Lindsey, do you know how to air fry salmon or how long does it take to cook salmon in air fryer? This is one of the questions my readers ask a lot. Well, I´ve got you covered.
If you’re a lover of cooked salmon, you know the best time of the year to catch it or purchase it from the market is June to August.
Once you have your fresh salmon, the next process is cooking it. You may decide to bake, boil, or shallow fry it; however, have you ever tried cooking it in the air fryer?
Cooking your salmon in the air fryer brings a tender and delicious meal. Begin by preheating your air fryer to 400 degrees F, then take your salmon fillets, coat them in a mixture of herbs and spices, and drizzle with a little olive oil or butter. Place them in the air fryer for 7-9 minutes until it begins to flake.
This article will discuss if you can cook salmon in an air fryer. So keep reading! We have everything you need to know about cooking salmon in the air fryer, along with tips and tricks to ensure you end up with a delicious meal.
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How To Air Fry Salmon
Salmon is one of the ocean’s most prized delicacies, and if you live in the North-Eastern part of the United States, then no doubt you’ve tasted some of the freshest salmon in the world.
Salmon is a mild-flavored fish, often coated in a layer of spices and cooked with butter and lemon, resulting in a delightful dish.
Salmon can be grilled, baked, poached, or shallow fried, resulting in a slight variation in flavor and texture.
Various people may even opt for smoked salmon, which has long been a great addition to any salad or starter, but have you ever tried cooking salmon in the air fryer?
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How To Perfectly Cook Your Salmon In The Air Fryer
If you’ve recently purchased an air fryer, or you want to try something new, salmon could be the next delicious meal you prepare in your air fryer.
The result will be one of the most perfectly cooked and delightfully flaky salmon fillets you’ve ever had.
When cooking your salmon in the air fryer, it’s a relatively simple recipe that doesn’t require any strict measurements or details, and you’ll end up with a delicious meal. The first thing you want to do is thaw your frozen salmon or prepare your fresh salmon into good-sized fillets.
After this, turn on your air fryer and turn the temperature to 400 degrees F. Take your salmon fillets and pat them dry with a paper towel, and then it’s time to begin coating your salmon with spices.
A great way to baste is by using half a teaspoon of mustard on each fillet and spreading it over the salmon into one thin layer. This ensures a great crust.
Once you’ve spread the mustard, it’s time to grab your spices. We recommend using a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and a smidge of cayenne if you dare.
Using the spices straight from the bottle is perfect, don’t worry about precise measurements; just ensure it has an evenly coated crust. However, we don’t recommend too much cayenne.
Once you’ve coated the salmon with the spices, the last thing to do is give it a quick drizzle of olive oil, and it’s ready to be placed into your preheated air fryer.
Typically you’ll only get two salmon fillets into an average-sized air fryer at once.
After around 8 minutes of cooking, it’s time to check your salmon; you’re looking for a flaky texture when touched with a fork and a slight golden crisp to the sides.
If this is the case, it’s ready; if not, it can go for another few minutes until perfect.
Following this, you can remove your salmon from the air fryer and garnish it with a small amount of parsley and a few fresh lemon slices, and it’s perfect to serve and eat.
You’ll be left with a succulent, fresh, and tender salmon fillet full of flavor.
How To Serve Your Air-Fried Salmon
The salmon you just cooked in the air fryer is perfect with a garnish of herbs and lemon slices; however, if you want to take your meal to the next level, various sides pair perfectly with air-fried salmon.
We will list a few of our favorites below:
Garlic Butter Baked Potatoes
Aromatic Baked Potatoes are an excellent choice for a salmon dish and go especially well with our seasoned air-fried salmon.
Start off by dicing your potatoes in cubes and boiling them until you can just about get a fork through them.
Following this, remove them from the water, dry them off and let them cool down for 10 minutes or so. Then preheat your oven to around 400 degrees F, coat the potatoes in a garlic butter and dill mixture, and place them into the oven until golden and crispy.
