3 Ingredient Mess-Free CRISPY Air Fryer Mackerel
This Air Fryer Mackerel recipe is healthy, crispy, and MESS FREE! I love having Mackerel in my diet. It’s one of the healthiest, tastiest fish! But, everytime I pan fry it, it leaves a fishy smell all around my kitchen. My recent fix? Air-frying the mackerel! It eliminates the odor and all that hassle the comes with cleaning it up, while achieving the CRISPIEST skin. Plus, it’s only 3 ingredients: Mackerel, Salt, and Pepper!
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Mackerel: The Healthiest Asian Breakfast Protein
Mackerel is a fish that I enjoy eating often. Though one of the fattier fish options, it’s all healthy fat rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, protein, and Vitamin B12. As one of the more affordable seafood options available, it’s an easy option for those eating healthy. In Asia, it’s a super popular protein. In fact, I had to have it for breakfast during my family’s recent trip to Japan.
I recently showcased this recipe in my What I Eat In A Week post as part of my traditional Japanese breakfast. It’s my favorite way of having this air fryer mackerel in a meal! I pair it with a spicy cold tofu, some kimchi, natto, a bowl of rice, and some Veggie Miso Soup! After a work out session, it’s a filling and delicious way to start the day. But, this mackerel recipe is not just great for breakfast – it’s a quick way to add a dish for the dinner table as well!
Minimize Cleanup: Cooking Mackerel in an Air Fryer
As healthy as Mackerel is, I really HATE the smell that comes with pan frying it. I love the smell of pan-fried fish, but EVERY TIME the smell permeates and lingers in the kitchen and even the house! I have to put on aluminum foil, open windows, keep the fan on…it’s an easy ingredient to cook, but the effort I put in to clean and deodorize is painstaking.
My quick fix? Cooking mackerel in the AIR FRYER! It cooks the fish perfectly in 10 minutes, and all I’d have to clean is the air fryer basket. Honestly, it also gives me a crispier skin with LESS ADDED OIL. It’s definitely a healthier and cleaner way of enjoying this fish recipe.
The Secret To Crispy Skin: Prepping Air Fryer Mackerel
I love having a crispy skin anytime I fry skin-on fish. With mackerel being such a fatty fish, sometimes the skin just comes off as one piece during the cooking process. It doesn’t look good, and it costs you that perfect bite of crunchy skin and fatty meat together.
The trick to PERFECTLY CRISPY skin-on fish is this cutting the skin in a criss-cross pattern before you cook. It ensures the skin clings on to the meat a lot better as it cooks, and the fish comes out a lot crispier.
Air Fryer Mackerel Ingredients
- 2 pieces of Mackerel, skin-on
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Slice some cuts on the skin side of the mackerel
- Season the mackerel with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Cook in the air fryer at 400°F for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. The result is perfectly crispy mackerel without the mess or smell.
My Air Fryer is my FAVORITE kitchen appliance! Here’s a few amazing AIR FRYER recipes!
Crispy Air Fryer Mackerel
By Tiffy Cooks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pieces Mackerel skin-on
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice some cuts on the skin side of the mackerel
- Season the mackerel with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Cook in the air fryer at 400°F for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. The result is perfectly crispy mackerel without the mess or smell.
Notes
- 1 Tablespoon Daikon, grated
- 1 small slices of lemon
cool!
Awesome! So happy to know how-to do this in my air fryer in the USA since I don’t really want to have another kitchen gadget. Would rather be making it in Japan, but here we are! 🙂 Thanks; timing and temp work great for me!
Fabulous 👌.
do we need to add some oil before frying?
Hi blink! Mackerel is a naturally fatty fish, so it’ll release oil as it cooks, so you don’t have to add any oil. If you’re worrying about it sticking to your air fryer, you can also line the bottom of your basket with aluminum foil.
Tiffy
So easy and turned out perfectly! Thanks!
Hey Tiffy,
Do we add it skin side down first before flipping?
Thanks!
Hi Nate, Yes, skin-side down first, then flip!
Tiffy