Air Fryer Salmon – perfect flaky salmon in 10 minutes. Juicy inside, lightly crispy outside plus a homemade teriyaki glaze. This easy, healthy recipe is loaded with flavor and ideal any night of the week.
I don’t have many kitchen gadgets but I’ve become a huge fan of the air fryer for a few reasons.
- This small kitchen appliance cooks food quickly.
- It crisps food using almost no oil for guiltfree fried food.
- The air fryer is a healthy cooking option with less calories.
- Cleanup is easy.
But the latest and may most important reason is that it makes the most delicious salmon. Ever.
Even though the air fryer cooks fast, uses only a tiny bit of oil and cleans up like Alice from the Brady Bunch, the biggest reason I love my air fryer is because the food coming out tastes so good.
Salmon come out lightly browned on top with crispy skin on the bottom and all the juiciness locked inside.
What do I need to make Air Fryer Salmon?
- salmon filets
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- lemon wedges
(optional) Teriyaki glaze:
- teriyaki sauce (not glaze)
- honey
- ground ginger
- lemon wedge
- corn starch
How to make Air Fryer Salmon:
Take the salmon out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking so it comes to room temperature. The colder the fish is before air frying, the longer it takes and more likely it is to overcook it.
To make the glaze combine the teriyaki, honey, ginger and the juice from one lemon wedge (about one tablespoon) in a small saucepan then bring to a boil. Next whisk the corn starch and water in a small bowl until dissolved.
Reduce the heat to low and add the cornstarch/water stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes or until the glaze thickens then remove from the heat and set aside.
Preheat the air fryer to 400° for 3 minutes then brush olive oil on both sides of the salmon and season with salt and pepper.
Add the salmon filets to the air fryer basket skin side down and cook 8 minutes total without turning.
After 6 minutes of cooking lightly brush with the teriyaki glaze while it’s still in air fryer basket and continue cooking 2 more minutes or until the salmon reaches an internal temp of 145°. Serve right away with extra lemon wedges.
Tips for perfect air fryer salmon :
Choose salmon filets close in size and thickness.
Always preheat the air fryer.
Cooking times will vary based upon the size of the filet and the temperature of the fish when you add it to the fryer so use the ‘pause’ feature to check for doneness during cooking until you’ve made it a couple of times.
Things cook fast in the air fryer and may need just one more minute of cooking time so watch closely.
Are there other toppings for Air Fryer Salmon?
Salmon with a Cucumber Dill Sauce ~ creamy Greek yogurt, lemon dill sauce.
Honey Mustard Glaze for Salmon~ fresh herb honey mustard sauce.
Salmon drizzled with Honey Garlic Sauce ~ easy, sweet-tangy honey lemon sauce.
What do I eat with this salmon?
Rice, baked potato or fresh vegetables are always good options with salmon. When I make teriyaki salmon though I copy one of my favorite local restaurants that also serves as the inspiration for the recipe.
They serve their salmon with crisp Asian slaw and wasabi mashed potatoes. My version includes air fried pineapple chunks and healthy kale salad plus creamy horseradish smashed potatoes.
If you tried this Air Fryer Salmon recipe or any other on the blog then I’d love to hear from you with a comment or star rating!
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Air Fryer Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 7-8 ounce salmon filets
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Teriyaki glaze
- 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce not glaze
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch + 3 tablespoons water
- lemon wedges
Instructions
- Optional glaze: In a small sauce pan, combine the teriyaki, honey, ginger and the juice from one lemon wedge (about one tablespoon) then bring to a boil. Next whisk corn starch and water in a small bowl until dissolved.
- Reduce the heat to low then add the cornstarch/water stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes or until the glaze thickens then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Take the salmon out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking so it comes to room temperature.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400° for 3 minutes. Brush olive oil on both sides of the salmon then season with salt and pepper.
- Add the salmon filets to the air fryer skin side down then cook 8 minutes without turning the salmon.
- After 8 minutes or when the salmon reaches an internal temp of 145°, lightly brush with the teriyaki glaze while still in air fryer basket and continue cooking one more minute. Serve right away with lemon wedges. Note: cooking times will vary with air fryers and exact size of the filets.
Bette says
Looks delicious. What kind/size air fryer do you recommend?
Bernie says
Thank you! It’s every bit as good as the restaurant inspiration, but for what the restaurant charges for one meal, I can make it for four people! I have a basic Ninja Air Fryer – model AF101 and like it a lot. The size is good for us (2-3 people), though probably not a good size for larger families. If I want to make larger quantities I’ll cook it in two batches.