This is a really hands-off recipe once you add the seasoning on top of the salmon that you can cook while making sides for this main course or in any other endeavor around the house.
Cooking the salmon in an air fryer brings out a most tasty, tender and succulent piece of fish that you can think of coming from any salmon! It is a low carbs, low calories that takes under 15 minutes to be ready to serve with just about any side dish.
The air fryer does wonders to the salmon, by browning it beautifully and resulting in a top-notch restaurant quality seafood meal!
Why Cook Salmon In Air Fryer?
We answer some of people’s questions in our Frequently Asked Questions section below, but this is one that stands out as air frying is a relatively new cooking method. Therefore, many people might wonder why not make it the traditional ways…
Even though the traditional tried and tested cooking methods to make salmon are great, there are also some very good reasons to cook salmon in an air fryer, and we explain them below.
- Perfect salmon EVERY TIME – Because the air fryer works in a small space with a fan, the heat temperature will always be consistent. This means that the salmon always will be cooked at just the temperature that you want it and come out just the way you intended it to.
- Mostly hands-off cooking – You can season your salmon, place it in the air fryer, and flip them when the halfway timer goes off. There is no need to watch it. This comes in handy when you’re going back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room to take care of things.
- The stove/grill doesn’t have to be available. You could enjoy grilling AMAZING salmon, but the grill might not always be available. Also, you could be making many other things at the same time in your stove top.
Ingredients
As you’d expect from a healthy salmon recipe, this one includes very basic but proven ingredients that go with the salmon and they’re really all about seasoning it.
There are obviously some substitutions that you can make, but here are the ingredients that we recommend for this air fryer salmon recipe. However, feel free to play around with them!
- Salmon fillets – Obviously! Just make sure they’re wildly caught to avoid the health issues that come with farmed salmon.
- Avocado oil – For cooking at high temperatures, we usually prefer avocado oil over olive oil, given its high smoke point.
- Garlic powder – Combined with the other seasoning ingredients, this is one not to be missed!
- Paprika – Make sure is a high quality one and that you don’t miss it. We don’t want you to miss any of this recipe’s deliciousness!
- Sea salt – We prefer sea salt over table salt given the fact that it’s much less processed.
- Black ground pepper – Along with the salt, a seasoning ingredient that must not be missed. Make sure it’s a high quality one.
- Lemon – To be used at serving time for your guests to sprinkle the salmon with.
You’ll find specific portions of these ingredients in the recipe card below. Be sure to also check out our Recipe Notes and Frequently Asked Questions for information that we believe will be useful for you about this recipe.
Preparation
VERY easy!
As you would expect, the preparation basically consists of just preparing the seasoning, putting it on the salmon and air frying in it.
However, there are some details about the cooking time, salmon doneness that you should be aware of for absolute best results.
For the complete details please proceed below to the Instructions section inside of the recipe card to find out how to properly make it. We also recommend that you take a look at the full recipe details before you begin preparing your air fryer salmon.
Jump straight to the full recipe below!
Air Fryer Salmon
Description
Tasty Air Fryer Salmon
This Air Fryer Salmon is an often overlooked quick and VERY easy way to make tasty salmon, with seared edges and flaky, tender center. Ready to serve in less than 15 minutes!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Cut the salmon fillets
Cut the salmon fillets into even sizes or purchase them pre-cut to save some time if you want.
Also, if you prefer, you can remove the skin. However, this is not required.
While you do this you could pre-heat the air fryer to 400° F if your air dryer requires pre heating. Many modern ones don't really require pre heating them. -
Season each fillet
Season each fillet piece with sea salt, black ground pepper, paprika and garlic.
Make sure to rub the spices in the fillets in very well for best flavor.
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Air fry the salmon at 400° F
Place the salmon in the air fryer and air fry for about 8 minutes at 400° F.
The duration might be adjusted up or down depending on the thickness of the salmon and the specific air fryer that you have.
Make sure to flip the fillets halfway through/
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Check desired doneness
If at the end of the air fryer cycle it looks just like you intended it to, it is ready to serve!
Otherwise, you can cook it for a couple of more minutes if undercooked.
Equipment & Ingredients
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Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 275kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 14g22%
- Saturated Fat 2g10%
- Cholesterol 94mg32%
- Sodium 75mg4%
- Potassium 842mg25%
- Total Carbohydrate 1g1%
- Dietary Fiber 1g4%
- Sugars 1g
- Protein 34g68%
- Vitamin A 190 IU
- Calcium 20 mg
- Iron 1 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Get the doneness right!
Check for the desired doneness with a fork.
The time needed to cook the salmon will vary depending on the thickness of the salmon fillets and the specific air fryer that you have.
We recommend to check for doneness with a fork by pinching the fillets to verify if it flakes off easily.
Avoid basket overcrowding
Overcrowding the basket risks the salmon to not be crispy because of the moisture of the fillets touching each other. This can affect the hot air around the salmon quickly.
Either air fry the salmon it batches, or get a multiple baskets air fryer like the Ninja Air Fryer with 2 Independent Baskets to make everything at the same time while avoiding the overcrowd.
Pre-heat or not pre-heat
If you're used to pre-heating you might do it, but many modern air fryers don't require pre heating as they tend to heat quicker than older ones.
So, in short, pre heat if either you have an older air fryer or if you feel like you have better results by pre heating.
Keep fillets thickness even
Keeping the salmon fillets at the same thickness will ensure that they all cook evenly at the same time.
