Our air fryer salmon with skin on is the best way to enjoy a sweet and satisfying twist to this flakey and delicious fish. We are going to start by roasting our air fryer salmon fillet for a few minutes, then we will brush on the honey garlic sauce that takes this dinner to a whole other level of amazing. This whole recipe takes just 15-minutes - start to finish - and it is certainly a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
Air Fryer Salmon Fillet
Being born and raised in the Pacific Northwest we have easy access to fresh salmon from Alaska. It's definitely something we cook as either an easy weeknight dinner or for holidays, and special occasions, too. The best thing about air frying salmon is that it's so fast and easy! If at all possible, always try to buy fresh or even frozen Pacific salmon and not farm-raised Atlantic salmon. Yes, Pacific salmon costs more but you're sacrificing flavor that Atlantic salmon simply does not have.
If you're cooking a high-quality Pacific salmon fillet, all you'll ever need is a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Very little needs to get added to bring out the best flavor when you're using high-quality cuts of meats and seafood. Adding the glaze recipe we include would be completely optional (but it's seriously amazing, so you may want to give it a try).
Serve your honey garlic salmon air fryer recipe for a quick and easy air fryer seafood dinner. We love to keep dinner simple by pairing this skin on salmon recipe with air fryer whole potatoes and air fryer frozen asparagus.
Why You'll Love This!
- Our air fryer salmon fillet recipe is the best way to get tender, flakey, and delicious salmon on your dinner table in just a few minutes.
- Seasoned simply with salt and pepper, our air fryer salmon with skin recipe is designed to let the amazing flavor of the fish stand out.
- Completely optional, but hightly recommended, is our glaze made of honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, and garlic that brings a sweet and savory experience to the air fryer salmon.
- With many known health benefits, salmon is a fish dinner that you are going to want to include in your meal plans especially if you are following gluten-free, low-carb, keto, or dairy-free lifestyles.
- Needing minimal prep, and just few minutes in the air fryer, our air fryer salmon with skin on recipe is ready for your table in just 15 minutes.
In our home, we know that the air fryer is a powerhouse of an appliance. Versatile and easy to use, our air fryer runs nearly daily to help us create wonderful dishes that are full of flavor, quick, easy, and delicious. If you love using your air fryer to make delightful meals, including additional seafood recipes, be sure to check out our air fryer frozen salmon recipe and our cajun air fryer shrimp (no breading).
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Ingredient Notes
While beautiful salmon fillets are the star of your air fryer salmon fillet dinner, you will need to grab a few items to support them including oil, salt and pepper, lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, and garlic.
- Salmon fillets
- olive oil
- fine sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- honey
- soy sauce
- lemon juice
- minced garlic cloves
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Variations
- Seasoning - While salt & pepper is always a great option for air fryer salmon fillets, feel free to try use McCormick's garlic herb seasoning or lemon pepper and dill.
- Honey Garlic Glaze - Variations for the honey garlic glaze include using maple syrup instead of honey, or adding mustard to the mix for a sweet and savory taste.
Equipment
An Air Fryer- We have a Cosori XL basket style air fryer, an Omni Plus oven style air fryer, and a small 3.2L Farberware basket style air fryer. The Cosori was used in this recipe.
Diet Adaptions
- Low-Carb/Keto - If you are following a low-carb or keto lifestyle you are going to want to either skip the honey glaze or use an approved subsitute. The soy sauce will need to be swapped for coconut aminos or wheat-free tamari.
- Gluten-Free - Use coconut aminos or wheat-free tamari in place of the soy sauce.
Step by Step Instructions
Our air fryer salmon with skin recipe is a super easy dinner option that you can get on your table in just a few easy steps - all in under 20-minutes! We start by making a glaze, seasoning the fillets, and then cooking them partway. Add the honey garlic glaze we made a the beginning and continue cooking until your salmon fillets with skin are flakey and delicious.
Prep
Make the honey garlic glaze and set it aside.
Remove the salmon fillets from the packaging and brush them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Air Fryer Salmon Temperature
Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes. Most air fryer models have a preheat feature, but if yours does not, you can preheat your air fryer by setting it to 400F and allowing it to run just like you would an oven.
