The air fryer gets finger foods brown and crispy quicker than pan-frying—and with zero spattering and significantly less oil and energy. TBH, it’s probably the countertop appliance’s biggest flex. The fan in an air fryer circulates hot air fast, so it touches and toasts up every bit of food and produces a golden, crispy crust similar to deep-fat frying.
We’re deploying ours to make a quick fritto misto—that’s “mixed fry” in Italian—which is typically a battered and fried mix of seafood and vegetables. This take, designed to use up bits and bobs from the kitchen, swaps the seafood for craggy, crispy tofu nuggets.
A classic fritto misto batter is wet and intended for frying in oil, but we’re going with a three-step breading technique that ends with a breadcrumb coat. This helps keep your air fryer from becoming a big, sticky mess. In the first step, a layer of cornstarch helps the batter adhere to the tofu and veggies better. Then we dredge in a batter made with flour and club soda. (The carbonation inhibits gluten development, leading to a lighter, more aerated breading.) Finally we dunk in some seasoned breadcrumbs, which helps seal in the batter and provides extra crunch for a lighter, crispier misto.
This recipe is highly adaptable to whatever veggies you have on hand or whatever’s in season. We went with green beans, broccolini, and wild ’shrooms because 1) longer veggies are fun to eat and 2) torn mushrooms get mega crunchy due to their irregular shapes. Try it with asparagus, cauliflower florets, or even thinly sliced squash in the fall. You can even throw some chickpeas in the mix for a li’l extra protein.
It’s, of course, sacrilege to have fried food without dipping sauce. To get the coastal Italian vibes without using seafood, some Japanese furikake seasoning (we get ours at Trader Joe’s) or ground-up toasted nori adds a little oceanic funk to store-bought mayo. A pulverized pack of seaweed snacks would work, too. The basil sauce from our air-fryer stuffed peppers would also be super yummy here—if you still have some lingering in the fridge.
Air-Fryer Fritto Misto with Nori Mayo
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Ingredients:
- Misto
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1¼ teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 cup club soda
- 1 cup unseasoned panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces super-firm tofu, torn into chunks
- 1 small bunch broccolini, ends trimmed, separated into long florets (about 3 ounces)
- 2 ounces green beans, trimmed
- 3 ounces maitake or shiitake mushrooms, trimmed, torn into bite-size pieces
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- Nori Mayo
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons furikake (or pulverized nori)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Procedure:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- Prepare your breading station. Spread the cornstarch on a shallow plate or dish. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and club soda and whisk until it has the consistency of a thinner pancake batter. On another plate, combine panko with ¼ teaspoon salt and the black pepper.
- Get breading. Working with a few pieces at a time, coat the torn tofu and vegetables in the cornstarch, tapping to remove the excess. Dip in the batter, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Transfer to the panko mixture and turn evenly to coat.
- Air-fry. Arrange in a single layer in the air fryer basket, working in batches if necessary. Lightly coat the vegetables and tofu with cooking spray. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until crispy and golden brown, flipping halfway through.
- Make the sauce. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, furikake, and lemon juice.
- Serve. Arrange the crispy vegetables and tofu on a platter and serve with lemon wedges and the nori mayo.
Notes and Substitutions:
- In a compact air fryer, this recipe will take two batches to cook everything. It scales up or down well, depending on the size of your cooker and how many people you’re feeding.
