This Air Fryer Fish Cakes recipe is easy and delicious. Classic potato and fish patties made with imitation crab meat and cooked to a golden brown.
If you love fried food, but not the mess and all the calories, air fried foods are the way to go.
Crispy and delicious air-fried crab and potato cakes. This recipe uses minimal oil, but produces crispy perfection with a golden brown finish. Restaurant quality made at home.
Are you a fish lover? We prepare it a lot of different ways in our house. Fish and chips have always been a favourite. I even remember when it was wrapped in newspaper! That was to absorb all the grease.
Things have changed. Finding healthier ways to enjoy our favourite foods is the new norm. This simple crab cake recipe is a prime example.
There are so many great ways to create a spin on the fish and potato combination. Smoked Salmon Potato Appetizers are the perfect party dish. Guests go crazy for these.
Instead of the old standby, switch up your Friday with a Warm Potato Salad with Smoked Salmon. This is a great dinner salad.
If soup is your thing, Slow Cooker Creamy Fish Soup will be a hit. The ultimate comfort food.
Or how about a delicious roasted tomato crab soup. The ultimate comfort food. Thick, hearty, and super easy recipe. Love sushi, but not all the work? This sushi salad is a must try.
Simple Fish Cakes Ingredients
- fish (I used imitation crab because that is what I had in the house)
- potatoes
- egg
- Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
- green onions
- Panko breadcrumbs
- cooking spray
This healthy recipe was inspired by a blogger friend of mine. Mardi from Eat Live Travel Write has a great *(affiliate) cookbook to get kids involved in the kitchen.
I actually gave this cookbook (autographed of course) as a Christmas gift to a young lady. This aspiring cook was thrilled when she opened it. I combined it with some great things like a Madeleine pan, quiche pan, and cookie cutters. I have been told that next time we visit, I can expect to be eating some delicious Madeleines.
I did indeed eat some beautiful Madeleines baked by Sophie. Her dad (and our very good friend) Tom has created a wonderful blog post entitled Little Cakes. It is a wonderful read that revolves around art. I am so happy to be part of Sophie’s culinary creativity. I look forward to many more tasty creations.
As I flipped through my copy of the cookbook one afternoon, trying to decide what to make for dinner, I came across the recipe for Crunchy Fish Cakes. After looking to see which ingredients I had (and which ingredients I did not have), I was able to switch up a couple of things to make it work.
I decided to give these tasty fish patties a try in the air fryer instead of the frying pan. They turned out fantastic!
If you don’t already have an air fryer, I suggest you get one. There are lots of different brands on the market. I have a *(affiliate) Breville Smart Oven. Mine is like a mini oven. I use it all the time.
Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings are a must-try.
How To Make Fish Cakes In The Air Fryer
This recipe is super easy to make. These crab cakes turned out golden brown and have a nice crunchy coating. Since they are cooked in the air fryer, no excessive oil is needed.
- Cook the potatoes, mash and set aside.
- Pulse the fish in a food processor, along with the seasonings.
- Mix the potatoes and fish together.
- Form into fish patties and coat in Panko breadcrumbs.
- Place covered in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Spray with cooking spray.
- Cook in the air fryer.
- ENJOY!
What Kind Of Fish Patties Can You Make In The Air Fryer?
There is lots of wiggle room with this recipe. Every country has a variation. Mardi prepared her French fish cakes (croquettes de poisson) with white fish. I didn’t have any at the time. The imitation crab meat worked really well.
This is where you can have fun creating lots of different seafood cakes. Here are a few great variations to try:
- fish balls
- salmon patties
- haddock cakes
- salmon croquettes
- codfish cakes
- mackerel cakes
- fish croquettes
- fish fritters
For this recipe, I used cooked imitation crab. You certainly can use raw fish. In fact, Thai fish cakes and traditional crab cakes raw fish.
If you only have canned fish in the house, I would certainly give this easy recipe a try with canned tuna, canned salmon, or canned crab.
What is the difference between fish cakes and crab cakes?
It’s all about the potato. Crab cakes do not contain potatoes. Crab meat, eggs, mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, and seasonings are the staples for a great crab cake.
How To Keep Fish Patties From Falling Apart
The key is to make sure you CHILL them for at least 30 minutes!
You can prepare these in the morning, and let them sit in the fridge till it is time to cook.
Alternatively, you can freeze the fish cakes and cook them from frozen. What a great way to have something ready to cook instead of getting takeout for dinner.
What To Serve With Air Fried Fish
This air fryer fish recipe makes a great appetizer. Just pair it with a dip or tartar sauce and eat! Mango Salsa would be a great choice.
They also make a great main dish for dinner too. Some great sides would be:
- Coleslaw
- Green Salad
- This fun Zoodle Salad would be a great side.
