Keto Air Fried Catfish Sticks w Fried Cheese Curds
How to Make It
Step 1
Before you make this recipe, separate your cheese curds and place them in your freezer arranges on a small plate or tray. Let them freeze for at least 30 minutes before frying the curds. After about 10 minutes, you can prepare the catfish. Rub olive oil into both sides of any swai fillets you have. In a small dish, make a spice mix of the Old Bay seasoning, white pepper, paprika, curry powder, onion powder, and dried oregano. Rub the spice seasoning into both sides of your fillets until all the flesh is covered in spices.
Step 2
Cut the swai fillets into fish sticks with approximately 4×1-inch dimensions. Arrange the fish sticks on your air fryer tray. Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees for 5 minutes, then place the tray of catfish sticks into your air fryer. Fry the fish sticks for 15 minutes or more, flipping them over halfway through if you notice the spices aren’t frying on one side. Fry until the seasoning on the fish sticks is dry like a fried breading and golden brown.
Step 3
While the fish is in your air fryer, return your focus to the cheese curds. Whip an egg white in a stand mixer at high speed until you have stiff peaks. Make sure your mixing bowl is clean and you don’t have any yolk in the egg white, or else the whites won’t whip. Pour avocado oil into a pan for deep frying until it’s 1 ½ – 2 inches deep. Don’t worry, you will only be consuming a fraction of this oil! Heat the avocado oil over high heat until the oil reaches 375 degrees. You can test if the oil is ready by placing a small dollop of egg whites in the pan to see if it fries.
Step 4
Grab a handful of frozen cheese curds from your freezer and place them in a small mixing bowl. Scoop some of the whipped egg white into the bowl and fold the cheese curds over until they’re coated in egg white. Scoop the coated cheese curds in the frying oil. Let the cheese curds fry for only about 60-90 seconds until the outside is fried to a dark golden. You may need to flip the cheese curds over as they fry. Scoop the fried cheese curds with a heat-safe slotted spoon onto a new plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil. Continue this process until all your cheese curds are fried.
Ingredients
- Cheese curds – 4 oz
- Swai White Fish Fillets – 12 oz
- Olive Or Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 1 tsp
- Seasoning – 2 tsp
- White pepper, ground – 1 tsp
- Paprika – 1 tsp
- Curry powder – 1 tsp
- Onion powder – 1 tsp
- Oregano, dried – 1 tsp
- Raw egg, white – 1 large
- Avocado oil – 1 tbsp