Air Fried Beer Battered Fish Fillets
I first created this in February 2020 and have since made a few edits to the crunchy coating and the tartar sauce. I hope you love this as much as I do!
Banana blossoms - all the rage as the new plant-based "meat". After it's baked it shreds like a fish filet. Most of the time it's fried, but not here! I air fried this and gave it a side of the most awesome tartar sauce, ever!
Ingredients
Setup
- 1 18 oz can of banana blossoms (found in your local International grocer or here)
MARINADE
- 2 cups water
- 1 sheet of nori
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dill
- 1 teaspoon white miso
BATTER
- 1 cup flour (whole wheat, oat or spelt)
- 1 12 oz IPA beer*
BREADING
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon kelp powder
TARTAR SAUCE
- 1 recipe of Mayo
- 2-3 tablespoons dill relish
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
Directions
Open, drain and rinse the blossoms. Pat dry with a clean towel. Blend the marinade and transfer to a Ziploc bag. Add the blossoms, allow much of the air to escape and seal the bag. Place in fridge for 1 hour.
Make your mayo and then mix in the dill relish, lemon and dill. Place in fridge.
In one small mixing bowl add the flour and the beer*, mix. In another bowl, add the breading ingredients. Mix well.
Remove the blossoms from the bag and gently pat dry. If there is a little bit of nori on the blossoms, that's good, it will give it a little more fish flavor.
Grab some of the banana blossoms and in your hands, place them in almost a fish fillet shape. Dunk it into the batter, holding it together and then transfer to the breading. Place in air fryer. Do all of this near a sink so that you can rinse your hands off in between as it will be messy.
Repeat. Do not layer the "fish fillets" in the air fryer.
Air Fry at 370-degrees F for 15 minutes.
OR
Pre-heat oven to 450- convection setting. Add each "fish fillet" to a parchment paper lined pan and bake for 25 minutes.
*No Beer Substitute Options for Batter
-
Sparkling Water or Club Soda
– Closest match to the lightness and lift from beer.
– Use the same amount as beer.
– Ice-cold is best—keeps the batter airy. -
Non-Alcoholic Beer
– If you are just avoiding alcohol but still want the malty flavor. -
Seltzer + a Splash of Apple Cider Vinegar
– Mimics beer's slight tang.
– Example: 3/4 cup seltzer + 1–2 tsp ACV. -
Aquafaba (chickpea brine) + Sparkling Water
– For extra crispness and binding, especially if you're doing it egg-free.
– Ratio: half aquafaba, half sparkling water.
-> Here's a cool study on banana blossoms: Chemical profiling and functional properties of dietary fibre rich inner and outer bracts of culinary banana flower
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