Air-fryer Cod Cakes with Tartar Sauce
What I LOVE about Air-fryer Cod Cakes
Do you have an air-fryer and do you love it? When we got ours about a year ago, it sat in the cupboard for months and I didn’t really get the hype. I finally made the choice to give it a proper shot and have been really loving it lately! We probably use it for like 50% of our cooking now. It cooks things a lot quicker than in the oven and of course it makes anything super crispy and delicious. I’ve tried everything from vegetable sides to meat entrees, but these Crispy Air-fryer Cod Cakes with Tartar Sauce are one of my favs for sure! They just taste like summer.
Think fish tacos by the ocean on a hot summer day: those are the vibes! Wild pacific cod is super light and cooks up in just minutes in the air-fryer. Add in a little onion, red pepper and some herbs and it makes the most delicious fish cakes. The air-fryer cooks them perfectly making them crispy on the outside but moist and flakey on the inside and paired with this delicious, homemade tartar sauce they make the perfect summer appetizer to share with friends or family. The recipe is EASY but requires a little bit more prep time. It’s worth it though, I promise!
What you will need to make Air-fryer Cod Cakes and Homemade Tartar Sauce
For the cod cakes:
Wild Pacific Cod - I love to use wild pacific cod because it is very light and mild in flavour and also flakes easily. Always choose wild fish over farmed.
Bread Crumbs - Any style of breadcrumbs or panko crumbs work well for these, just make sure they’re plain with no additional spices. You can use gluten-free breadcrumbs or not; it’s your choice! The bread crumbs absorb the liquid and help bind all of the ingredients together, making it easier to form into cakes.
Egg - You will need 1 beaten egg for the fish cakes to help hold everything together when cooking.
Mayonnaise - I have found that adding a little mayonnaise also helps to hold the mixture together while providing extra richness of favour as well.
Red pepper - A little minced red pepper adds pretty colour as well as flavour to the fish cakes. Red bell pepper is preferable for this.
Purple onion - Minced purple onion is a key ingredient in the flavour of these cod cakes! It adds a little zing to the other more bland ingredients.
Parsley - Fresh chopped parsley is a welcome addition too interns of colour and flavour. I love adding fresh herbs whenever I can!
Mustard - Dijon mustard also adds to the flavour of the cod cakes. Dijon mustard has a unique flavour and so I wouldn’t recommend substituting with other variations like yellow mustard.
Lemon - White fish and lemon is popular combination because the two really compliment each other, so I really wanted to add some into the cod cakes. We don’t want to make the mixture overly wet, so instead of adding lemon juice we are adding a little lemon zest for flavour.
Spices - You just need 3 simple spices: salt, pepper and a little paprika.
For the tartar sauce:
Mayonnaise - The base of this delicious sauce is good old mayonnaise. I recommend using good, real mayonnaise for best results.
Lemon juice - Adding a little fresh lemon juice to the sauce is absolutely key for flavour. It really requires that bit of acid to become the most delicious tartar sauce.
Dill pickles - I love a good, chunky tartar sauce and chopped dill pickles make up most of the chunks in tartar sauce. You can chop them whatever size you like. You can roughly chop them for larger chunks or if you want them to blend into the sauce a little more, be sure to chop them fine.
Dill - Oh, and fresh dill! You really can’t have a tartar sauce without fresh dill. It makes the entire flavour profile what it is. Dill has such a fresh and distinctive smell that I love and it pairs really well with both the tartar sauce and the cod cakes.
Onion - I also like to add a little chopped onion for flavour as well. Purple or red onion works best for this.
Capers - Capers add a unique element of flavour to the sauce as well. If you don’t like them, just trust me, chop them really fine and add them in anyway! They blend right in while also levelling up the sauce.
Salt n Pepper - Just a small pinch of salt and couple turns of the pepper mill will finish the tartar sauce perfectly and that’s all you need!
Crispy Air Fryer Cod Cakes with Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup real mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup finely chopped dill pickles
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 tbsp minced red or purple onion
- 2 tsp capers, finely chopped
- pinch salt and pepper, to taste
- 450g wild pacific cod
- 1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs (or panko crumbs)
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp finely diced red pepper
- 2 tbsp minced purple onion
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Make the tartar sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and lemon juice until smooth. Add the chopped pickles, dill, purple onion and capers and mix until combined. Season lightly with a sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside in the fridge to chill.
- Pat the cod fillets dry and season them with salt and pepper. Arrange the fillets in the basket of the air fryer and set the temperature to 400F. Cook fillets for 8 minutes or until they easily flake apart. Remove the fillets and set them aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, egg, purple onion, parsley, mustard, lemon zest, paprika, salt and pepper and stir to roughly mix.
- Once the fish has cooled, break the fillets apart into little flakes with your fingers. Transfer the flaked fish to the large mixing bowl along with the rest of the ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is completely combined.
- Cover the bowl and transfer to the fridge for at least 15 minutes so that the bread crumbs can absorb some of the liquid and make it easier to form into cakes.
- After 15 minutes, form the mixture into 8 evenly sized cakes.
- Arrange however many cod cakes that fit into the basket of your air fryer while being careful not to crowd them. You may have to do this in batches if they don't all fit in your air fryer.
- Spray the cakes lightly with olive or avocado oil. Then, cook them at 375F for 6 minutes. Flip them over and spray the other sides lightly. Cook for an additional 6 minutes until browned.
- Remove cod cakes to a plate and top with lots of tartar sauce and additional fresh dill, if desired. Enjoy immediately!
