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    BLANK » Recipe Index » Main Entree

    Air Fryer Whole Fish

    Last Updated January 31, 2023. Published April 12, 2022 By Charla 12 Comments

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    Learn how to cook some bream fish using your air fryer. No deep fat frying needed, yet you will get the same delicious, crispy results using a fraction of the cooking oil.

    Fish on a white plate with vegetables

    Unless you have been living in a hole or underneath a rock, you have probably heard about all the hype around the air fryer right?

    The question is does it live up to its reputation? I personally believe it does and cannot live without mine.

    I'm a true island girl in the sense that I love my fried fish, whole or fillets, I am very much partial to both kinds along with some Mackerel and Rice at the best of times.

    With that being said, I know many of my Caribbean island readers enjoy eating fish too, but would you consider cooking it in the air fryer instead? Hopefully this recipe will convince to try it, even if it's once.

    I brought my air fryer several years ago and the first fish recipe that I tried was using parrot fish. 

    I shared the finishing results with my family, who were typically used to eating fried/steamed fish and they couldn't taste the difference.

    Close up of the fish

    The main benefits of air frying fish

    Alrighty , so let's discuss some of the core reasons for air frying, well the main reason is how the appliance cooks the fish.

    You see the air fryer is a hybrid, a cross between a conventional oven and a deep fat fryer. Instead of being placed in hot oil, the food is exposed to very hot circulating air.

    The circulating air cooks the outside of the fish, creating a crispy brown coating while keeping the inside soft just like deep fat fried food.

    The health conscious fish lovers out there, you will be pleased to know that the air fryer has the ability to deliver the same taste, texture and golden hue of fried food without compromising your health.

    For me this a win win situation and a game changer at best, using little or no oil where possible is definitely a positive thing (I'm talking about the bad saturated fats, not the omega fats).

    Don't forget to check out my must try Air Fryer Recipes.

    Cleaning the fish

    Steps 1-4 cleaning and washing the fish

    The fish has already been gutted and scaled however the fin/tail are still attached. I'm going to show you how to remove this and how to wash the fish so it is ready to be seasoned.

    • Place the bream in a medium sized bowl with cold water.
    • Squeeze the lime/lemon/salt all over the fish in the bowl of water.
    • Use your hands to wash the fish with the citrus water.
    • Directly rinse off the fish under the tap (do this in a colander if it's easier).
    • Rub the lime halves on the outside and cavity of the fish and rinse off a final time.
    • Blot and dry off the fish with kitchen paper towel.
    steps 5-10 trimming off the fins and tail

    The steps

    • Place the fish on a chopping board.
    • Use kitchen scissors to trim off the dorsal and pectoral fins and discard.
    • Use a sharp knife to make 3-4 diagonal scores, leaving a 3-4cm gap between each line on each side of the fish. (be careful not to cut too deep into the fishes cavity).
    Steps 11-14 scoring the fish and applying the rub
    • In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, lime juice, jerk seasoning paste and seafood seasoning and add a splash of water if the paste is too thick.
    • Before applying the wet rub to the fish, do a taste test as you may want to add additional pink salt and black pepper.
    • Use your hands (with gloves) or a pastry brush to thoroughly coat the fish with the wet rub including the scores and the cavity too.
    • Leave the fish to marinate for 1-2 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator if you wish to).
    Steps 15-18 air frying the fish with the vegetables
    • Preheat your air fryer.
    • Once the air fryer is preheated, place some parchment paper or a liner in the basket.
    • Place the fish in the basket.
    • Air fry the fish for 25-30 minutes at 190c/375f.
    • Half way through the cooking time turn the fish over, using a egg spatula to lessen the chances of the fish breaking up.
    • Continue to air fry the fish and about 10 minutes before the finishing time add the vegetables of your choice to the basket.
    • Once everything is cooked, sprinkle the vegetables with the seafood seasoning and serve.

    Notes and tips

    • Feel free to use any other whole fish for this recipe - parrot, doctor, butter fish, snapper, butter fish, red mullet, sprats etc.
    • The lime yields a zesty taste, if you don't care for this taste then omit the lime and add more water instead.
    • This is the link that you will need for my Homemade Jerk Paste and Seafood Seasoning.
    • If you are planning on cooking 2 fish then you will need to do this separately depending on the capacity of your fryer.
    • If you are a novice or don't like gutting the fish yourself, your fishmonger should be able to do this for you. (just ask!).
    • Don't add the vegetables to the air fryer too soon or they will burn.
    • As per typical Caribbean custom, the fish is washed/cleaned in either lemon/lime, vinegar, salt. I like to use Lime and salt.
    • If you don't want to air fry the vegetables, you can steam them on the stove instead.

