Air Fryer Fish Sticks

Air Fryer Fish Sticks with homemade Tartar Sauce are a fun and tasty dinner idea that’s easy enough to make whenever you’re craving fish! And fish sticks are so good with my Double-Dill Homemade Tartar Sauce and this is a kid-friendly recipe that the whole family will like.

PIN Air Fryer Fish Sticks to try them later!

Lots of people are eating more fish this time of year so for today’s Friday Favorites post I’m reminding you about these Air Fryer Fish Sticks that were one of my Air Fryer experiments that turned out to be a complete winner. And this is probably a dinner the whole family will like!

We used frozen cod that we thawed overnight, drained, and then sliced crosswise to make short pieces of fish. We dipped the fish in egg and then in almond meal that was seasoned with fish rub and a little black pepper. The fish sticks only take 10-12 minutes to cook in the Air Fryer, and then we devoured them with my favorite Double Dill Homemade Tartar Sauce.

We purposely kept this recipe simple because we wanted to let the flavor of the fish really shine through. But if you wanted to add something like Spicy Old Bay Seasoning or another seasoning blend that’s good with fish to the almond flour mixture, go ahead and let your creative cooking juices flow!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• cod, halibut, or other thick white fish fillets
• eggs
• Almond Flour (affiliate link)
• Fish Rub. preferably Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link)
• 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• Tartar Sauce (homemade or purchased)

Are the Air Fryer Fish Sticks really low in carbs?

Some people might be suspicious about these fish sticks that almost look breaded in the photo. But the Air Fryer Fish Sticks with the egg and almond flour coating I used only have about 3 net carbs per serving. Even if you eat them with a generous amount of homemade tartar sauce like I do, this is still a very low-carb meal!

Which Air Fryer Did I Use for the fish sticks?

I love the Cuisinart Convection Air Fryer Toaster Oven which is the one I used for this recipe. This air fryer has a larger basket, which lets me fit 16 fish sticks, and I find this model very easy to use. I also like the convenience of having an air fryer that stays out on the counter. If you have a smaller air fryer model you might not be able to fit quite so many fish sticks. (Air fryer links are affiliate links.)

How to make fish sticks without an Air Fryer:

I’m not trying to convince you to buy an air fryer; you can bake the fish sticks at 475F/245C for about 15-20 minutes if you want to cook them in the oven.

Want more Low-Carb Air Fryer recipes?

You can use 100 Keto Air Fryer Recipes to find delicious Air Fryer dinners from around the web! Use Air Fryer Recipes to see all the other Air Fryer recipes on this site.

How to Make Air Fryer Fish Sticks:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Thaw the fish pieces overnight in the fridge if frozen.
2. Then drain fish well and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Cut fish crosswise into short strips about 1 inch wide. 
4. Prepare two bowls, one with beaten eggs and the other with a mixture of almond flour, Fish Rub, and a little freshly-ground black pepper. (I used my favorite Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) but any good tasting brand will be fine.)
5. Set Air Fryer to 390F/200 C. Preheat the air fryer if needed.
6. Then dip each piece of fish first into the egg and then into the almond flour mixture.
7. Cook the fish 10-12 minutes, checking it after 10 minutes to see if you need more time.
8. We used our fingers to turn the fish once, but it probably wasn’t 100% necessary.
9. Serve hot with Double Dill Homemade Tartar Sauce or your favorite tartar sauce!

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

Air Fryer Fish Sticks would taste great with Kalyn’s Low-Carb Coleslaw, Spicy Mexican Slaw, Jicama Carrot Radish Slaw, Easy Cauliflower Rice with Garlic and Green Onion, or Broccoli Salad with Feta and Almonds for a low-carb meal.

More Tasty Low-Carb Fish Dinners:

• Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls
• Salmon Patties with Tartar Sauce
• Baked Salmon with Pesto and Tomatoes
• Spicy Air Fryer Fish with Remoulade Sauce
• Air Fryer Salmon with Mustard-Herb Sauce

Continue to Content

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Yield: 4 servings (4 pieces per serving)

Air Fryer Fish Sticks

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

These low-carb Air Fryer Fish sticks cook in about 10 minutes and they're delicious with Double-Dill Homemade Tartar Sauce!

Ingredients

• 4 pieces of cod, halibut, or other thick white fish fillets (see notes)
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 tsp. Fish Rub (see notes)
• 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• Tartar Sauce for serving (We loved this with my Double-Dill Homemade Tartar Sauce, see notes.)

Instructions

1. Thaw the cod, halibut, or other thick white fish pieces overnight in the fridge if frozen. Then drain fish well and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Cut fish crosswise into short strips about 1 inch wide. We got 16 strips from four fish fillets, but if your Air Fryer is a smaller model you might not be able to cook that much at once.
3. Prepare two bowls, one with beaten eggs and the other with a mixture of the almond flour (affiliate link), Fish Rub, and a little freshly-ground black pepper.
4. Set Air Fryer to 390F/200 C. Preheat the air fryer if needed. We sprayed the Air Fryer basket with non-stick spray.
5. When you're ready to cook, dip each piece of fish first into the egg and then into the almond flour mixture, sprinkling almond flour over with your fingers so the fish is lightly coated. Lay the fish sticks in the Air Fryer basket as you coat them.
6. Cook the fish 10-12 minutes, starting to check after about 7-8 minutes minutes to see if you need to rotate the fish. (We turned them over once but I'm not sure it was essential because the Air Fryer circulates the hot air around the food.) At 10 minutes check to see if you need a bit more time.
7. Fish is done when it feels firm to the touch and is lightly browned on the outside.
8. Serve hot, with Tartar Sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
9. If this makes more than you'll eat at one time you can refrigerate the fish and reheat in the Air Fryer.
10. You can bake them at 475F/245C for about 15-20 minutes if you want to cook the fish sticks in the oven.

Notes

The fish pieces I use are probably about 6 ounces each, for a total of 1 1/2 pounds of fish, but the amount you use will partly be determined by how large your Air Fryer basket is, unless you don't mind cooking in batches.

We loved this recipe with my Ultra Easy Double Dill Tartar Sauce, but no judgements here if you prefer to just buy a purchased tartar sauce. Check the label though because some tartar sauce has added sugar. Nutritional information does not include tartar sauce.

I absolutely love Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) and use it any time I'm cooking fish, but there are many brands of good fish rub that will work in this recipe. Use more or less, depending on how seasoned you want it.)

Recipe created by Kalyn and tested with Jake and Kara.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 473Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 244mgSodium: 290mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 65g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Air Fryer Fish Sticks are a great dinner idea for low-carb diet plans, including Keto. Almond Flour is not allowed for Phase One of the original South Beach Diet, but this would be great for the other phases.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Air Fryer Recipes or Seafood Recipes for more tasty fish dinners! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, or on Instagram to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Air Fryer Fish Sticks were first posted in 2022. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.

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