Cod is a light fish that everyone, including the kids, will love. This tender flaky air fryer cod has slight crispiness on the outside from cooking in the air fryer and it stays moist and juicy inside.
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Cod is one of the most mild-flavored white fish. It is a great variety of fish to introduce kids to eating fish. We love it because it is also one of the more inexpensive types of fish so it is great if you are on a budget!
We take the budget seriously here because gluten free can be so expensive. Here are a lot of great budget gluten free recipes to check out if you are also sticking to a budget.
If you haven't made fish in your air fryer yet, you are missing out! You get the taste of fried fish, without all of the calories of frying fish.
My air fryer is a Corsori 3.4 quart fryer. I love this fryer, and clean-up is really easy. In hindsight, I really wish I bought the larger 5.8 quart size because I can only fry two pieces of fish at a time in my small unit.
No matter what size air fryer you have, you can make this air fryer cod fish recipe in any. I also include oven directions for those who do not own an air fryer.
Why This Cod Recipe Is Great:
- Cod is one of the few white fish types that my kids will eat. It is flaky and mild, and so easy to cook.
- This recipe is really easy to make with very few ingredients.
- Cod absorbs flavor from the seasoning really easily and it tastes incredible
- This easy meal cooks in just 10-12 minutes!
One bite is all it will take for you to add this easy flavorful dinner recipe to your weekly rotation! If your kids love this cod, they will also love this kid-friendly gluten free cod fettuccine alfredo dinner recipe too!
You can check out the air fryer cod story I created for more!
Ingredient Notes:
- Cod - Use fillets that are deboned. (Most cod you buy in the grocery store should be boneless.) You can use fresh or frozen and thawed cod for this recipe.
- Gluten free flour blend - You can use any blend for this, it doesn't have to have xanthan gum.
- Seasonings - Paprika, garlic powder, and cajun seasonings. (Always double check ingredients if you are gluten free.) I used Zaitarain's Cajun Seasoning but you can also use Old Bay seasoning.
How To Thaw Frozen Fish
If your cod is frozen, you will need to defrost it before dipping it into the seasoning mix. Here are two ways to thaw your cod:
- Place the frozen cod in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. This is the easiest method, but also the slowest. If you are looking for a faster method, you will want to do the second option.
- Remove the frozen cod from the outter packaging, but leave the cod in the inner wraping. Place the fish in a bowl of warm water. Let the fish soak for 15-20 minutes. You can refresh the water with warmer water. Do not use boiling hot water.
How To Make Air Fryer Cod:
Step 1: Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees F. In a large bowl, add the garlic powder, paprika, cajun seasonings (I used Zaitarins brand), sea salt, and ground black pepper. Whisk to blend the fish coating mix together.
Step 2: Remove the codfish from the package and pat the fish dry with a paper towel. Double-check to make sure there are no bones.
Tips for Seasoning The Cod
- Dip the fish into the coating and make sure you get the flour seasoning mixture on both sides.
- Don't over crowd the fish while coating it in the seasoning mix. Dip one fillet at a time. Be sure every bit of the fish is coated.
NOTE: If you have frozen cod, you will want to defrost the fish before coating it in the seasoning. See above for tips to thaw the cod.
Which gluten free flour is best for frying?
You can use quite a few different gluten free flour blends and regular flour in this recipe. I used a combination of King Arthur GF Measure for Measure and plantain flour. You can easily use regular flour, corn, or rice flour instead of plantain flour.
You can also use flours like Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour in the red bag. It contains bean flours which are great for savory dishes.
Step 3: Place the fish in a single layer into an oiled air fryer basket. Be sure the cod fillets are not touching each other. You want the hot air to circulate around all areas of the fish.
Spray the top of the fish with light oil. This light spray of oil helps crisp up the outside of the fish and it also helps seal in the flavor!
