Air fryer grouper

If you’re looking for a quick, easy and delicious recipe for grouper, this one is just the ticket.

With very little preparation needed, and few ingredients, this dish is perfect, even if you’re in a rush. But don’t let the quickness of making it fool you. It’s absolutely delicious.

A litle extra-virgin olive oil sprayed on the filets, followed by a good coating of blackened seasoning, and it’s ready to cook.

Air frying is healthier than deep frying, and it’s also much less messy. Air fryers come in numerous brands and sizes. My wife and I use the Ninja Foodi DualZone, which has two baskets, allowing you to cook twice as much, or to cook two different dishes, at different temperatures and durations, at the same time.

We used black grouper for this recipe, but it will work with any grouper or snapper. If you haven’t been bottom-fishing in a while, grouper are widely available at fish markets.

Air Fryer grouper

One great thing about this dish is that grouper are just as much fun to catch as they are to eat. Numerous species of grouper have closed seasons, and they’re not always in season at the same time. So, you always need to make sure that whatever species of grouper you catch is legal to keep.

And if taking a bottom fishing trip doesn’t yield any keepers, most fish markets have one type of grouper or another just about all year long.

I like crispy edges, so I will often cut one filet into about four pieces, which allows all those edges to crisp up nicely.

Grouper’s flaky, white flesh absorbs blackened seasoning quite well, and it boosts the flavor in a way that’s not overwhelming.

We don’t use any breading when making this dish, but if you’d prefer to have yours breaded, make sure you’re using an air fryer breading, which interacts with food in an air fryer differently than regular breading does in an air fryer.

INGREDIENTS:

1-pound grouper filets

Blackened Seasoning

Extra-virgin olive oil

Suggested side dishes:

French fries

Vegetables

Grits

PREPARATION:

This works great with grouper filets that are about an inch thick. If yours are thicker than that, you can fillet them again to get the right size

With filets this size, cooking them at 400 degrees for about 16 minutes is just about perfect. You can leave it in for another minute or two if you like the outside to be good and crispy. The inside will remain flaky and white.

If you don’t have a favorite blackened seasoning, I suggest Harrelson’s Homemade Blackened Seasoning, available from Harrelson’s Seafood in Murrells Inlet. And if that’s too far away, the good news is that Harrelson’s (843-651-5707) delivers nationwide.

We keep extra-virgin olive oil in a small spray bottle, which allows us to use just the right amount of oil without wasting any.

1. Spray the filets with a light dose of extra-virgin olive oil.
2. Coat the filets with blackened seasoning and place them in the air fryer.
3. Set the air fryer to 400 degrees.
4. Set the timer for 16 minutes.
5. Press the start button.

French fries are an obvious choice as a side, but vegetables are good too. Another good option is grits, and if you like grits, it’s tough to beat grouper and grits for breakfast!