Wow. I’ll Never Look At Salmon The Same Way Again.
Guys, this air fryer salmon has changed my salmon game. It’s loaded with flavor, and the air fryer gives it a crusty, crisped exterior while keeping a consistently juicy, buttery interior texture. Each piece just gently slips apart when you press a fork on it, and it is utterly delightful. This one goes in my forever files!
I’ve made this SO MANY TIMES in the last few weeks. Ways we’ve loved it:
- Dunked in basil sauce or gochujang sauce
- In tacos, with a mango corn salsa, like this
- With coconut rice, and more mango cucumber salsa, like this
- In a puddle of the tzatziki from this recipe, with naan or pita bread, and the simple green salad
- On a kale salad with gochujang mayo from this post
- With brown rice, and a tomatillo avocado sauce (shortcut status – just whisk mashed avocado and the roasted tomatillo salsa from Trader Joe’s which is one of my 33 fave Trader Joe’s products)
I could have never imagined a world in which me and my two kids – under 5 years old – would stand around eating chunks of salmon, plain, no sauce, directly out of the air fryer, but this is my reality now. We are often finishing half or more before it makes it to the dinner table. It’s stupidly, ridiculously good.
Three reasons I love this so much:
- It gives you consistently great crisped and golden texture on the outside with SUCH MINIMAL EFFORT.
- It gives you consistently juicy and buttery texture on the inside – never dried out, it’s good every time.
- The flavor doesn’t taste like any one single spice – it just tastes good. For me, it hits so much harder than the standard butter + lemon + Dijon salmon flavor profile. It has a salty-sweet-savoriness that works with everything from tzatziki, to romesco, to buffalo sauce, to gochujang sauce, to mango salsa and aji verde.
Air fryer salmon! A new pillar in my life! COME ONNN! What a time!
Watch How To Make This Air Fryer Salmon
Can you bake air fryer salmon in the oven instead?
Yes! It will be slightly less crispy on the exterior, but it works really nicely with this recipe. For best results I’d put the sheet pan on an oven rack that is closer to the top / heating element. Here’s a picture of the salmon baked in the oven:
Can you make this air fryer salmon without the brown sugar?
Yes, but you’ll get a different result with flavor and texture. The main differences are that a) it won’t be as sweet, obviously, and b) it’s much less caramelized. Here’s a photo of the salmon made without brown sugar:
Can you make this without the cornstarch?
Yes. When you leave out the cornstarch, the salmon pieces will be missing some of that golden, crispity exterior, but it can still turn out really well without it. Here’s a photo of the salmon made without cornstarch:
What sauces work well with air fryer salmon?
Sauce lover here! I’m so glad you asked. My favorite sauces for this air fryer salmon are the basil sauce, romesco, tzatziki, honey mustard, aji verde, an avocado based sauce like the magic green sauce, and the gochujang sauce (listed in the notes section here). If you don’t want to make a sauce, this is also 5-star with a drizzle of hot honey over the top! The spices on this salmon make it a really amazing pair with so many recipes and sauce combinations. *happy dance*
Where do you buy thick boneless skinless salmon filets?
Here in the Twin Cities, I have found thick, boneless, skinless filets from Target, Trader Joe’s, Cub Foods, and Kowalski’s.
Can I use frozen salmon?
Yes, but for this recipe I would recommend completely thawing the salmon first, and then cutting it as directed. You’ll also want to pat it with paper towels to ensure it’s dry enough for the spices to stick well to the surface of the salmon.
Can I use salmon with skin?
Yes. I like to cube the salmon, so I prefer to cut the skin off so these eat more like salmon bites and you can just pop them right in your mouth. 🙂 If you prefer a single filet of salmon with skin on the bottom, that’s fine – you can use these same spices to rub the top surfaces of your filet of salmon and cook it skin side down in the air fryer. I would just increase the cook time to about 9 minutes total to ensure doneness through the middle.
How long does leftover salmon stay good in the fridge?
Technically, cooked salmon will be good in the fridge for about 3 days. But I find that, with this salmon in particular, it has the best taste and texture within 24 hours. (And for this recipe, we almost never have leftovers anyway! ha.) If you’re eating this salmon as leftovers, I’d actually encourage you to consider eating it cold. Yes, I’m serious! Reheating the salmon will dry it out further and it’s just always a bit sad. Team Cold Salmon! Toss it on a salad, dip it in some sauce, smash it on a bagel with cream cheese. Yum!
Should I marinate the salmon?
I prefer to NOT marinate the salmon for this recipe. The longest amount of time I’ve marinated the salmon for with the spices on it was about 3 hours in the fridge, and I didn’t feel like it added to the overall flavor. The cornstarch also doesn’t do great with a longer marinating time. If you do want to prep ahead, I’d suggest cutting up your salmon, mixing your spices, and then waiting until right before to toss it together.
Do you need to flip the salmon in the air fryer?
No flipping necessary! It will get crispity and golden on all sides all on its own. Just make sure they’re spread evenly and not piled on top of each other in the air fryer.
What air fryer do you use?
I use a Cosori brand air fryer and love it! My exact size and color are sold out, but this one is about the same (just a tiny bit bigger). (affiliate link)
