Walk past a fish stall at a Dutch market, and it almost always smells of kibbeling: bite-sized pieces of white fish in a spiced batter, fried golden in hot oil and served in a paper tray with a cold sauce on the side. I’ve brought that dish home to my own kitchen. Battered Cod Bites in the Air Fryer give you the same crispy crust and juicy fish, but without a pot of hot oil on the stove.
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The secret is a thick, spiced batter with paprika, garlic powder and a hint of curry powder, a layer of panko on the outside, and a fresh ravigote sauce with capers and cornichons for dipping. The whole dish is ready in 35 minutes, and the actual cooking in the air fryer takes only 10 of them.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love Battered Cod Bites in the Air Fryer
Kibbeling is Dutch street food at its best: simple, warm and made to be eaten with your fingers. The cod is mild and firm-fleshed, so it can be cut into small pieces without falling apart, and the spices in the batter give the dish all the flavour it needs.
The best thing about the air fryer is that your house doesn’t smell of deep-frying afterwards. A single tablespoon of rapeseed oil is enough for the whole batch, and the hot air makes the panko golden and crunchy all over.
The difference between the air fryer and a deep fryer
In a deep fryer, you’d use a thin, runny batter that sets the instant it hits the hot oil. In the air fryer, a batter like that doesn’t have time to set before it runs off the fish and sticks to the basket. That’s why the batter here is whisked as thick as Greek yoghurt, with the panko on the outside giving you the crispy crust. The result is similar to what you’d buy at the fish stall, but with a fraction of the fat.
My kitchen test with Battered Cod Bites
I tested the recipe in my Philips XXL, which is large enough to fit the whole batch in a single layer on baking paper. At 200 °C for 10 minutes, with one careful turn halfway through, the crust turned golden and crispy, while the fish was white all the way through and flaked easily. My first attempt had a thinner batter, and it ran off into the basket, so the pieces stuck to the bottom. With the thick batter and a good layer of panko, they came off the baking paper without any trouble. Along the way, I also learned to use one hand for the batter and the other for the panko, so my fingers didn’t get sticky.
If you have an extra 10 minutes, put the battered cod pieces in the freezer before air frying. The batter firms up, and the coating stays on when you turn them.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is a batter that’s too thin. A runny batter like the kind used for deep-frying runs off the fish and sticks to the basket, so whisk it as thick as Greek yoghurt, or instead turn the pieces in the spiced flour, then in beaten egg, and finally in panko. The second mistake is skipping the drying step. If there’s moisture on the fish, the batter slides off, so pat the pieces thoroughly dry with kitchen paper before dipping them in the batter. The third mistake is an overcrowded basket. If the pieces are packed too tightly, they’ll steam instead of turning crispy and will stick together, so lay them in a single layer with space between them, and bake in two batches instead if your air fryer is smaller.
How to serve Battered Cod Bites
The cod pieces taste best straight from the air fryer, while the crust is still crunchy. Here are my go-to suggestions for what to put on the table:
- Cold ravigote sauce with capers, cornichons and fresh herbs for dipping
- Lemon wedges, squeezed over the fish just before serving
- Garlic dressing as an alternative to ravigote, since it’s just as popular with kibbeling in the Netherlands
- Fries and a crisp salad, when the dish is for dinner
- Fresh coleslaw, if you want a bit of extra crunch and acidity on the side
Storage and reheating
Battered cod bites are best on the same day, but leftovers will keep for 1-2 days in the fridge, covered. Reheat them in the air fryer at 180 °C for 3-5 minutes, until the crust is crispy again. Skip the microwave, as it makes the panko soft and rubbery. You can also freeze the baked pieces without the sauce for up to 2 months and heat them directly from frozen at 180 °C for 6-8 minutes.
Battered Cod Bites in the Air Fryer prove that street food from a Dutch fish stall can easily be made on a completely ordinary Tuesday. Whisk the batter thick, give the pieces room in the basket, and have the lemon wedges ready when the golden pieces come out.
FAQ
Kibbeling is traditionally made with cod, but coley, hake and whiting work just as well. Choose a firm, white fish without skin or bones, and cut it into bite-sized pieces of about 3 x 3 cm.
Yes, ordinary breadcrumbs work fine. Panko consists of larger, airier flakes and gives a crunchier crust, but breadcrumbs will also turn golden and crispy if you remember to spray or drizzle the pieces lightly with oil.
The cod is done when it’s white all the way through and flakes easily. After 10 minutes at 200 °C, it’s usually ready. If the crust isn’t golden enough yet, give the pieces 1-2 more minutes at the same temperature.
Recipe
Battered Cod Bites in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
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Airfryer size
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Shopping list
Ingredients
- 600 g Cod fillet (Skinless and boneless)
- 1 pcs Lemon (Cut into wedges)
Spiced batter
- 125 g Plain flour
- 1 pcs Egg
- 1 dl Soda water (Ice-cold)
- 2 tsp Paprika (Sweet)
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 0.5 tsp Curry powder
- 0.5 tsp White pepper (Ground)
- 1 tsp Salt
Coating
- 100 g Panko (Or breadcrumbs)
- 1 tbsp Rapeseed oil (For spraying or drizzling)
How to make it
Ravigote sauce
Preparation
- Cut 600 g Cod fillet into bite-sized pieces of about 3 x 3 cm, and pat them dry with kitchen paper so the batter sticks well.
- Mix 125 g Plain flour, 2 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp Garlic powder, 1 tsp Onion powder, 0.5 tsp Curry powder, 0.5 tsp White pepper and 1 tsp Salt in a bowl.
- Dip the fish pieces in the batter so they’re coated all over, and let the excess batter drip off. Then roll them in 100 g Panko, and press the coating on firmly.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C on the fan setting.
- Place the cod pieces in a single layer on baking paper in the air fryer basket, with a little space between them so they don’t stick together. Spray or drizzle them lightly with half of the 1 tbsp Rapeseed oil.
- Bake the cod pieces at 200 °C for 10 minutes. Turn them carefully after 5 minutes, and spray or drizzle the rest of the oil over them, so they turn golden and crispy on all sides.
- Check that the fish is done: it should be white all the way through and flake easily. If the crust isn’t golden enough yet, give the pieces 1-2 more minutes at 200 °C.
Serving
- Serve the battered cod pieces immediately, while the crust is crispy, with the cold ravigote sauce for dipping and 1 pcs Lemon cut into wedges.
Our notes for the recipe
Put the coated pieces in the freezer for 10 minutes before air frying. This firms up the batter, so the coating stays on when you turn them. Use one hand for the batter and the other for the coating, so your fingers don’t get sticky. Thick batter or coating:
A thin, runny batter like the kind used for deep-frying won’t set in the air fryer — it will just run off the fish and stick to the basket. So keep the batter as thick as Greek yoghurt, and let the panko layer give you the crispy crust. If you’d rather have a light coating, you can instead turn the pieces in the spiced flour, then in beaten egg, and finally in panko. Variation:
Kibbeling is traditionally made with cod, but coley, hake and whiting work just as well. The ravigote sauce can also be swapped for a garlic dressing, which is just as popular with kibbeling in the Netherlands. Serving:
Serve the cod pieces as a snack with the sauce for dipping, or as a dinner with fries and a crisp salad. Portion size:
If your air fryer is smaller, you can make the dish in two batches.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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