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American

Air Fryer Salmon

Salmon fillets are seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon, then air-fried until they flake. Pull them while the center is just opaque if you want them moist, and use the higher chart temperature if you want them firmer.

Prep
5 min
Cook
9 min
Total
14 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
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Four salmon fillets on a plate with lemon wedges and black pepper, one fillet broken with a fork to show a just-opaque pink center.

Why you’ll love it

  • A hot basket and a single layer brown the top without drying the center.
  • Oil on the fish, not a pool in the basket, is enough for color.
  • Lemon goes on at the end so the juice stays bright.
  • Thickness decides the time more than the weight printed on the package.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Pat the fillets dry. Rub them with the oil, salt, and pepper.

  2. 2

    Heat the air fryer to 400°F. Place the fillets in a single layer, skin side down if they have skin. Do not crowd the basket. Overlapping fillets steam.

  3. 3

    Cook 8 to 10 minutes for 1-inch fillets. Do not flip skin-on pieces. Skinless fillets can be turned once at 5 minutes if the top is already brown.

  4. 4

    Pull the fish when it flakes under a fork and the center is just opaque, about 125 to 130°F, if you want it moist. The USDA chart lists 145°F, which will be firmer and drier. Add 1 to 3 minutes if you are cooking to 145°F.

  5. 5

    If only two fillets fit, cook the rest for the same time. Do not stack them.

  6. 6

    Rest 2 minutes. Squeeze lemon over the fillets just before serving.

Pro tips

  • Check the thickest fillet, not the thin tail. Tails finish first and can be pulled early.
  • Carryover heat raises the temperature a couple of degrees after you take the basket out. If you want 130°F on the plate, pull closer to 125°F.
  • Frozen fillets need to be thawed and dried first. Cooking from frozen throws off this timing.

Easy substitutions

lemon
lime wedges, for serving
salmon fillets
steelhead trout fillets of the same thickness
olive oil
1 tbsp melted butter

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate leftover salmon for up to 2 days. The flesh dries the longer it sits, so eat it sooner if you can.

Reheating

Warm at 300°F in the air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes, just until hot. It will not be as moist as the first cook. Cold leftover salmon is fine flaked onto a salad.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
340
Protein
29 g
Carbs
1 g
Fat
23 g
Fiber
0 g

Moderate · Air Fryer

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients