Salmon is my favorite fish to cook, and this air fryer salmon recipe makes a salmon fillet so perfect.
Air fryer salmon is a biggie around here (actually, all air fryer fish is much appreciated in my home), and this salmon recipe makes it out of this world.
Are Air Fryer Recipes Healthier?
Aside from the health benefits, an air fryer is easy to use and easy to clean. Also, when you air fry food, it cooks faster than cooking food in your oven. However, cooking food in the oven often preserves good nutrients.
But honestly, I’m going to go with the one that offers fewer calories. But that’s just me. It’s your choice.
The thing about this air fryer fish recipe is that if I chose one to impress guests with, this would be hard to turn down.
The air fryer salmon isn’t dry. When you air fry salmon, it’s juicy, and oh boy, the glaze on it with the Dijon mustard and brown sugar is probably the best that I’ve ever had.
Just don’t overcook it, and you will be one happy camper. You don’t want to serve a dry piece of fish.
Whenever I’m this happy about a recipe, it seems to be food that isn’t particularly good for me. For example, one of my go-to comfort foods is smothered pork chops. Compare that to this.
I’m still going to eat smothered pork chops, though. Do you see how I never learn my lesson? Moving right along, let’s get back to the salmon. Yes, I know I go off on tangents. Lord have mercy.
Health Benefits of Salmon (Nutrition Information)
Food thrown in the air fryer comes out much healthier than fried foods. Salmon itself is low in saturated fat and very healthy, so air frying salmon is all the better health-wise.
Cooked salmon is low-carb, and it’s packed with vitamin B12, among other vitamins. Cooking food in the air fryer cuts calories by 70% to 80% and perfect air fryer salmon has a lot less fat.
How Do I Prepare the Salmon?
First, cut the salmon into equal pieces. If you have one large piece that you want to cut into two filets, be sure to make them cut into equal pieces so that they finish cooking simultaneously.
What about the salmon skin? You can take the skin off or leave it on. I leave the skin on so that it doesn’t fall apart in the air fryer.
Do I put the salmon skin up or down? Down is the correct way. You do not want them falling apart as they cook.
You can also make air fryer salmon patties, but we’ll get into that later.
Different Ways to Cook Salmon
Salmon can be so versatile. In addition to air fryer salmon, this delicious fish can go into salads.
You can use leftover salmon for taco night. We have Taco Tuesday once per week to eliminate the leftovers that build up throughout the week.
Baked salmon in aluminum foil is really good. Frozen salmon is perfect for making baked salmon.
You can make grilled salmon, and you can try cooking salmon patties, which are similar to tuna patties.
And if you have any leftover salmon (you will not have any leftovers), you can always throw together a salmon omelet for breakfast with cream cheese and eggs.
I know how this works; I’m going to crave an air fryer salmon omelet in the morning now, and there won’t be any leftovers:(
What Goes With Salmon (Some Yummy Side Dishes!)
When I cook any kind of fish, I always want to pair it with some sort of potato dish. I made the air fryer salmon tonight and served it with butter, garlic, baby potatoes, and asparagus topped with parmesan cheese.
It was delicious, but you can make this main dish and serve it with basmati rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice.
- Air fryer broccoli works, too
- Air Fryer asparagus wrapped in air fryer bacon
- Southern style green beans
- Deviled eggs (hey, why not?)
- Glazed carrots (make them in the slow cooker or Instant Pot)
- Any air fryer potatoes
I think you get the idea. Salmon pairs well with just about anything. Not oatmeal, though. I didn’t literally mean everything. Don’t start with me. I chose roasted asparagus and baby potatoes tonight.
All of these side dishes are great with air fryer pork chops or air fryer chicken breast, too.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Salmon Recipe
You’ll need:
- 2 salmon filets
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- Smoked paprika (or sweet paprika)
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder (If you can find it. Grrr!)
You can garnish the fresh salmon with lemon slices or lemon wedges if you like, and serve up this delicious air fryer fish with tartar sauce.
I don’t serve mine with tartar sauce because I don’t want to overpower the glaze. But you can use it if you like!
Alternative Ingredients for Air Fryer Fish
Can you use frozen salmon for this air fryer salmon recipe? Sure you can! You’ll just have to thaw the frozen salmon or adjust your recipe accordingly.
Want to modify your recipe? You can try using lemon juice, chili powder, fresh garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper, air fryer bacon, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, and lemon pepper seasoning.
We also love air fryer fish with a garlic herb seasoning blend.
Weight Watchers Air Fryer Salmon
If you’re following the Weight Watchers diet (now WW), you can easily adjust this air fryer salmon recipe for your WW way of life.
All you need to do is replace the brown sugar in this salmon filet recipe with a substitute ingredient such as Monkfruit Golden, which is the sugar-free equivalent of brown sugar. You won’t notice the difference!
Alternatively, you can leave the brown sugar in this recipe and count the points. Two tablespoons of brown sugar have just 5 Personal Points, and that’s not bad considering that the rest of the recipe (the salmon filet, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, soy sauce, and onion powder) is very low in points.
One tablespoon of olive oil has 4 points. You can try using olive oil spray and reducing the amount of olive oil you put in this air fryer recipe to save even more points.
Everything else about this air fried salmon recipe is ideal for Weight Watchers healthy eating and will be low in Personal Points (formerly SmartPoints).
What Is The Twist?
Brown sugar.
Yup, and if you don’t have any brown sugar in your pantry, you can use honey; the added sweetness is just perfect.
Also, the Dijon mustard adds a zing to the salmon. The combination of brown sugar and dijon mustard is amazing.
The air fryer will brown the salmon, and it comes out slightly crispy. It is delicious. And healthy, but we already got into that.
I guess you noticed that I’m into healthy air fryer recipes. The sound of the word air fryer just doesn’t sound healthy, but it is.
Can We Make The Air Fryer Recipe Now, Or Are You Going To Talk All Day Long?
Don’t be like that. Oh, wait, I wrote that. And I wrote it to me. This is getting kind of weird. Let’s eat!
Conover’s Air Fryer Salmon Recipe
Here we go:
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Set it for 11 minutes. You’ll need to check with a thermometer to see if they’re ready earlier. It needs to get to 145 degrees.
- Pat the salmon dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper the salmon to taste.
- Take a cup and fill it with olive oil, soy sauce, dijon mustard, brown sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder; stir the mixture.
- Use a brush to cover the salmon fillet liberally and on the sides.
- Spray your air fryer basket with olive oil spray or cooking spray to help prevent sticking.
- Set the salmon in the air fryer basket, and be sure they aren’t touching.
- Cook the salmon fillet for up to 11 minutes. The timing depends on the thickness of the salmon filets.
- Transfer to a plate, and garnish with lemon wedges if you like.
- Enjoy!
Delicious Air Fryer Salmon With A Twist
Equipment
- 1 Air fryer
Ingredients
- 2 filets of salmon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Set it for 11 minutes. You'll need to check with a thermometer to see if they're ready earlier. It needs to get to 145 degrees.
- Pat the salmon dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper the salmon to taste.
- Take a cup and fill it with olive oil, soy sauce, dijon mustard, brown sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder; stir the mixture.
- Use a brush to cover the salmon liberally and on the sides.
- Set the salmon in the air fryer, and be sure they aren't touching.
- Cook the salmon for up to 11 minutes. The timing depends on the thickness of the salmon filets.
- Transfer to a plate, and garnish with lemon slices if you like.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Totally going to get Joe to make this for me! Salmon is something he can cook, and the WW modifications will make this one a winner for my diet.
How do you get a guy to cook? Asking for a friend.