These Air Fryer Salmon Bites are so delicious and they cook in minutes. Get ready for the easiest weeknight dinner EVER!
I'm not going to lie, I was a total skeptic of air fryer salmon. I've had certain things in the air fryer that I didn't love, and I didn't want to waste an expensive piece of salmon. I was so WRONG! This easy salmon recipe tastes better than in the oven!
In this recipe, I tossed the salmon in a cajun seasoning, which made it extra flavorful. If you're not a fan of cajun seasoning, there is an Italian seasoning option below.
If you are looking for more easy air fryer recipes, be sure to check my Air Fryer Turkey Burger Sliders, Air Fryer Italian Sausage and Air Fryer Butternut Squash.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It takes 10 minutes to make from start to finish
- This salmon turns into flaky, delicious bite size gems
- The recipe uses simple ingredients, that you most likely have in your spice drawer already
- Salmon is really healthy and full of Omega 3's
For more recipes with some heat, try my Charred Corn and Chicken Chorizo Paella.
Ingredients:
Salmon- A mild tasting fish that is rich in Omega 3's. It is cut into bite size pieces and tossed in a cajun seasoning for a nice kick! An article from the mayo clinic on 10 great health foods lists salmon as number 6 and states, "salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids — a type of fat that makes your blood less likely to form clots that may cause heart attacks."
How about that? It's healthy and delicious! I love when that happens.
Olive Oil- Used to coat the salmon to help the seasoning stick to the outside.
Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder and Salt- Spices used to create a mild cajun seasoning for the fish.
Substitutions & Variations:
If you're not crazy about spicy, you can reduce the paprika to just 1 teaspoon and take out the cayenne pepper completely.
You could also go with a more Italian spice route. Toss the salmon bites in olive oil and then for seasoning use a tablespoon of Italian seasoning or a mix of basil, oregano, and thyme. Mix in a teaspoon of garlic powder and ½ teaspoon of salt. YUM!
How to Make Air Fryer Salmon Bites:
Watch the full recipe video and be sure to SUBSCRIBE! It's free and I share new recipes every week!
Here are the Step by Step Instructions for these Salmon Bites.
Step 1: If the salmon has skin on it, it will need to be removed. I buy mine from Costco and the skin is already removed on their Atlantic Salmon. This tutorial will walk you through how to remove the skin (it's not my video).
Step 2: Cut the salmon into 1 inch bite size pieces. Try to get them all a similar size to make sure they cook evenly.
Step 3: In a large bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and salt to create the cajun seasoning.
In another large bowl, pour in the olive oil.
Step 4: Submerge the salmon bites into the olive oil and toss, so that each piece is covered in oil. Use your hands to remove them from the oil and place into the cajun seasoning. Use tongs to make sure the seasoning sticks to every surface of the fish.
Step 5: Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees. This only takes a few minutes on my air fryer, so I like to have the salmon bites ready to go before I do this step.
Once preheated, add the salmon into the basket in a single layer, spreading them apart to have a little space in between.
Step 6: If you like the salmon rare, start with 4 minutes. You can always stick it in the air fryer again, but if you overcook it, that's a bigger problem. I cook mine between 5 and 6 minutes until the internal temperature reads 140 degrees.
Enjoy! These are so yummy!
Recipe FAQs:
For small bite size pieces, they only need to cook at 375 degrees for 4 to 6 minutes. It depends on the air fryer, heat and thickness of the salmon. The best way to test for doneness is to use an internal thermometer and check for a temperature of 140 degrees.
I like to set the temperature at 375 degrees. This is the perfect temp for these juicy salmon bites.
I love the air fryer for cooking salmon. If you don't have one, baking in the oven is also really easy and good!
Sure thing! Try my oven baked chili lime salmon recipe. It's really yummy and if you want to use the cajun seasoning in this recipe, you can swap it out.
More Air Fryer Recipes You Will Love:
If you tried this Air Fryer Salmon Bites Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Air Fryer Salmon Bites
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
These Air Fryer Salmon Bites are so delicious and they cook in minutes. Get ready for the easiest weeknight dinner EVER!
Ingredients
- 1 lb piece of Salmon, skin removed (I used Atlantic Salmon. If you use Sockeye, it generally cooks a bit faster)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- Optional: Lemon wedges for serving and 2 tablespoons fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- If the salmon has skin on it, it will need to be removed. (Video is in the How to Make section above if you need help doing this)
- Cut the salmon into 1 inch bite size pieces. Try to get them all a similar size to make sure they cook evenly.
- In a large bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and salt to create the cajun seasoning.
- In another large bowl, pour in the olive oil.
- Submerge the salmon bites into the olive oil and toss so that each piece is covered in oil. Use your hands to remove them from the oil and place into the cajun seasoning. Use tongs to make sure the seasoning sticks to every surface of the fish.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees. This only takes a few minutes on my air fryer, so I like to have the salmon bites ready to go before I do this step.
- Once preheated, add the salmon into the basket in a single layer, spreading them apart to have a little space in between.
- If you like the salmon rare, start with 4 minutes. You can always stick it in the air fryer again, but if you overcook it, that's a bigger problem. I cook mine between 5 and 6 minutes until the internal temperature reads 140 degrees.
- Enjoy! These are so yummy!
Notes
Salmon should be cooked at an internal temperature of 140 degrees.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: air fryer salmon bites, air fryer salmon, cajun salmon
Lydia
So easy and very delicious! I made it to go in a bowl with rice and roasted veggies and for an optional sauce I made a quick mayonnaise and siracha mix. I’ll be preparing salmon this way a lot now.
★★★★★
Tara Smithson
Thank you so much! That sounds amazing. So glad you liked this method. I think salmon is my favorite food to make in the air fryer. It’s so good!
Robert
These are so good!!!
★★★★★