You will fall in love at first bite with these delicious air fryer frozen scampi and chips. Never soggy, always crispy, and easy to recreate the pub classic at home.
If you love scampi and chips and want a quick air fryer dinner, then it doesn’t get any more delicious than this!
Originally posted in 2017, these frozen scampi and chips have been updated with new photos and improved instructions.

Table of Contents
Air Fryer Scampi And Chips
OMG scampi and chips, you say?
Talk about taking me back to my old British pub meals. The meals were never that great and it was more about being cheap and cheerful.
But I still loved it and it was always about the amazing atmosphere that you got with being down the pub.
I can also credit the fact that I met my husband down the pub, my mum and dad met down the pub and so did my grandparents. So, it’s certainly a place to go for true love!
I always remember though that there was a huge amount of traditional meals.
There would always be scampi and chips, fish and chips, steak and ale pie, lasagne or even liver and onions on the menu.
There would also be a large dessert menu too with everything served with warm custard. You would then get a meal for a fiver and be proud of what you got for your money.
Quite often one of us would be having scampi and chips. Those little deep fried fish bites served with fresh lemon and chips was always a favourite for many people.
Dominic would be watching the football while I was next door with Kyle having fun kids time.
He was about 5 back then. After Kyle had finished playing in the soft play, we would meet up together and have a delicious pub meal.
It was bliss.
Now he is an adult it is nice to reminise about when he was little and how much of the scampi and chips Kyle would eat.
What Is In Scampi?
With £50 million worth of scampi being sold every year in Britain it’s no surprise that so many people search every day on the internet to find out what is in it.
It should be either langoustine, langoustine tails or Irish king prawns which are all the smaller cousin of the lobster.
But in reality, you’re more likely to find pangasius catfish which is mass produced in Vietnam and in Thailand.
There is often as little as 7% of actual langoustines in scampi that is served in British pubs. The rest if made up of this Asian catfish and mass amounts of water. It is then breaded so that you don’t know any different.
Many scampi products served in pubs or purchased from supermarkets have more water than actual fish.
Though I am not here to lecture you about frozen food. After all, many of us eat the stuff in the air fryer because it is less calories than deep fried.
Just like others love to live processed foods free and make their own. The beauty of our air fryer scampi and chips recipe is that we are showing you both.
What Is Scampi & Chips?
Scampi and chips are a popular British food classic. It involves breaded fish that is similar to popcorn shrimp that you have in the US.
Because the Brits call fries’ “chips” it is known as scampi and chips. It is nothing like the American food shrimp scampi though.

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Average Calories In Scampi And Chips?
Well if you are wondering about the number of calories in scampi and chips then look no further.
My homemade scampi and chips works out at 424 calories per serving and easily feeds four people. Though there is enough here to feed a couple of small kids too.
Is Scampi & Chips Healthy?
Scampi and chips can be as healthy or unhealthy as you like. In the pubs in England it will be frozen packs of scampi that is deep fried and served with your choice of peas.
If you do want the pub taste, then the frozen scampi and chips in the air fryer is ideal.
Can You Cook Frozen Scampi In The Air Fryer?
Yes, you can. Plus, it will be just like the pub scampi and chips that you would have at Wetherspoons or at Harry Ramsdens.
BUT it will be much lower in calories because you would be cooking your frozen scampi in the air fryer, rather than the deep fat fryer.
How To Cook Scampi In Air Fryer?

- Load. Remove your frozen chips from the packaging and place to one side of the air fryer basket. Cook the chips for 5 minutes at 180c/360f.
- Shake. When the air fryer beeps, shake the chips, and then find space to add the frozen scampi.
- Cook. Air fry for 8 minutes, spray and shake, and then air fry for a further 7 minutes at 200c/400f before serving.
And I am sure you can see now how easy it is to cook frozen scampi and chips in the air fryer and why it is a firm favourite for a quick British air fryer dinner.
Listen To Air Fryer Scampi and Chips

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More Air Fryer Seafood Recipes
- Air Fryer Frozen Fish & Chips
- Air Fryer Frozen Salmon
- Air Fryer Frozen Tempura Shrimp
- Air Fryer Frozen Popcorn Shrimp
- Air Fryer Frozen Butterfly Shrimp

Your scampi and chips air fryer recipe is below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.
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Air Fryer Scampi And Chips
Instructions
- Remove your frozen chips from the packaging and place to one side of your air fryer. Air fry for 5 minutes at 180c/360f.
- When the air fryer beeps, shake the chips, and keep them to the left and add the frozen scampi to the right.
- Air fry at the same temperature for a further 8 minutes. Spray and shake and then air fry for a final 7 minutes at the higher temperature of 200c/400f.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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This is a good equivalent of an SOS.
It’s out of the box and just sitting there waiting to be fed. I have frozen breaded scampi in the freezer waiting to jump in.
Apart from taking the scampi out of the freezer and opening the fryer I don’t know what to do next. Do I put oil in it?
Hi Brian,
No the scampi would not need any oil to cook it 🙂
Thank you, I very rarely used my air fryer now it’s going to be used regularly.
My scampi was fantastic.
Glad to hear that Paul, the air fryer can really change the way you cook food 🙂