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Air Fryer 3 Ingredient Fried Catfish

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air fryer 3 ingredient fried catfish on a white plate

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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. 

Calories: 208       Fat: 9G      Net Carbs: 8G      Protein:  17G

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air fryer 3 ingredient fried catfish on a white plate

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!

 

air fryer 3 ingredient fried catfish on a white plate

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. 

air fryer 3 ingredient fried catfish on a white plate


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. 

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collage photo of air fryer catfish

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.

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

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Air Fryer 3 Ingredient Fried Catfish
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air fryer 3 ingredient fried catfish
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4.91 from 11 votes

Air Fryer 3 Ingredient Fried Catfish

Air Fryer 3 Ingredient Fried Catfish is a quick and easy low-calorie, low-fat and low-carb recipe. This recipe is crispy and crunchy!
Course dinner, lunch
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 208kcal
Author Brandi Crawford

Ingredients

  • 4 catfish fillets
  • 1/4 cup seasoned fish fry I used Louisiana
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley optional

Instructions

  • Preheat Air Fryer to 400 degrees.
  • Rinse the catfish and pat dry.
  • Pour the fish fry seasoning in a large Ziploc bag.
  • Add the catfish to the bag, one at a time. Seal the bag and shake. Ensure the entire filet is coated with seasoning.
  • Spray olive oil on the top of each filet.
  • Place the filet in the Air Fryer basket.  (Due to the size of my fillets, I cooked each one at a time). Close and cook for 10 minutes. 
  • Flip the fish. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.
  • Flip the fish.
  • Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until desired crispness.
  • Top with parsley.

Notes

Use your judgment on if you will need more or less fish fry seasoning noted in the ingredients above. 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. 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. 
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Nutrition (displayed with net carbs)

Calories: 208kcal
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. We have a private pond we fish at with catfish and in always looking for new recipes. The air fryers have really caught my attention. I think I need to pick one up, this has settled it for me.

    Reply

  4. I’ve been dying to get an Air Fryer! I love fried foods, but obviously understand that it’s unhealthy, so this is a great alternative! I wonder how it would work with Tofu.

    Reply


  5. I love to eat fish for protein but my husband throws a fit about the smell. I didn’t know that no smell was one of the perks of an air fryer! Thanks for a healthy solution.

    Reply

  11. I love fish but have never tried catfish! And I have no idea why. This looks so yummy, I just have to try it now. My husband loves it so it’s even more of a reason to make this!

    Reply

  17. I’ve never heard of air-fried anything. This is something I really should look into because, even though I fry (which is seldom) in olive oil, this is probably better for us!

    Reply


  21. This was my first meal I tried in my new Chefman air fryer, I was a little nervous and apprehensive but oh my gosh it came out perfect. I should have taken a picture. I live in Fl so grouper is our fish favorite and trying to stay away from the fry daddy so very excited. My fryer was also not large enough for a lb of fish so I did half, the other half then stacked all for just long enough to warm. A definite do it again recipe !

    Reply


  23. After the first piece it came out perfect! For some reason the first piece stuck to the pan and broke when flipped. It was delicious however!

    Reply


  24. I just tried out my new air fryer with this recipe, it was delicious and so incredibly easy! Thanks for the recipe. I definitely will have it again.

    Reply

  26. hi—in your recipe you stated you cooked each filet separately. If you had four filets, did that total 88 minutes of cooking time? If so, how do you keep the other filets warm with out drying them out?

    this seems like a lengthy method to cook dinner!

    Thanks

    Reply

    • I cooked all of them separately to ensure none of the filets lost their breading. They were really large filets, yours may not be as big as mine, and may not require this. You can cook more than one at a time, but it wasn’t what I chose to do. I didn’t do anything to keep the others warm. They reheated fine and weren’t dry. As a food blogger, I often have to reheat my food because I also spend time taking photos of it before I eat it. 🙂

      Reply

      • thanks—I’m surprised the first one wasn’t cold by the time you cooked the last one—when you say they reheated fine, does that mean you briefly cooked the first ones before you served, or do you mean reheating the next day?

        Reply

        • I ate them the same day, within the next hour. I did not re-cook them using the Air Fryer. When I eat something from the Air Fryer the next day, then I use the Air Fryer again.

          Reply

  28. Tried this tonight and it was wonderful! Husband said no need to go to the Catfish Restaurant anymore! High praise from a man who values his catfish! Thanks!

    Reply


  29. I tried your fish recipe today and it turned out great. I just got an airfryer and catfish was first thing I cooked. Fryers do vary. I have one that comes with shallow wire baskets and was able to cook enough fish for 3 in the baskets. Halfway through I rotate the baskets in the fryer and it cooked evenly and browned. This is so much healthier!

    Reply

    • You want the olive oil to cover the breading of the fish. If you can rub it while keeping the breading intact, that will work.

      Reply


  32. Bought a new air dryer and was eager to cook some “fried” fish. Normally I search the web and use the receipe with the most positive comments which in the case of frying fish in an air fryer which was somewhere around 15 or so reviews. Well after reading that review o decided it want quite what I was looking for so I continued my search, and WoW. This receipt is perfect. You will need to tweak the seasoning and cook times but overall this is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply


  33. I did this with catfish nuggets and it was so good and so easy and my entire house didn’t smell like fish. The air fryer is amazing.

    Reply


  34. I have never commented on anything before… but I just had to. This was fantastic… never had I thought I could cook catfish let alone in my air fryer…. I could have eaten all of it… seriously!

    Reply

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