You can prep your honey garlic glaze and salmon fillets while the air fryer is preheating.
Air Fryer Salmon Cooking Time
Place the salmon fillets in the air fryer basket with the skin side facing down. If you have a smaller capacity air fryer you might have to cook 1 fillet at a time.
Air fry the salmon for 5 minutes.
Brush the glaze on the salmon and cook it for 1-2 more minutes until the internal temperature tested with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the salmon reads 125 F for medium-rare salmon or up to 140 Fahrenheit for up to medium done salmon.
Let the fish rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Serve with lemon wedges on the side. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- For best results, preheat your your air fryer prior to cooking your honey garlic salmon air fryer recipe.
- Purchasing wild Pacific salmon is highly recommended as farm-raised Atlantic salmon does NOT have as much flavor.
- A digital cooking thermometer is highly recommended so that the salmon doesn't get overcooked. If you don't have a meat thermometer, cook the salmon until it JUST flakes with a fork and is still slightly pink on the inside.
- Medium-rare salmon has an internal temperature of 120-125 F, medium salmon is 125-140 F. The USDA recommends cooking salmon to 145 F but it'll taste a little dry and overcooked if you let it cook that long.
- Adding parchment paper to the bottom of the air fryer basket also makes for easy clean-up but is not required
Common Questions
You can serve your air fryer salmon with skin on with a variety of sides including potatoes, salads, and vegetables. For a quick air-fryer friendly meal, serve these salmon fillets with baby potatoes and frozen asparagus.
It is not necessary to flip salmon in air fryer as it's generally pretty thin cut and most fillets most fillets come with skin on the bottom.
The best way to know your salmon is done in the air fryer is to use a digital meat thermometer. If that's not possible, you can use a fork to check for doneness. You know your salmon is done when it flakes with a fork and is still slightly pink on the inside. Don't forget that salmon is a delicate meat that continues to cook after removing from the air fryer. 
More Air Fryer Seafood Recipes
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Honey Garlic Air Fryer Salmon Fillet
Cook the BEST air fryer salmon with the skin on to perfection. Add our honey garlic glaze as an optional step. Serve the salmon in air fryer with air fryer asparagus and potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Salmon, 2 fillets (8 oz each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼+ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 teaspoon minced garlic cloves
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes.
- Make the honey garlic glaze and set it aside. Remove the salmon fillets from the packaging and brush them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
- Place the salmon fillets in the air fryer basket with the skin side facing down. If you have a smaller capacity air fryer you might have to cook 1 fillet at a time.
- Air fry the salmon for 5 minutes. Brush the glaze on the salmon and cook it for 1-2 more minutes until the internal temperature tested with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the salmon reads 125 F for medium-rare salmon or up to 140 Fahrenheit for up to medium done salmon.
- Let the fish rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
A digital cooking thermometer is highly recommended so that the salmon doesn't get overcooked. If you don't have a meat thermometer, cook the salmon until it JUST flakes with a fork and is still slightly pink on the inside.
Medium-rare salmon has an internal temperature of 120-125 F, medium salmon is `125-140 F. The USDA recommends cooking salmon to 145 F but it'll taste a little dry and overcooked if you let it cook that long.
Purchasing wild Pacific salmon is highly recommended, farm raised Atlantic salmon does NOT have as much flavor.
All air fryer models vary slightly, this recipe used a Cosori air fryer which is an 1800 watt air fryer. If your air fryer has less watt it'll take a little longer to cook, if yours is a higher wattage it'll cook faster.
It's easy to vary the salmon seasonings, brushing it with olive oil and then sprinkling it with salt and pepper, McCormick's garlic herb seasoning is fantastic, or lemon pepper and dill. The honey garlic glaze is optional.
Variations for the honey garlic glaze include using maple syrup instead of honey, or adding mustard to the mix for a sweet and savory taste.
Adding parchment paper to the bottom of the air fryer basket also makes for easy clean-up but is not required.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 319Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 71mgSodium 727mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 0gSugar 13gProtein 26g
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