Air Fryer Fresh-Caught Crappie

Fresh crappie fillets are coated with seasoned cornmeal and fried to crispy perfection in this easy air fryer recipe.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 8 mins
• Total Time: 18 mins
• Calories: 200 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• cooking spray
• 1 pound fresh crappie fillets
• 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
• 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 0.5 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (such as LAWRY'S®)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place crappie fillets in a bowl. Add salt and water to cover. Cover and let sit to draw out all the blood, about 30 minutes. Rinse fillets thoroughly to remove salt. Pat dry with paper towels.

Step 2

Add cornmeal, flour, seasoned salt, paprika, pepper, and cayenne to a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Seal and shake until evenly combined. Drop 2 fillets into the bag, seal, and shake to coat. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining fillets.

Step 3

Spray the tops of the fillets with nonstick cooking spray. Place a layer of fillets in the air fryer basket, sprayed-side down, making sure none are overlapping. Spray the tops with cooking spray. Cook for 4 minutes. Carefully flip and spray any chalky spots. Cook until crispy, about 4 minutes more. Repeat with remaining fillets.

Step 4

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) according to manufacturer's instructions.