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I have over a decade of experience covering food, kitchen gadgets and home tips. In the past year alone, I've tested dozens of air fryer recipes. What did I discover during that time? That this 10-minute air fryer salmon recipe is one of the easiest and most delicious meals you can make with the simple appliance.
Salmon made on the stovetop in a skillet is great, but you're bound to end up with a greasy, fishy stovetop afterward. Broiling or baking salmon in the wall oven is another good option, but you'll have to heat up that big lug of an appliance all for a few portions of fish. Really, it can be a total pain to have the seafood smell wafting around your kitchen for hours on end after you're finished cooking.
Air fryer salmon has been a revelation for me, and the speedy, clean method has me eating more seafood than ever. An air fryer cooks fish fast, makes very little no mess and uses less energy than the big oven. The whole recipe can be completed in under 15 minutes, leaving you with a tasty medium-rare cut of salmon to pack in some protein when you're in a rush.
As with most filets of fish, salmon does well with a blast of high heat to give the outer layer a crust without overcooking it through the middle. Air fryers are designed to do just that with super convection that blows hot air at rapid speeds using a powerful fan to inside a small cooking chamber.
Air fryers take only a couple of minutes to preheat, so if you're making a quick weeknight meal for one or two, cooking salmon in the air fryer is an ace up your sleeve. Air fryers also cost less to run and use less energy than big ovens, and they don't create an oily mess like searing salmon on the stovetop will.
A fresh filet and seasonings are all you need to make the perfect air fryer salmon dinner.
Making salmon in the air fryer takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Here's how to make a perfect fish filet every time.
For more, see our favorite places to order salmon online and the best air fryers we tested for 2024. If you're wondering how these trendy and efficient countertop cookers work and which model is best, read my complete guide to air fryers.
Ingredients for the 10-minute air fryer salmon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 green onion, diced
- Salmon filet
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parchment paper (optional)
5 easy steps: The perfect 10-minute air fryer
- Step 1: Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees F on either "air fry" or "roast."
- Step 2: Whisk together olive oil, brown sugar, soy sauce and green onion.
- Step 3: Pat the salmon filet dry and place it in the air fryer on top of parchment paper (paper optional).
- Step 4: Pour soy sauce mixture over salmon and brush to coat completely.
- Step 5: Close the basket and cook for about 8 minutes, checking with a fork or internal probe for doneness (cook a minute or two more if you prefer your salmon medium well or well done).
Just 8 minutes in the air fryer and you have perfectly medium rare salmon.
The air fryer is my go-to for roasted chicken, replacing my slow and dirty dish-heavy oven recipe. I recently learned to make juicy air fryer cheeseburgers and sizzle bacon in less than 10 minutes and without dirtying a skillet or sheet pan.
Air fryers are incredibly convenient and can do many of the same jobs that an oven can. They only take a couple of minutes to preheat, contain many of the cooking messes you'd otherwise have to spend time cleaning up and are overall more energy-efficient cooking appliances.
When you're planning to cook meals with an air fryer, you need to make sure you have enough space inside of your appliance for the food you want to cook. Many air fryers can accommodate for a single person's serving size, but you'll likely have to run the air fryer multiple times to make enough food for your whole family.