Air Fryer Fish Tikka - Indian Spicy Cilantro Tikka
This easy air fryer fish recipe is are a fun dinner/snack idea that’s fast and uncomplicated enough to make on a work night!
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil of choice (to rub in the air fryer the basket or foil)
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves (2 cups chopped)
- 1/4 cup dried desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
- 5 garlic cloves
- 7 curry leaves
- 1 lemon juice freshly squeezed (1 tbsp)
- 1 tsp tamarind concentrate
- 1/4 onion (1/2 cup chopped)
- 1 and 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 serrano peppers, small (hari mirch) (optional)
- 4 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin (jeera powder)
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander (dhaniya powder)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger (sonth)
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric (haldi)
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp mango powder (amchur/amchoor powder)
- 1 pound fish filet (tilapia)
Instructions
- Chop the filet into 4-inch pieces. They need to be about 4″ x 3″ in length and width. We want nice medium sized pieces.
- Blend cilantro leaves, coconut, garlic cloves, curry leaves, lemon juice, tamarind concentrate, onion, salt, Serrano peppers, and 4 tablespoon water in a blender.
- Once blended, mix Kashmiri chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground ginger, ground turmeric, garam masala, and mango powder with the blended paste.
- In a mixing bowl, coat the fish well with the marinade.
- Let the fish sit in the marinade for 30 minutes covered with a lid. If you have time leave it overnight in the refrigerator.
- When ready to cook line the air fryer basket with aluminum foil. Make sure the basket does not stick out beyond the basket edge. ALSO, THIS IS KEY! DO NOT COVER THE BASKET BOTTOM COMPLETELY. To cook the food well, air needs to flow through the basket. If you cover the bottom of the basket, this reduces the airflow.
- Brush/ grease the aluminum foil generously with oil. Preheat at 350°F for 5 minutes.
- When the air fryer is preheated, place the fish in a single layer. Set the time and temperature (390°F for 10 minutes).
- When done, flip the pieces of fish in the basked and repeat for another 7 minutes.
- Repeat the process until you run out of fish.
Notes
- On a scale of 1 to 5 this dish is about 3.5 in terms of spice levels with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. You can reduce the amount of Serrano peppers as per your taste.
- Rub the fish well with marinade, however don’t overcoat it with the marinade just before air frying. Discard the excess marinade or else you will taste a lot of spices.