Creamy Apple Slaw Alaska Cod Fish Tacos Recipe: Air Fryer Easy

This post was sponsored by Alaska Seafood as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.     #AskForAlaska

When I was young and my mother was still with us, “fish on Fridays” was a common phrase in my home. She’d chat about how it was her family’s tradition, not just during Lent, but all year. And you know what? I loved hearing about my extended family’s traditions. Most of them were way older than I was, so her tales gave me a tie-in and closeness to family that I barely knew. Fast track to present day where, during Lent, we still do meatless Fridays – and that includes plenty of fish options. This year, with the addition of an air fryer to our kitchen, I looked for a healthier way to create the classic fish taco recipe. I wanted one that didn’t use an entire pan of heated oil. I also wanted to make a new take on traditional slaw by making one with tangy apples and Napa cabbage. The recipe is delicious and so easy to recreate. Here’s my creamy apple slaw Alaska cod fish tacos recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Creamy Apple Slaw Alaska Cod Fish Tacos Recipe

Recipe makes 8-10 fish tacos using an air fryer at 370 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

For the Fish:

• Fresh or frozen wild Alaska cod – 1 1/2 pounds
• 1 box whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

For the Creamy Apple Slaw:

• 1 Granny Smith Apple, julienned
• 2 cups Napa cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup light sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. Paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garnish: cilantro.

1 package of small flour tortillas. My package had 10.

Air fryer

Preparing Your Fish

If you purchased your fish frozen, thaw in a container of cold water. If fresh, keep it in the fridge until ready to use. my fish was individually vacuumed-sealed, so I floated it in my kitchen sink in cold water until it thawed.

So, think French fries when cutting the fish into strips. You want to make each piece about the size of a French fry. I air fried my fish in two batches so there was plenty of room for air circulation and to make sure all of the pieces were nice and crispy.

Drizzle 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil over the fish and give a light toss. Add the whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs to a large freezer bag, then add half of the whitefish. Give it a good shake until all sides are coated. Pull out individual pieces of fish using a fork or pair of tongs and add to air fryer basket immediately.

Air fry at 370 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Mine took 14 minutes until golden and crunchy. Tip: Don’t toss the fish in Panko until just ready to air fry.

Preparing the Creamy Apple Slaw

Clean and sanitize your counter area after preparing the cod, but you know that already, right?

Julienne the Granny Smith apple, dice the 1/2 red onion, and shred the Napa cabbage. By shred, if you have a large-hole shredder, that will work. If not, slice as thin as you can get it. After the cabbage is washed and ready to go, I used my salad spinner to remove the water from rinsing it. If you don’t have one, just use a clean towel to wick the water away.

Next, toss the apple, cabbage, and onion together. Add the mayo and light sour cream, paprika, and salt and pepper. Give a good stir until all ingredients are coated.

Assembling the Fish Tacos

With about a minute left on the air fryer, take the flour tortillas out of the package. Take about five of them, place on a paper towel, and microwave for about 20 seconds until just warm.

Add a heaping tablespoon of apple slaw to each warmed tortilla and add the crunchy fish to the top. You can enjoy either open-faced or traditionally folded. My family loves cilantro so I washed a sprig, removed the leaves and added a few pieces as garnish. if you don’t dig cilantro, you can totally omit it.

See, I told you it was easy peasy.

Why Wild Caught Alaska Cod?

Three reasons, actually:

You can find fresh or frozen wild Alaska cod year-round. Head to your local grocery store’s freezer section and look for it right on the label. If you have a fish market in your neck of the woods, ask your fish mongers for it – they’ll know which is which. Remember, “Ask for Alaska”. We head to Wholey’s in The Strip District in wild Alaska cod or Aldi for individually-frozen Alaska cod.

The pristine, cold waters of Alaska provide for the highest quality of seafood. FYI: Alaska’s wild fisheries make up almost 60% of all of the seafood harvested here in the U.S.

When the taste and texture is spot on, my family would eat fish everyday if I prepared it. Wild-caught Alaska whitefish consistently provides both.

Want more Wild Alaska cod recipes? Head to www.wildalaskaseafood.com to check out hundreds of creative recipes.  It’s easy to find inspiration with delish dishes!