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Air Fryer Salmon comes out tender and juicy every time! Making salmon in the Air Fryer is an easy and quick way to cook your favorite fish exactly the way you like it with only a little bit of oil.

We love to use our Air Fryer to make a healthier version of our favorite foods! This weekend we made Air Fryer Chicken Wings and Air Fryer Onion Rings for our game day party and Air Fryer Chicken Breast with Oven Roasted Potatoes for dinner.

a piece of salmon on a white plate next to some roasted asparagus and garnished with lemon slicesAir Fryer Salmon

Salmon made in the Air Fryer is perfectly cooked and so delicious! You can use your favorite dry rub, marinate the salmon, or just use salt and pepper for this easy recipe. Using an air fryer saves you time and calories because you don’t need to preheat most models, there is no need to turn salmon like when you use a skillet to fry it, and you can get away with only a tiny amount of oil.

How to make Air Fryer Salmon

Making Air Fried Salmon is really easy and takes only a few minutes. Start with seasoning the salmon, then spray the Air Fryer basket with cooking spray, this way it is easier to remove the cooked salmon. Put the salmon fillets in the basket in one layer, depending on your Air Fryer you can fit all four fillets in the basket or use a rack to stack them. Start the Air Fryer and cook for about 10-12 minutes depending on how done you like your fish. We love it medium so I take it out when my Instant Read Thermometer is at 125 degrees F.

Two pieces of salmon, seasoned with salt and pepper in an airfryer basket

Tips and Tricks for making Air Fryer Salmon

  • Cooking time varies depending on the thickness and size of the salmon filets
  • Don’t overcrowd the basket! You want the air to flow freely between the food.
  • Spray the basket with cooking spray before putting the salmon in so it doesn’t stick
  • I prefer my salmon cooked to medium rare (120-125 degrees F)
  • For the best results, use an Instant Read Thermometer like a Thermapen to check the temperature!
  • Let the salmon rest for about 2-4 minutes after taking it out of the Air Fryer,
  • Rather undercook the salmon then overcook it! It keeps cooking while resting, this way you get the juiciest results. Overcooked salmon is very dry!
  • Squeezing some lemon juice over the cooked salmon just before serving adds a delicious flavor boost!

How long to marinate Salmon

Don’t marinate salmon for longer than 30 minutes! Most salmon marinades contain acids like lemon, orange, or soy sauce which will begin to break done the fish and make it mushy if it sits in it for too long.

How long to cook salmon

The salmon is cooked to medium rare when a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the fillet reads a temperature of 120-125 degrees F, this takes about 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Depending on how you like your salmon you can cook it for 1-2 minutes longer or until it has reached a temperature of 140 degrees F measured in the thickest part for

two pieces of salmon in a zipper bag with teriyaki sauce

Salmon Marinades and Seasonings

Salmon goes perfectly with some acidity like lemon or soy sauce. But because the acid will start to cook the fish (think Ceviche) you should only marinate salmon for less than 30 minutes. This is long enough for the salmon to absorb the flavors but if you want to marinate longer choose a dry rub or marinade without acid. In the recipe card you’ll find my favorite maple marinade for salmon but here are some other ideas:

Dry Rub for Salmon: Mix up any combination of garlic and onion powder, fresh kosher salt, very finely chopped herbs, spices, and some ground chilies if you like it spicy. Massage it into the flesh and then let it sit, uncovered in the fridge for up to three hours. Brush off any excess rub before cooking.

Honey Mustard Salmon: Combine 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard + 1 Tbsp honey + 1 tsp minced garlic + 1 tsp olive oil (optional) and brush over salmon

Can you put aluminum foil in an air fryer?

Yes, you can put aluminum foil or baking paper in your Air fryer basket but you should never cover the basket bottom completely so air can still flow around the food.

A white plate with a piece of cooked salmon next to roasted green asparagus, garnished with lemon slices. A bronze fork is flaking the salmon.

Tools used to make this Baked Salmon Recipe

Air Fryer: This is the model I own. I really like it and would recommend it for smaller families. It came with a rack which doubles the space in the basket. Before buying this model I had the older XL Air Fryer which was bigger but took a lot more space to store.
Air Fryer Oven: This oven is on my wishlist! I saw it at Costco and it has great reviews. It has a lot more functions then an Air Fryer!


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5 from 2 votes

Air Fryer Salmon

Air Fryer Salmon comes out tender and juicy every time! This recipe works for every marinade or dry rub. 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 4 salmon fillets

Maple Marinade

  • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 4 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions 

  • Combine maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper. Put salmon fillets in a ziplock bag and pour marinade in the bag. Let marinate for 10-30 min. Instead of marinating the salmon you can also just season it with salt and pepper or use one of my seasoning ideas above.
  • Place salmon fillets in one layer in the Air Fryer basket, discard marinade.
  • Cook at 350 degrees F for 8-10 min for medium rare or for 10-12 min for well done depending on the thickness of your fillets. For medium rare aim for an internal temperature of 120-125 degrees F and for well done for 140 degrees F.

Nutrition

Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 658mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1.1mg
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About Julia Foerster

Hi, I'm Julia! Born in Germany, I call Canada now my home and love to share my favorite dishes with you! Here you'll find hundreds of recipes, all made from scratch, with lots of tips and detailed step-by-step instructions.

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this salmon tonight and my husband said “this is the best salmon I have ever had”… I have made salmon over 20 times. We are making this tomorrow night too!

  2. This looks like an awesome salmon recipe. I just received my air fryer toaster oven. It didn’t come with a cookbook. Went online & found your site. I am so thankful for all the recipes and effort you put into this. You made my day.👍😁