The best ways to reheat fish and chips that retain the dish’s crispy batter, flaky fish texture, and addictive vinegary flavor. From oven temperatures to air fryer settings, here’s how to get it right every time.
Fish and chips is a classic British dish that serves up cod or haddock in a light batter, seasoned in a light coating of salt and vinegar. With the perfect balance of flaky white fish and crispy batter, this is comfort food done right.
But preserving that delicious crunch and flavor when reheating your leftover fish and chips presents a new challenge: How can we retain everything we love about the dish without it turning mushy or bland?
With the right techniques, you can recreate that original dish with your leftover fish. From oven to air fryer, discover the best ways to reheat fish and chips today.
Oven
Kicking off with the best method of reheating fish and chips is with the oven. This method works so well because its even heat distribution helps ensure that the fish batter’s texture remains crispy while keeping the fish meat inside moist with the right amount of flake.
Using an oven also helps you reheat in bulk, in case you’re reheating several portions at once, and you can easily dial up or reduce the temperature as needed.
Reheating fish and chips in the oven does take longer than most other methods, but the results are more than worth the added time needed. Here’s how to reheat fish and chips in the oven:
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and arrange battered fish and chips on top
- Cover the top of the tray with aluminum foil. Cover loosely so that air can still flow around the food.
- Once the oven has preheated, place fish and chips in the oven and cook until heated through and crispy, about 10-12 minutes
Air Fryer
Using your air fryer for reheating fish and chips ensures fast reheating for single servings while still retaining the crispy texture of the batter. In fact, because air fryers work with the circulation of hot air around the food, this method probably accentuates the crispiness of the batter better than any other reheating method here.
Air fryers are also much more energy-efficient than standard kitchen ovens, while their small size makes them extremely economical on space.
The drawback of using an air fryer is that you are limited to just one portion, and even then, depending on your air fryer, you might have to reheat the fish fillet and chips separately. The biggest drawback however is that the rapid airflow can reheat food unevenly, which will be especially evident with battered fish because of the texture differences seen in the fish meat and outside batter.
To reheat fish and chips in your air fryer simply follow these steps:
- Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (190°C)
- Lightly spray the basket with cooking spray
- Place fish and chips in the basket (if your fryer is smaller, you may need to do them separately). Avoid overcrowding to ensure good texture and even heating.
- Reheat until heated through and crispy, about 8-10 mins
Microwave
When in doubt, go for the microwave. Nothing else offers the speedy and effortless rewarming that microwaving does. Swift and practical, a single serving of food can be ready in just a couple of minutes.
Despite the convenience, microwaving produces moist heat that rewarms unevenly, potentially leaving you with soft, inconsistently cooked fish.
That said, if you’re short on time then there’s nothing better. To reheat fish and chips in the microwave:
- Place the fish and chips in a microwave-safe dish
- Cover the dish with a paper towel to absorb moisture
- Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, or until the fish is heated through and the chips are soft
Convection Oven
For those seeking a reheating method for fish and chips that balances the benefits of ovens and air fryers, a convection oven is a respectable option (if you’re lucky enough to own one).
On the one hand, you’ll enjoy fish that’s evenly cooked through with an outer batter that has remained crispy, thanks to the oven’s efficient hot air circulation. You’ll also have the luxury of batch-cooking several servings at once.
But on the flip side, be prepared for a longer wait and more energy consumption.
Here’s how to reheat fish and chips in a convection oven:
- Preheat the convection oven to 375°F (190°C)
- Place the fish and chips on a baking sheet and put them in the oven
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the fish is heated through and the chips are crispy again
