Air Fryer Salmon

My obsession with my air fryer continues. In this week’s saga, I’m sharing how to air fry salmon. It’s SO good! So quick! And it’s cooked well, but not dry.

This is a new favorite at our house for sure. Air fryer salmon is quick and easy as well as healthy. It’s been added to the rotation of air fried wings, air fryer steak, and air fryer fish.

Related: 40 Easy 30-Minute Dinner Ideas, 60 Easy Dinner Recipes, and Favorite Things to Make in My Air Fryer.

I have air fried both fresh salmon as well as frozen. I must admit that I prefer fresh.

But, as I only grocery shop once a week or less during this season of my life, having lots of dinner options I can pull from our freezer just makes sense for us. So, we do both just depending what we have on hand.

To air fry frozen salmon all you have to do is thaw it first. Otherwise, it’s no different than air frying fresh, unfrozen salmon.

How to Thaw Frozen Salmon:

You can thaw frozen salmon a couple of ways, but what I usually do is (if it’s packaged inside a sealed bag, the filet itself) I will put it in a bowl with very warm water in our sink. This typically takes anywhere from 5-8 minutes depending on the size of filet.

I season the salmon before air frying. This can be things like: garlic powder or salt, seasoning salt, Italian seasoning, cayenne, pepper, or a seasoning mix I have. If you are unsure, start with salt and pepper.

How Do You Keep Salmon from Sticking to your Air Fryer?

Two methods for this. First, you can lightly brush the air fryer bottom grate with oil before adding the salmon and cooking.

The other option is to use parchment paper. Yes, you can use parchment paper in your air fryer. I will add parchment so it fits under the salmon, but not bunch it together or have lots of loose paper on the sides of the air fryer (see photo below).

The parchment paper will curl up some as it cooks, so that’s why you don’t want an excess amount, but you also want enough that it fits under the entire piece of fish you are cooking.

How Long Do You Air Fry Salmon For?

You can see (or print) the recipe card below for all the details, but I air fry salmon at 390°F for 8 minutes. I find this cooks the fish well, but doesn’t dry it out.

This can vary some depending on the size or thickness of the salmon you are cooking, but somewhere between 7-9 minutes will likely work well.

You can serve this alongside a broccoli salad, risotto, pasta salad, broccoli slaw, mushy peas, or steamed rice.

Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top of this air fried salmon and enjoy! xo. Emma

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4.89 from 18 votes

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Get the Recipe

how to easily air fry salmon

Yield 1 serving

Prep 2 minutes mins

Cook 8 minutes mins

Total 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 6 ounce salmon filet
• ▢ 1 teaspoon seasoning (of your choice)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)
• ▢ lemon wedge ( for serving)

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

• If your salmon is frozen, thaw first.
• Prep your air fryer by either brushing the bottom rack with a little oil OR adding parchment paper.
• Brush the top of the salmon with oil and season well.
• Add to the air fryer and cook at 390°F for 8 minutes.

Notes

-You do not need to remove the skin before cooking. Air fry the salmon with the skin side down, on the bottom.

-You do not need to flip the salmon while cooking.

-For seasoning you can use any combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder, garlic salt, seasoning salt, Italian seasoning, cayenne, or a seasoning mix. 

-You can cook multiple salmon filets in the air fryer at the same time, but you do not want them to be overlapping or touching as they can stick together. 

-Serve with a fresh lemon wedge to squeeze over the top before eating. 

© Author Emma Chapman

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keywords air fryer, salmon

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Air Fried Salmon

Amount per Serving

Calories

290

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

15

g

23

%

Saturated Fat

 

2

g

13

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

5

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

7

g

Cholesterol

 

94

mg

31

%

Sodium

 

76

mg

3

%

Potassium

 

896

mg

26

%

Carbohydrates

 

3

g

1

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

0.2

g

0

%

Protein

 

34

g

68

%

Vitamin A

 

152

IU

3

%

Vitamin C

 

0.1

mg

0

%

Calcium

 

99

mg

10

%

Iron

 

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.