This may take up to 25 minutes in a preheated oven.
Goats Cheese, Arugula & Apple Salad
A goat’s cheese salad accompanied by arugula and green apples is one of the best salads you’ve probably never had with your air-fried salmon. This will have both your friends and family coming back for more.
This simple salad consists of a good serving of goat’s cheese, plenty of baby arugula, a full sliced or diced green apple, a small shallot diced, some crushed pecans, and a good serving of balsamic vinegar.
Mix all of the ingredients together, and you’ll be left with a great salad that pairs extremely well with your seasoned salmon.
Tips & Reminders For The Perfect Air Fried Salmon
Ensure you dry your salmon fillets with a dish cloth or paper towels before the seasoning process begins. This will ensure that the seasoning sticks well, and you’ll end up with a delicious flavorful crust.
Don’t wash your salmon with water during the preparation process; just like how you wouldn’t wash chicken before cooking, it’s best not to wash raw fish, either.
The FDA advises this to reduce the risk of contamination spreading throughout the various surfaces in your kitchen.
Keep an eye on the time when cooking your salmon in the air fryer. Each air fryer will cook slightly differently, and some may be more intense.
Thus, to ensure that you end up with a delicious salmon fillet and not a burnt one, make sure you check the salmon at the 7-minute mark. After this, if it needs a little longer, you can stick it back in.
Dijon Mustard is an excellent choice for the initial coat when air-frying your salmon.
This keeps the top most and gives the spices a great base to stick to, resulting in an excellent and delicious crust.
The Difference Between Fresh and Frozen Salmon
There is an age-old debate that exists between freshly caught salmon and frozen salmon; however, we are here to tell you that if purchased from a reputable market, both are great options.
For us, there are a few minor differences that we will list below.
Fresh Salmon is best when bought from a local or reputable fishmonger or market. Because this is not an option for everyone in the United States, there’s nothing with opting for frozen salmon if purchased from a good market.
Frozen salmon is an excellent choice for anyone who’s a little unsettled by the fresh salmon sitting on the ice at markets.
Frozen salmon is generally flash frozen as soon as it’s caught on the fishing vessels, which helps preserve its freshness.
Cooking Salmon In Air Fryer FAQs
Why Cook Salmon In An Air Fryer?
When cooking salmon in an air fryer, you end up with a succulent and delicious fillet that holds a crust well. On top of this, it’s considered one of the healthiest ways to cook your salmon, and it’s extremely easy to clean up.
So, all things considered, the results speak for themselves when it comes to cooking salmon in your air fryer, and this can be cooked as a meal for one or even for a couple’s date night at your home.
How To Store Leftover Salmon
If you decide to spend one Sunday afternoon cooking various fillets of salmon in your air fryer, hoping that this will be lunch sorted for the week, there are a few tips that can help you ensure it stays fresh when stored.
Firstly, keeping them in the refrigerator in sealed or air-tight containers will ensure that they stay fresh for up to four days without any problems. However, we recommend eating them within two days.
If you decide to freeze your cooked salmon, ensure that it has completely cooled down before you wrap it in parchment paper.
This will ensure that it doesn’t stick to the container in which you freeze it. When the time comes to reheat the salmon, ensure it’s slow and low.
What Air fryer Is The Best For Cooking Salmon
There are a large variety of well-established air fryer brands on the market; however, there are a few that rise above the others.
I would recommend using air fryers such as the Instant Vortex or the Instant Vortex Plus. Both are recommended by various air fryer enthusiasts and can be ordered from Amazon and various other online retailers.
Perfect Air Fryer Salmon Recipe / How long to cook salmon in air fryer >> Check out the video below:
Conclusion
So, if you’re a fan of fresh or frozen salmon, now you know you can cook a delicious meal in your air fryer.
Just remember to follow the recipe laid out in this article for a tender, flakey, and perfectly cooked salmon fillet if you’re willing to try cooking it in an air fryer.