Ingredients
16 ounces frozen haddock fillets (or cod or pollock, thawed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided use)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (divided use)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.
Pat the fish dry with paper towels, then season lightly with about half of the salt and half of the pepper.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining salt and pepper with the flour and Old Bay seasoning.
In another bowl, beat the eggs with the Dijon mustard.
Coat the fish sticks lightly with the flour mixture, then dip the fish in the egg mixture to coat all sides. Let the excess egg drip off, then coat the fish sticks generously with the panko crumbs, pressing to help the breading adhere.
Place the individual coated fish pieces on a rack while you dip the remaining pieces. At this point, you may refrigerate the fish sticks until you are ready to cook.
Lightly oil the air fryer basket or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat it to 400 F.
Arrange about half of the fish sticks in the air fryer basket, leaving a bit of space between each one. If desired, spray them lightly with cooking oil.
Cook the fish sticks at 400 F for 12 to 16 minutes, flipping them after 8 minutes. Transfer the fish sticks to a rack and repeat with the remaining pieces.
Serve the fish sticks with lemon wedges and tartar sauce, remoulade, or ketchup.
Tips
Avoid overcrowding the air fryer basket. Fish sticks need airflow on all sides to brown evenly.
To facilitate browning, spray the fish sticks lightly with oil when arranging them in the basket and when turning them.
Open the air fryer as often as needed to check for browning.
Use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness. The minimum safe temperature for fish and seafood (USDA guidelines) is 145 F.
