Air Fryer Cod in Lemon Butter

Enjoy a delicious and healthy meal with our Air Fryer Cod in Lemon Butter recipe. Perfectly cooked cod fillets are flavoured with zesty lemon butter, making for a quick and easy dinner that’s sure to impress. Ideal for weeknight meals or special occasions, this dish combines simplicity with gourmet taste.

Firstly, this air-fried lemon butter cod recipe isn’t a crispy cod in Panko Breadcrumbs recipe. There are lots of crispy cod recipes out there and lots of air-fried cod without foil, which is just cooked straight on the crisper tray of the air fryer.

But this isn’t one of them. I tend to prefer cod cooked in foil with butter because it’s juicier and tastes fresher. I always find it a little dry without the foil parcel. 

So if you want to try a Cod in air fryer no breading, carry on. If crispy is what you are after, it isn’t this recipe. 

Why I Love Air Fryer Cod in Lemon Butter

I love this Air fryer cod in foil, no breading recipe because:

• Air fryer seafood is super healthy, most of us don’t eat enough fish, and this air fryer fish recipe is a great way to get more seafood into your diet. 
• Cod baked in foil with butter is really really simple and absolutely delicious. 
• It’s an easy recipe with simple flavours. You don’t need anything fancy to enjoy fish. Panko bread crumbs are great, but sometimes you just want the fish as it is. 
• Who doesn’t want more air fryer recipes? If you’re bored of air fryer chicken, give it a go!

Ingredients For Air Fryer Cod and Lemon Butter

When I make this super easy air fryer cod in foil parcels, I use:

Butter

Lemon Juice – I use bottled unless I happen to have a lemon in. 

Salt and Black Pepper

Dried Parsley – Use fresh instead if you have it. 

Cod Fillets

You’ll Also Need

Cooking fish in aluminium foil means that you need foil!

In addition, I have a small flameproof pan or a microwave-safe dish to melt the butter and an air fryer!

How to Air Fry Cod in Foil Parcels – Step-by-Step Instructions

Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step One

Tear two large squares of oil. They need to be big enough to comfortably wrap the fish without squeezing it. 

Step Two

Place the fish in the middle of the foil. 

Step Three

Melt the butter in a small flameproof pan over low heat on the hob or in the microwave in short bursts. I do it in a tiny pan on the hob. 

Step Four

Stir the lemon juice into the melted butter.

Step Five

Pour evenly onto the fish and sprinkle on some salt, pepper, and parsley. 

Step Six

Wrap the foil over the fish to create sealed parcels, making sure the butter can’t leak out when you pick them up. 

Step Seven

Carefully place the foil parcels on the tray of your air fryer basket. I don’t preheat my air fryer, so gently placing the fish on the tray is easier. 

Step Eight

Air fry at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes. 

Step Nine

Use a food thermometer to make sure the fish is cooked before serving. The internal temperature should be above 60 degrees C.

Step Ten

Carefully remove the fish from the basket before unwrapping the foil and sliding it onto plates. You can discard the butter left in the foil or carefully pour it over the fish.

Serving Suggestions

Fish in foil parcels is a super simple dish that works well with a variety of sides. 

We typically serve ours with a simple side salad and some packet mix cous cous. I think the one in these photos is sundried tomatoes and roasted garlic. 

It would also be lovely with roasted med veg, baked potatoes or potato wedges. Maybe even a hash.

Variations

Cod fish air fryer is easy, tasty, and healthy. My cod in foil with lemon butter is delicious, but there’s plenty that you can do differently. 

Use Frozen Cod

Frozen fish in foil in the air fryer is great, too. Either thaw the fish before cooking or cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size. Use a thermometer to make sure it’s cooked before serving. 

Add Different Seasoning

You could skip the lemon butter entirely and season your cod with paprika, garlic, fresh herbs, olive oil, garlic powder or old bay seasoning. Air fryer cod recipes are great for experimenting with different flavours. 

Use Fresh Lemon

Cod in the air fryer with lemon can be made with bottled or fresh lemon. We’ve always got bottled in, so I tend to use that. You can swap to fresh if that’s what you’ve got.

FAQ

Other Recipes 

If you like this air fryer recipe, you might also want to try:

• Pizza Bagels
• Honey Chilli Chicken
• Katsu Burgers
• Chicken Fajitas
• Stuffed Peppers
• Fish Finger Sandwiches

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