    More air fryer recipes to try

    • Jamaican Fried Chicken
    • Cajun Air Fried Salmon
    • Air Fried Tostones
    • Spicy Air Fryer Peanuts
    • Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
    • Air Fried Curried Chickpeas
    • Air Fryer Onion Rings

    **Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

    Whole fish with vegetables

    Air Fryer Whole Fish

    Learn how to cook some bream fish using your air fryer. No deep fat frying needed, yet you will get the same delicious, crispy results using a fraction of the cooking oil.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Caribbean
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 665kcal
    Author: Charla

    Ingredients

    • 1-2 large bream gutted and de-scaled
    • 2 tablespoon seafood seasoning (8g) see notes for the link
    • ½ teaspoon jerk seasoning paste (1g) see notes for the link
    • 1 teaspoon paprika (2g)
    • 1 tablespoon lime juice (15g)
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil (28g)
    • a splash of water (if needed)
    • 2-3 cups mixed vegetables tightly packed (250g-364g)

    Instructions

    • Place the fish on a chopping board.
    • Use kitchen scissors to trim off the dorsal and pectoral fins and discard.
    • Use a sharp knife to make 3-4 diagonal scores, leaving a 3-4cm gap between each line on each side of the fish. (be careful not to cut too deep into the fishes cavity).
    • In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, lime juice, jerk seasoning paste and seafood seasoning and add a splash of water if the paste is too thick.
    • Before applying the wet rub to the fish, do a taste test as you may want to add additional pink salt and black pepper.
    • Use your hands (with gloves) or a pastry brush to thoroughly coat the fish with the wet rub including the scores and the cavity too.
    • Leave the fish to marinate for 1-2 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator if you wish to).
    • Preheat your air fryer.
    • Once the air fryer is preheated, place some parchment paper or a liner in the basket.
    • Place the fish in the basket.
    • Air fry the fish for 25-30 minutes at 190c/375f.
    • Half way through the cooking time turn the fish over, using a egg spatula to lessen the chances of the fish breaking up.
    • Continue to air fry the fish and about 10 minutes before the finishing time add the vegetables of your choice to the basket.
    • Once everything is cooked, sprinkle the vegetables with the seafood seasoning and serve.

    Notes

    • Feel free to use any other whole fish for this recipe - parrot, doctor, butter fish, snapper, butter fish, red mullet, sprats etc.
    • The lime yields a zesty taste, if you don't care for this taste then omit the lime and add more water instead.
    • This is the link that you will need for my Homemade Jerk Paste and Seafood Seasoning.
    • If you are planning on cooking 2 fish then you will need to do this separately depending on the capacity of your fryer.
    • If you are a novice or don't like gutting the fish yourself, your fishmonger should be able to do this for you. (just ask!).
    • Don't add the vegetables to the air fryer too soon or they will burn.
    • As per typical Caribbean custom, the fish is washed/cleaned in either lemon/lime, vinegar, salt. I like to use Lime and salt.
    • If you don't want to air fry the vegetables, you can steam them on the stove instead.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 665kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 83g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 514mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 6508IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ThatGirlCooksHealthy or tag #ThatGirlCooksHealthy!
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    About Charla

    I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mary

      August 22, 2022 at 2:52 am

      Did not use the jerk recipe but the fish was excellent. I didn’t even mind the eyeball staring at me😁

      Reply
      • Charla

        August 22, 2022 at 7:06 am

        Thank you Mary. I'm glad you liked the fish, even with the eyeball!:)

        Reply
    2. Rachna

      April 22, 2022 at 1:15 pm

      5 stars
      I love cooking with my air fryer. This fish recipe looks perfect. I must try this soon. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Charla

        April 22, 2022 at 1:41 pm

        You are so welcome.

        Reply
    3. Katherine

      April 22, 2022 at 12:56 pm

      5 stars
      Such an easy way to cook up whole fish!

      Reply
      • Charla

        April 22, 2022 at 1:41 pm

        Most definitely!

        Reply
    4. Gina

      April 22, 2022 at 11:24 am

      5 stars
      I can't believe how great this cooked up in the air fryer. It really came out perfect. Such a great recipe and another win for the air fryer! I will be making it like this again very soon!

      Reply
      • Charla

        April 22, 2022 at 1:42 pm

        Yay! I'm so glad to hear that Gina.

        Reply
    5. Kate

      April 22, 2022 at 10:57 am

      5 stars
      Wow, I wouldn't have thought of cooking a whole fish in the air fryer, what a great idea and so many lovely flavours. Yum!

      Reply
      • Charla

        April 22, 2022 at 1:42 pm

        It's definitely a must try!

        Reply
    6. Natalie

      April 22, 2022 at 8:56 am

      5 stars
      Perfect. I have a wild sea bass planned today for dinner. I'll use your recipe. Love added jerk paste. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Charla

        April 22, 2022 at 1:43 pm

        Yay! That's what I like to hear Natalie.

        Reply

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    I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes. Learn more about me

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