Air fryer fish sticks
Frozen fish sticks turn extra crispy in the air fryer, with a creamy homemade tartar sauce and a crunchy lemony slaw on the side.
- 20 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $1.69 a serving
- 450 calories
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 12 frozen fish sticks
- ¼ cup mayonnaise, divided
- 1 dill pickle, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, half juiced, half cut into wedges
- 2 cups coleslaw mix
From your pantry
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Each serving has about 450 calories, 12 g protein, 30 g carbs and 32 g fat, and costs about $1.69 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No coleslaw mix? Green cabbage or red cabbage works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the air fryer to 400°F for 3 minutes.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Timer: 3 min
Lay the fish sticks in the basket in one layer, not touching.
Air fry for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway, until and hot all the way through.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 9 min
Dolly’s tip: No oil needed. They’re already coated, and the air fryer gets them crunchier than the oven does.Food safety: Frozen dumplings, meatballs and fish sticks are done when they’re steaming hot all the way through, 165°F. Cut one open to check the middle.
3 tablespoons of the mayonnaise with the pickle and a squeeze of lemon to make the tartar sauce.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Chop. Chopping means cutting food into bite-size pieces that don’t need to be neat. Keep them roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are about half an inch and roughly alike, even if none of them are pretty.
the coleslaw mix with the rest of the mayonnaise, the vinegar, sugar, salt and the rest of the lemon juice.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Serve the fish sticks with the tartar sauce, slaw and lemon wedges.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
