Cooking salmon in the air fryer makes it come out perfectly flakey, succulent and with a lovely browned top. And no fishy smell in the house!
I love salmon. I actually think I love most fish more than I love meat. What I don’t love? The fishy smell in the house for hours and hours after cooking it (even though my lemon garlic butter baked salmon is worth it 😉).
But enter the air fryer: Cook your salmon fillets in the air fryer and not only will they be cooked perfectly, your home will not smell of fish at all. This easy recipe is a total keeper!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Salmon: Please, please buy skin-on salmon fillets! The skin makes for a great little “plate” for the salmon to sit on in the air fryer. You don’t have to eat it and the salmon flakes away from the skin easily, but it really works better with the skin on in the air fryer.
- Italian seasoning: You don’t have to use Italian seasoning, you can use any dried herbs you enjoy. I’ll often use just dried parsley and it’s absolutely delicious.
- Olive oil: This is my favorite here, but feel free to use any cooking oil you have on hand.
- Sweetness? If you like a bit of sweetness to your salmon, feel free to add 1 teaspoon brown sugar to the seasoning paste.
How to air fry salmon
Before you cook something in the air fryer, I recommend to always preheat it for 5 minutes as you prep the ingredients.
1. Start by combining the ingredients for the topping in a small bowl.
2. Pat the salmon dry and rub with pepper and a pinch of salt. Then spread with the seasoning paste.
3. Place the salmon, skin-side down, in the hot basket of your air fryer. Then, air fry until the salmon is done.
(I left mine in for a couple of minutes too long and the topping ended up slightly blackened, it was delicious to be honest 😂).
Recipe tips
- If you want to make sure your topping does not char at all, don’t add it from the beginning – spread it over the salmon after half the cooking time.
- In the air fryer it’s OK to check on your food a few times. That way, you can see when your salmon is done and won’t end up with overcooked fish.
- Use your air fried salmon to make a creamy salmon pasta!
More easy air fryer recipes
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Air Fryer Salmon
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt to taste
- cracked black pepper to taste
- 1.5 pounds salmon fillet skin on works best
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine ground paprika, garlic powdere, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl to form a paste.
- Pat salmon dry with paper towels, then rub all over with a few pinches of salt and cracked black pepper. Spread seasoning paste over the top of the salmon fillets.
- Place salmon, skin-side down, in hot air fryer basket. Air fry for 10 minutes, until salmon flakes easily. Serve immediately.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Salmon: Please, please buy skin-on salmon fillets! The skin makes for a great little “plate” for the salmon to sit on in the air fryer. You don’t have to eat it and the salmon flakes away from the skin easily, but it really works better with the skin on in the air fryer.
- Italian seasoning: You don’t have to use Italian seasoning, you can use any dried herbs you enjoy. I’ll often use just dried parsley and it’s absolutely delicious.
- Olive oil: This is my favorite here, but feel free to use any cooking oil you have on hand.
- Sweetness? If you like a bit of sweetness to your salmon, feel free to add 1 teaspoon brown sugar to the seasoning paste.
Recipe tips
- If you want to make sure your topping does not char at all, don’t add it from the beginning – spread it over the salmon after half the cooking time.
- In the air fryer it’s OK to check on your food a few times. That way, you can see when your salmon is done and won’t end up with overcooked fish.
- Use your air fried salmon to make a creamy salmon pasta!
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