Air fryer salmon comes out so tender on the inside and perfectly crisped up on the outside. Plus, we’re serving our air fryer salmon recipe with our homemade salmon seasoning!
Delicious Air Fryer Salmon
Dinner in 15 minutes? Yes, please! This air fryer salmon is a quick-and-easy weeknight meal packed with omega-3 fatty acids and protein.
Air fried salmon comes our perfectly cooked every time — I mean flakey goodness on the inside and crisped-up skin on the outside.
Serve this delicious main with your favorite sides such as steamed broccoli, a baked potato, or air fryer Brussels sprouts.
Why you’ll love it!
The air fryer is definitely my new favorite way to cook up salmon and here’s why.
High-Protein — 48g protein per serving.
Quick-and-Easy — ready in less than. 15minutes.
Fool-Proof: the air fryer will cook your salmon perfectly and leaving it so flakey and delicious.
What You Need for Air Fryer Salmon
This recipe is so simple that you only need 3 things — salmon filets, salmon seasoning, and olive oil.
Salmon
Our air fryer salmon recipe calls for about 1.5 lbs. salmon. You can buy them pre-portioned (like we do) or you can buy a large filet from your grocery store and slice them yourself.
We find that cooking salmon portions, it cooks faster and more evenly than cooking an entire salmon filet.
Try Surrender Salmon!
Our all-time favorite salmon is Surrender Salmon. They catch wild-Alaskan salmon off of Bristol Bay in Alaska. The salmon is bright orange, so flakey and delicious, and truly the best.
Surrender Salmon is a family-run company based here in Minneapolis and they are good friends of ours! Support a local business if you can.
Salmon Seasoning
For this recipe, in particular, we’re using a homemade salmon seasoning (AKA dry rub). We love how crispy the outside gets with a salmon seasoning, but you can always use a salmon marinade as well.
What you need for our salmon seasoning:
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- Thyme
- Mustard powder
- Black pepper
Homemade
Salmon Seasoning
This all-purpose salmon seasoning is so delicious on any kind of salmon! Make a batch and store it in your pantry for later.
Olive oil
We’re using olive oil to make sure the salmon doesn’t stick to the air fryer basket, but you can also try nonstick cooking spray.
Latest Salmon Recipes
Top Tips for Salmon in Air Fryer
Remove moisture in the salmon: before seasoning your salmon portions, use a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. This will help the salmon crisp up on top.
Generously season: since you’re using homemade salmon seasoning, you can gauge how much salt is being used. Don’t worry about over-seasoning because of this.
Cook skin-side down: salmon does not need to be flipped in the air fryer. Therefore, make sure to cook it skin-side down.
Drizzle with olive oil: one of our secrets to perfect salmon in the air fryer is drizzling it with olive oil before cooking. It will make the outside crispy and blackened-like, so don’t skip it!
Don’t overcook: whatever you do, don’t overcook your salmon! Cook salmon in air fryer for 7-8 minutes or until the flesh turns a pale pink color on the inside.
Can you use frozen salmon in the air fryer?
Like our air fryer chicken wings tutorial, you can cook salmon from frozen in the air fryer. Essentially the way it works is that you first defrost the salmon in the air fryer and then cook it as directed.
- So, before beginning our recipe, place frozen salmon portions skin-side down on the air fryer basket.
- Cook at 400ºF for 7-9 minutes, or until defrosted.
- Then, follow our recipe as directed.
How long to cook salmon in air fryer?
So, if you’re wondering how long you should cook salmon in the air fryer, the answer is:
- From fresh: 7-8 minutes
- From frozen: 14-16 minutes
FAQ
Cook salmon in air fryer at 400ºF for around 7-8 minutes.
You do not have to flip salmon over in the air fryer because it circulates air to cook your food perfectly on both sides.
Cook your salmon in the air fryer at 400ºF for around 7-8 minutes.
You know when salmon is finished because it is a pale pink color, firm to touch, and flakey. You can also use a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should read at least 125ºF.
The answer is yes, but do we recommend it? No. The reason why air fryers cook food so perfectly is because of circulation. If you line your air fryer with tin foil, you are blocking the airflow and things won’t cook properly.
You can essentially defrost your salmon in the air fryer and then cook it. So, yes!
Storage
Store leftover air fryer salmon in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
To reheat: we recommend reheating in the microwave on high for 60 seconds or on the stovetop on medium for 2-3 minutes.
Leftover Salmon Ideas
Got leftover salmon? Here are some quick and easy ways to use it up!
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