If you are wondering what oils are best to use, you can check out my easy Air Fryer Oil guide. Using the right oil is critical to avoid off-flavors in your air-fried foods.
Step 4: Cook at 360º F for 6 minutes on each side. For thinner filets cook 5 minutes on each side. Check the internal temperature with a digital thermometer to see if the cod is done cooking. You will know the cod is finished cooking when it has an internal temperature of 145º F.
Note cooking time will vary depending on how thick your pieces of cod are!
If you love air-fried seafood, you will love this Air Fryer Scallops in a Dill Garlic Butter too!
Baking directions:
If you do not have an air fryer, you can still enjoy this delicious recipe. Prepare the cod the same way and spray it with oil. Bake at 375º F for 20 minutes, depending on how thick your cod is.
Sides To Serve With Cod:
Storage:
Store your air fried cod in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. It will keep fresh for up to 3 days. You can also freeze this cod by placing cooled cod into a freezer bag.
To reheat the cod, you can microwave it for 45 seconds. I prefer to reheat my cod in the air fryer or oven to keep it crisp. To reheat using the air fryer, cook for 3-4 minutes at 340º F. To reheat in the oven, place the cod on a sheet pan and bake at 350º F for 10 minutes.
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
You can cook frozen cod in the air fryer, but it won't be as good in this recipe. This recipe uses thawed cod that is patted dry to keep the coating crisp.
Cooking fish in your air fryer is much healthier than frying your fish!
The whole point of the air fryer is to circulate hot air all around your fish to get it crisp. If you put foil down, the underside of the fish will not be crisp.
You can cook sole, halibut, catfish, or pretty much any type of fish.
If you love cooking with an air fryer, check out all of my easy gluten free air fryer recipes!
If you want to try another delicious cod recipe, try this Miso Glazed Cod. You can bake it, grill it, or make it in your air fryer!
Reader Raves:
Delicious and so easy!!! Loved it with the Bay Seasoning. Yum."
Brandi, Pinterest User
We tried it in our Air fryer absolutely loved it. The fish we used was cod it came out nice & flakey, crunchy not greasy."
Diana C., Pinterest User
More air fryer recipes to try:
If you love seafood as much as we do, you will want to check out these 50+ deliciously easy gluten free seafood recipes too. I am sure you will find some new favorites! These were picked with the pickiest eaters in mind! You will also love my crispy gluten free cod fish sticks too.
Recipe
Air Fryer Cod
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds cod
- ¼ cup flour regular or gluten free
- 3 tablespoons plantain flour or use more flour
- 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning or old bay
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon light oil for spraying
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Spray oil on the air fryer basket and preheat it to 360 degrees F.
- Mix the spices in a bowl with the flour and whisk to blend.
- If your fish is frozen, see the Notes Section below for thawing directions.
- Remove the cod from the package and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Dip each piece of fish into the flour spice mixture and then turn it over and press down to coat all of the fish.
- Place the fish in the air fryer basket. Make sure there is space around each piece of fish so air can circulate around the fish.
- Cook at 360º F for 6-8 minutes on each side. Note cooking time will vary depending on how thick your pieces of cod are! For thinner filets cook 5 minutes on each side.
- Enjoy hot with lemon.
Video
Notes
- Place the frozen cod in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. This is the easiest method, but also the slowest. If you are looking for a faster method, you will want to do the second option.
- Remove the frozen cod from the outer packaging, but leave the cod in the inner wrapping. Place the fish in a bowl of warm water. Let the fish soak for 15-20 minutes. You can refresh the water with warmer water. Do not use boiling hot water.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Rick
Simple, enjoyed with Bob Evans mashed potatoes.
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Rick. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know :-).
Sara
Hi! Do you need to use a blend of flours or Dan I use just the gf all purpose flour. I have brown rice flour and sweet rice flour, can those be used in her blend instead of plantain flour?
Sandi Gaertner
You can easily use just the gf all purpose flour or brown rice flour.