noted in the recipe ingredients. The amount you will need will vary based on the size of your fillets. Each fillet should be fully coated with seasoning, but not overly coated.

Cooking time will likely vary based on the Air Fryer brand you use and how crunchy you prefer your fish. 

I cooked the filets at 400 degrees for about 22 minutes total. Time will likely vary based on the Air Fryer brand you use and how crunchy you prefer your fish. At 10 minutes I flipped the fish. I then allowed them to cook for 10 more minutes, flipped them one last time, and cooked for 2 minutes. 

What I love most about the air fryer is that I get to incorporate all of the foods I left behind, back into my lifestyle. We ate fried catfish and spaghetti pretty often growing up. For some of you this may sound like an interesting combination! Over the years I have learned this may be a Midwest dinner choice!

I have missed it so much! Thank goodness for the air fryer!

If you prefer catfish nuggets those should work just fine, too! Simply add the breading to the catfish nuggets.

If you are looking for more Air Fryer Catfish check out 17 Air Fryer Recipes You Have to Try or my Air Fryer Salmon and Air Fryer Fish Sticks  recipes.

If you are looking for more information on southern-style Air Fryer Catfish, check out 17 Air Fryer Recipes You Have to Try.

More Air Fryer Recipes:
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Air Fryer Fried Shrimp Po Boy
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Air Fryer Fish Sandwich