Can you cook Fish Fingers & Chips together in air fryer - Aiir Fryer

What should be easy work is actually quite an handful, as the delicate breadcrumb coating on the fish fingers, do have a knack of coming away from the fish.

How to cook fish fingers and chips together, which is made easy with frozen varieties, will involve setting the temperature to 400°F / 205°C, and the cooking time to 15 minutes. You will allow the chips only to air fry for 5 minutes, before fish fingers join them. Meanwhile, you must frequently shake the chips.

While a little bit awkward and restricting, it is possible to air fry both frozen fish fingers and frozen chips together, which will depend on how big your air fryer is.

I'm air frying both in an air fryer that is 5.8 litres - about 20-22cm wide - and that is just enough for air frying a very small fish finger and chips meal.

Five fish fingers with a small portion of chips should be enough for one person, a child especially, where a small fish finger and chips meal can be air fried together.

Later, I found if I sat the chips and fish fingers side by side in the basket - tossing the chips only with a silicone spatula/tongs - whilst leaving fish fingers alone; I could probably have air fried the fish fingers better than what I demonstrated here.

With too much lifting and putting back of the fish fingers in the basket, the fish fingers split to pieces, along with the breaded coating which tear apart all over.

To remedy that, position up to five fish fingers on one side of your air fryer basket, whilst mixing the chips only, frequently and sporadically.

Don't attempt to shake the chips whilst they're air fried alongside fish fingers, as all the shaking and tossing will cause the breaded coating and delicate fish to break apart.

Both chips and fish fingers are best air fried at a high temperature of 400°F / 205°C, which coincidently, replicates close to their oven cooking temperature. Meanwhile, chips will need about 15 minutes - whereas the fish fingers need just ten at this temp.

Prepare fish fingers & chips for one

Preparation mostly involves getting the air fryer nice and hot, whilst adding the chips only to the air fryer basket before they're joined with the fish fingers.

• Step 1: Preheat 5 minutes - Vital to begin air frying chips especially in a well preheated air fryer, of which 5 minutes will benefit both chips and fish fingers
• Step 2: Add chips to basket - Don't add too many chips to the basket as it will be difficult to air fry both together IN A CONFINED SPACE

• Step 3: Close basket to begin air frying - With the chips only spread out in the basket, you can close it to begin air frying
• Step 4: Set temp to 400°F / 205°C; time to 15 mins. - Next time you open the air fryer, it will be to position the fish fingers together with the partially cooked chips

NOTE: Unfortunately, you will have to accommodate up to 4-5 fish fingers along with the chips, which means you'll have to have a smaller portion than what you are used to.

How to cook 5 fish fingers & chips in air fryer

You have no choice but to air fry both fish fingers and chips together at a high temperature, which is just as well on this occasion as both require a high temperature - and that will help to make crispy breaded fish fingers and chips.

• Step 1: Cook chips for 5 minutes - Utilise the five minutes to its full potential, by cooking the chips spread out on the bottom of the basket
• Step 2: Shake chips before adding fish fingers - Before adding the fish fingers, quickly shake the chips just before the fingers are placed on top of them

• Step 3: Sit 5 fish fingers on top of chips; cook together for 10 min. - Place 5 fish fingers side by side directly on top of chips for the remaining minutes
• Step 4: Remove fish fingers with care; toss chips separately - Remove fish fingers with your hands every time you shake chips, which is something you will need to repeat 6-7 times until both fish fingers and chips are done

NOTE: Removing the breaded/battered fish fingers will potentially cause them to break apart - as well as splitting the crispy breaded/batter coating - thus you must be careful not to damage either one, using utensils if it makes it easier for you.

Stand fish fingers in ramekin

Maybe I rushed into air frying fish fingers and chips together, with my method causing a bunch of issues, which could of been remedied with a little planning, ahead of time.

What you could do is air fry a larger portion of chips frying together with up to 4-5 fish fingers, is actually place the fish fingers in an air fryer-safe ramekin. Small oven-proof dish, which should be small enough to stand up a group of fish fingers.

Whilst the frozen fish fingers are stood upright in the compact ramekin, the chips are allowed to freely spread across the basket.

You still can't shake the frozen chips whilst they share air fryer spare with a heavy ceramic ramekin filled with fish fingers, thus you should make use of silicone tongs or a spatula, to help mix/toss the chips manually.

Fish fingers will hold their own for several minutes whilst stood upright, but will gradually soften, and therefore, will begin to lean and possibly break.

Fish fingers can remain in place with no need to flip them over in the ramekin for even cooking, although if you can, I recommend you do.

Air fry small portion side by side

Get used to a small portion of chips with your fish fingers, whilst a small number of fish fingers will have to be air fried together with the chips.

Why that is of course, is because most modern air fryers are limited in capacity, and will force you to reduce your meal portions.

I promise you, despite that, you can still air fry a nice portion of chips and fish fingers together, that is sure to fill you up. Sure, its small enough for a child, and often it isn't enough for a meal after a long days work.

Adopt the method of standing 4-5 fish fingers in a ramekin if you can, which will actually allow you to add more chips.

More so, additional fish fingers can be positioned over the chips, whilst you remove them frequently to shake or mix around the chips - which is the air frying method I adopted as instructed above - but is still a valuable method with lack of basket space available.

To Summarise

To air fry what will probably be 'cook from frozen' fish fingers and chips together, where both are set to air fry at the same time, you will begin air frying the chips first thing.

Preheat the air fryer for five minutes, which will follow by setting the temperature to 400°F/205°C, and the time to 15 minutes.

Air fry chips only for five minutes, followed by carefully positioning the fish fingers on top of the chips, which have now soften. Why not find a place beside the chips, which will save you removing the delicate fish fingers every time the chips need shaking.

Best way to air fry chips is to essentially shake them frequently and sporadically, which is a little difficult when the fish fingers are in the way.

You can stand 4-5 breaded or battered fish fingers up in a ramekin, to keep them separated from the chips, which will make it easier for you to handle the chips - when it come to shaking and tossing.

Handle fish fingers and chips with a silicone tong, because you really won't be able to shake the chips, unless you briefly remove the fish fingers once in while.

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