How To Reheat Fish And Chips
Quick Answer
The best way to reheat fish and chips is in an air fryer at 320ยฐF for the fish and 360ยฐF for the chips. Alternatively, you can use the stovetop on medium heat or the oven at 350ยฐF for even heating, though it takes longer.
Read on for more detail
While very much a British specialty, fish and chips is an iconic dish enjoyed around the world, and it is a super popular takeaway food that many families love.
The only issue with takeaway fish and chips (which really shouldnโt even be considered an issue) is that fish and chip portions are often huge, and there are usually some leftovers!
These leftovers are perfect to enjoy the next day for a quick lunch, or even another dinner, but warming up cold fish and chips up can be tricky.
How do you reheat fish and chips? The best way to reheat fish and chips is to use an air fryer, but you can also warm them up on the stovetop or in the oven. You can use a microwave as it is quicker than the other options, but it won’t offer the best results โ you want to maintain the crisp and flaky nature of the dish, after all!
To learn how to reheat fish and chips at home, read on for various methods, as well as the best method to reheat them!
Which Is The Best Method To Reheat Fish And Chips?
The best method to use to reheat fish and chips is probably the air fryer. Fish and chips leftovers can become soggy when left in the fridge, as moisture builds up.
Some other ways of reheating fish and chips do not help remove this moisture, which means the fish and chips are soggy when warmed up.
An air fryer, however, works by circulating dry air around the basket, which will remove any excess moisture โ this ensures the fish and chips reheat evenly and will be crispy on the outside, but still soft and tender on the inside.
Using the stovetop and the oven to reheat fish and chips are the next best options โ you should only use the microwave when you are really short on time or donโt have another option.
How To Reheat Fish And Chips In The Air Fryer
The air fryer is not only really great at reheating fish and chips without turning it soggy, but it is also the healthiest option when it comes to reheating food as well.
Using the air fryer, the fish and chips will be crispy on the outside, but the inside of the fish especially will remain tender and moist.
It is a good idea to spray the fish and chips with a small amount of oil once you have placed them in the air fryer basket, but you can leave this out if you want.
Here is how to reheat fish and chips in the air fryer:
- Remove the fish and chips from the refrigerator, then pat them down with a paper towel to remove some of the excess moisture.
- Place the fish into the air fryer first and spray some oil over both sides.
- Place the air fryer at around 320ยฐF, then reheat the fish for 4 minutes.
- After 4 minutes, flip the fish over to the other side and reheat for 3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes, remove the fish from the air fryer and place the chips into a single layer.ย
- Turn the temperature up to 360ยฐF and reheat the chips for 5 minutes.
The issue with this is that the fish and the chips need to be reheated at different temperatures to ensure they do not dry out or become too crispy, but an air fryer really is the best way to do this.
However, if you really want to, you could reheat them together at the same time at 360ยฐF for around 7 minutes.
How To Reheat Fish And Chips On The Stovetop
If you do not have an air fryer, then your next best option is to reheat the leftover fish and chips on the stovetop in a skillet.
Using a skillet can help crisp up the outside of the fish and the chips, as well as remove excess moisture. It is also a quick option and can have the leftovers reheated in only a few minutes.
This method works best when using a non-stick skillet as you do not want the batter of the fish to fall off as it is reheating.
Here is how to reheat fish and chips on the stovetop:
- Remove the leftover fish and chips from the refrigerator and lightly pat them down with a paper towel.
- Place a skillet onto the stovetop and heat up to medium heat. Add a small amount of vegetable oil to the pan.
- Once the pan is hot, add the chips in and toss them around in the oil. Allow them to reheat for up to 3 minutes.
- Remove the chips after 3 minutes, or when heated throughout and crispy.
- Place the fish into the skillet and allow it to reheat for 3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes, flip the fish over to the other side and allow it to reheat for another 3 minutes. Be careful when doing this, to ensure it all stays in one piece.
- Remove the fish once heated throughout and crispy on the outside.
Using the stovetop and a skillet is a great way to reheat fish and chips quickly, but you do have to use some oil to keep them crispy on the outside, and there is a chance that the batter of the fish might stick to the pan when it is flipped over.
How To Reheat Fish And Chips In The Oven
Reheating fish and chips in the oven does take the most amount of time compared to all of the other options, but it does offer good results if done right, plus you can reheat large amounts of fish and chips in one go!
The oven will reheat the fish and chips evenly so you arenโt left with any cold spots. It should also still evenly crisp up the outside of the fish and chips.
Here is how to reheat fish and chips in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF. Remove the fish and chips from the refrigerator in the meantime and allow them to come to room temperature.
- Place the fish onto an oven-proof baking dish, then place it in the oven for up to 10 minutes. If it is a large piece of fish or a few separate pieces of fish, leave it to reheat for 15 minutes.ย
- Once the fish is reheated all the way through, remove it from the oven.
- Increase the oven temperature to 450ยฐF.
- Place the chips on a baking sheet in an even, single layer, then place it in the oven to reheat for up to 15 minutes.
You will have to reheat the fish and the chips separately, as they require different reheating temperatures, but it is the best way to reheat them evenly throughout.
How To Reheat Fish And Chips In The Microwave
It is not recommended to reheat fish and chips in the microwave since it will likely compromise the flaky, crisp texture of both the fries and the fish.
However, if it is your only option (or if you do not have enough time to use the other methods), then you should at least try to use a few tips and tricks to have the fish and chips turn out less soggy when reheated.
Here is how to reheat fish and chips in the microwave:
- Remove the fish and chips from the fridge, and pat them down with a paper towel. Allow to reach room temperature for 30 minutes first if you can, but it is not necessary if you do not have the time.
- Place the fish into a microwave-safe dish, and put it into the microwave. Turn the microwave onto low heat and reheat the fish for 3 minutes.
- Remove the fish from the microwave once reheated throughout.
- Place the chips into a microwave-safe dish and use low heat to reheat the chips for up to 3 minutes, or until reheated throughout.
Reheating the fish and the chips on low heat helps to prevent them from becoming too soggy, but there is still a chance that they will be slightly soggy, even when hot.
Increasing the temperature of the microwave from low can also dry out the inside of the fish and chips, and cause the outside to absorb all the moisture.
It is not the perfect option, but it will do if you have no other choice and need a quick way to reheat your leftovers.
Final Thoughts
The trick with reheating fish and chips is to get the outside crispy, while the inside of the fish and the chips are still moist and tender.
The best way to achieve this is to reheat the leftovers in the air fryer, on the stovetop, or in the oven. The last option should be reheating the leftovers in the microwave.
Whichever option you choose, make sure the fish and chips are heated fully throughout before eating.
Related Questions
Now that we’ve learned all about fish and chips, as well as a few different ways to reheat this iconic British dish, here are some additional questions that we thought you might have.
How do you keep fried fish crispy?
If you are cooking a few batches of fried fish and want to keep them crispy, place the fried fish on a cooling rack, placed over a baking sheet.
Why are my fish and chips soggy?
Fish and chips can become soggy when they absorb too much oil, or if they are left in the fridge and are exposed to too much moisture.ย