These Air Fryer Canned Sardines are super crispy if you dredge them in breadcrumbs before air-frying. It only takes a few minutes and they come out super tasty.
Did you know there is a whole online community of people who love canned sardines? There is an entire subreddit dedicated to them. I started frequenting that sub recently, and now I'm a canned sardine addict! Today, I want to share one of my favorite recipes.
I recently tried air-frying canned sardines and they tasted much better than I expected.
My first attempt involved air-frying them straight from the can but they did not end up very crispy. I have heard of people doing this with success but mine were just warm and mushy.
In my second attempt, I tried breading them with panko and they ended up really good!
Breading the sardines
To bread the sardines you want to use dried breadcrumbs. I'm using panko breadcrumbs, which are a Japanese style of breadcrumb. The crumbs are larger than regular breadcrumbs so the outside ends up more crispy.
You'll also need to make an egg wash to help the breadcrumbs stick to the fish. I usually combine one egg with some flour, paprika, salt, and pepper for seasoning.
Canned sardines are very delicate so you have to be gentle when breading them. I used a fork to transfer the sardines between the egg wash and breadcrumbs so they would not break.
Air-frying
I find breaded foods need extra oil to taste good when air-fried. So I recommend spraying or brushing on oil at least two times during the cooking process. I usually spray a thick layer at the beginning and then spray another thick layer after I flip it.
Air Fryer Canned Sardines
Ingredients
- 2 cans sardines (packed in oil or water; doesn't matter)
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- oil (for spraying)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the egg, flour, salt, black pepper, and paprika, and whisk until smooth.
- In a shallow dish, add the breadcrumbs.
- Working one at a time, gently coat a sardine in the egg wash then transfer it to the breadcrumbs. Gently press breadcrumbs onto all sides of the sardine.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400℉. Place the sardines inside with a little space between each one so air can circulate. Spray the tops generously with oil and air fry for 4-5 minutes. Flip the sardines, spray with more oil, and air fry for another 4-5 minutes.
- I like to serve them with ketchup and mustard.
Aaron D Gibbs
You forgot the step of costing the sardines in flour THEN dipping them in the egg wash.
Grumpy
Hey Aaron, it's actually not needed in this recipe. I used to do that but I found you can combine the flour with the egg wash and it works just the same.