- Crisp and refreshing Cucumber Snap Pea Salad.
- Roasted Vegetables
- Spicy Fries are always a hit. Everyone loves fish and chips!
- If you are looking for another potato option, Cast Iron Potatoes would be fantastic.
- Baked Potatoes
- Thinking of a potato casserole? Give this Sweet Potato Au Gratin a try.
- Potatoes with Green Onion and Dill is a family recipe that has been passed down for generations.
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Air Fryer Fish and Potato Cakes
Ingredients
- 10 ounces mashed potatoes
- 10 ounces imitation crab meat (or fish of your choice)
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped green onion
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs (for coating)
- cooking spray
Instructions
To Make the Fish Cakes:
- Take about 2 large potatoes. Peel, cut and boil until tender. Once cooked, drain and mash (enough to make 10 ounces). Set aside.
- In a food processor combine the fish, salt, pepper, and egg. Pulse 3-4 times until smooth.
- Place the fish mixture, mashed potatoes, mustard and green onion in a large bowl. Combine with a rubber spatula.
- Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish (with a rim).
- Divide the fish mixture into 6 portions.
- Form each portion into a patty. (Roll into a ball, and lightly press to form a thick patty).
- Coat each patty on all sides with the breadcrumbs.
- Place the patties on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.
To Cook the Fish Cakes:
- Turn your air fryer on to 425º F.
- Remove the fish cakes from the fridge.
- Place them in the cooking basket of your air fryer. Depending on your model, you may have to cook these in 2 batches if they don’t all fit in the basket.
- Spray them lightly with cooking spray on both sides.
- Place in the air fryer and cook for 10-15 minutes (or until golden brown). I turned the patties over around the ½ way mark.
- Remove from air fryer when done.
- Place on a serving dish.
- ENJOY!
mark
This sounds very interesting and I am going to try it but was wondering if substituting flavored instant mashed potatoes such as “Idahoan” would work as well as freshly made mashed potatoes… hmm
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I have not used instant mashed potatoes, but if the consistency is similar to regular mashed potatoes I believe it should work fine for these fish cakes. It is a binding agent.
Moop Brown
I’ve been wanting to try some more air fryer recipes for this week so this recipe is perfect. I also like that it is a healthier option to traditional fried fish cakes.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
That is the beauty of air fryers….all the crispiness without all the oil.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
I love my air fryer and always look for new recipes to try. So easy to make and the air fryer does the rest of the job. My son has already asked me to make some more for evening snack tomorrow.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Enjoy, we love using our air fryer too.
Lis
I use my air fryer for everything and now it will be fish cakes. This is a great easy dinner!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
This is the perfect alternative to fish and chips. Enjoy!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
I’m absolutely loving the addition of the potatoes in this! And the fact that they are made in the air fryer means less guilt about eating “fried” foods! These were so flavorful and so easy! These were perfect for Lent! Definitely a keeper!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I agree, air fried food is fantastic, and these fish cakes do not disappoint.
Carrie Robinson
What a tasty way to use up leftover mashed potatoes! And bonus points for using the air fryer to make these. 🙂
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
You can never go wrong with adding potatoes to make something tasty.
Loreto and Nicoletta
Fish cakes must be in the either, as I made some Salmon Sushi Rice Cakes the other day. I am loving your fish cakes, crab, potato and all cruspy from the airfryer!. So scrumptious. I love the idea of using the canned fish! This is such an easy recipe and so delicioys! Well done! ❤️ 😍
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Canned fish is easy and works so well in these fish cakes. ENJOY!
Stephanie Dudley
Love this recipe! How long do you think you should cook them if using raw fish?
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
So glad you enjoyed this recipe for fish cakes. I would use a food thermometer and make sure the patties are around 150ºF and they should be fine.
Colleen
Another great use of the air fryer. We love fish cakes and this is the best way to cook them. Thank you for sharing.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
You are very welcome, enjoy this crispy fish cake recipe.
Amy Liu Dong
This is a great fishcake recipe because it is more healthy cause by the absence of oil which is good and the flavors are good and goes well together, thank you for this!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
That is the beauty of air frying, you get all the crispiness without all oil.
Elaine
Tried this last night and it was so good!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
You are very welcome, so glad you enjoyed these air fryer fish cakes.
Tina
I really loved these fish cakes! So easy and delicious!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
We love them too, especially in place of deep fried fish.
Katie
This Air Fryer Fish Cakes recipe was so easy and delicious!! Will make it again!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Glad you enjoyed these air fryer fish patties.
Swathi
Air fryer fish cakes are delicious my kids loved it . I tried this as it is an air fried version than regular one as it uses only less oil.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Air fryers are a great way to enjoy fried food with less calories and mess.