Quick and Easy Easy Air Fryer Salmon

Name: Air Fryer Salmon
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces salmon fillets (cut into 2, 4-ounce fillets); 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp pepper; 4 Tablespoons butter; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 1 garlic clove (crushed); 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

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This easy air fryer salmon recipe is quick, easy, and loaded with flavor. With a little help from the air fryer, you can create a healthy meal in under 15 minutes. Serve with a quick lemon garlic herb butter sauce for maximum flavor.

Air fried salmon served up with rice and lemon slices with fresh parsley.

Salmon makes a delightful meal to serve up any time of year and cooking it in the air fryer makes it so much healthier and easier to enjoy a succulent piece of salmon for dinner.

All it takes is a handful of simple ingredients and no more than 15 minutes to cook which makes air fryer salmon perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Pair it with your favorite sides and you've got a meal on the table in a flash.

I took inspiration from another salmon recipe on Fresh Coast Eats when creating this recipe and it's even better when you serve it up with my favorite side dish, a simple beetroot and feta salad.

Benefits to Cooking Salmon in the Air Fryer

Using the air fryer to cook salmon is one of my favorite quick and easy meals to make. Here's why:

The air fryer cooks food with the circulation of hot air but keeps it elevated allowing access fat to drain off. This makes the air fryer one of the healthiest ways to cook salmon!
It also eliminates the time it takes to preheat the oven or the grill. This entire dish takes less than 15 minutes to make.

Air Fryer Salmon Ingredients

Like baking, the air fryer does a great job of bringing out the natural buttery flavor of the salmon. So, when cooking salmon in the air fryer I like to season it as simply as possible.

Ingredients to make air fryer salmon on the table.

For this recipe, you will need:

Salmon fillets
Salt and pepper
Butter
Garlic
Fresh lemon juice
Italian seasoning
Optional: Fresh herbs and extra lemon slices for serving

How to Cook Salmon in the Air Fryer

Cooking temperatures and times can vary greatly for each air fryer, but generally speaking, I find that salmon cooks best at high heat and lower cooking times. This allows the salmon to stay moist in the center. Let's start cooking!

Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper over your salmon fillets and lay them in the air fryer basket after spraying with a light coating of cooking spray.

Salmon fillets are placed on the rack in the air fryer.

Cook the salmon fillets at 400 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillet.

Cooked salmon in the air fryer ready to serve up and eat.

While your salmon is cooking, prepare the sauce. This sauce can be made on the stovetop or the microwave.

Simply melt the butter and add the lemon juice, garlic and Italian seasoning. When your salmon is done cooking, spoon the sauce over the filets.

Lemon garlic butter sauce in a small white bowl.

Serving Suggestions

The simple preparation of air fryer salmon makes it a great entree to serve with a variety of dishes. I especially love this dish served with white rice, fresh herbs, and extra lemon slices. I often spoon some of the extra lemon garlic butter sauce over the rice.

Give these other recipes a try to round out your meal:

Storage

I love making a double batch of this recipe for meal prepping. Salmon reheats very nicely and can even be flaked up and added to the top of salads straight from the refrigerator.

If stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator this meal should last up to 3 days.

Air Fryer Salmon being flaked with a fork.

Variations

I really enjoy the simple flavors of this dish, but if you are looking for a change there are several things you can try!

Lemon lover: Add slices of lemon on top of your fish in the air fryer. They will turn a lovely golden brown and impart a stronger lemon flavor into the fish.

Healthy: If you want to make this healthy dish even healthier, you can swap out the butter for olive oil.

Spicy: Mix in some spicy flavors to the herbed butter with a dash of paprika and a pinch of cayenne.

Expert Tips and FAQS

Leave the skin on while the salmon cooks to keep it extra moist. Once cooked the skin should easily slide off of the fish. but you can remove it prior to cooking if you wish.

Don't overcrowd the salmon inside the air fryer basket. Air fryer baskets vary greatly in size and if you have a smaller air fryer you may not be able to fit all the salmon in at one time. Just be sure to leave some space in between the pieces of the fish so the air is able to circulate around it.

Serve up the salmon fillets with extra lemon wedges.

How do I know when salmon is done cooking?

When it comes to salmon, you can skip the meat thermometer and use a fork! When salmon is done, the color will be opaque and pink and flake easily when a fork is placed in the thickest part of the fillet. If you prefer to be precise, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature which should be at least 145 degrees throughout the piece of fish.

Do I leave the skin on for cooking?

Yes! While you can certainly prepare salmon in the air fryer with or without the skin, I find that the skin helps keep the fish moist and prevents it from drying out. When your fish is done cooking, it will easily pull away from the skin so you can enjoy your fillet of salmon.

If you really prefer to remove the skin before cooking, you can but just make sure you apply cooking spray to the basket and take extra caution when removing the fish.

Overhead view of air fryer salmon on a plate with rice.

More Air Fryer Recipes to Try

Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card right below! You can also write a review in the comment section further down the page I always appreciate your feedback. And don’t forget to tag me @freshcoasteats in your photos on social media, I'd love to see your results!

Air Fryer Salmon

A quick and easy preparation for cooking salmon fillets in the air fryer. Serve it up with a simple lemon butter sauce and your favorite sides.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Air Fryer Salmon, Air Fryer Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings:

Calories: 411kcal

Author: Karen

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

Salmon

▢ 8 ounces salmon fillets cut into 2, 4-ounce fillets
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper

Lemon Butter Sauce

▢ 4 Tablespoons butter
▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
▢ 1 garlic clove crushed
▢ ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

Instructions

Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper.
Place the fish skin side down in the air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.
While the salmon is cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the garlic, lemon juice and Italian seasonings. Cook for one minute and remove from heat.
When the salmon is finished cooking, removed from the air fryer and spoon lemon garlic herb butter over the salmon.
Serve immediately with extra butter sauce, fresh lemons and herbs.

Notes

For more lemon flavor, add lemon slices on top of the salmon as they cook.

I prefer to leave the skin on to keep the fish extra moist, but you can remove it prior to cooking if you wish.

I love making a double batch of this recipe for meal prepping. If stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator this meal should last up to 3 days. Reheat at 50% power in the microwave for a short time, or enjoy cold.

Nutrition

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Originally written and posted for Yellow Bliss Road.