Air Fryer Salmon

5 from 11 votes

Cooking salmon in the air fryer makes it come out perfectly flakey, succulent and with a lovely browned top. And no fishy smell in the house!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: servings

Calories: 263kcal

Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes to 400°F.
In the meantime, combine ground paprika, garlic powdere, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl to form a paste.
Pat salmon dry with paper towels, then rub all over with a few pinches of salt and cracked black pepper. Spread seasoning paste over the top of the salmon fillets.
Place salmon, skin-side down, in hot air fryer basket. Air fry for 10 minutes, until salmon flakes easily. Serve immediately.

Salmon: Please, please buy skin-on salmon fillets! The skin makes for a great little “plate” for the salmon to sit on in the air fryer. You don’t have to eat it and the salmon flakes away from the skin easily, but it really works better with the skin on in the air fryer.
Italian seasoning: You don’t have to use Italian seasoning, you can use any dried herbs you enjoy. I’ll often use just dried parsley and it’s absolutely delicious.
Olive oil: This is my favorite here, but feel free to use any cooking oil you have on hand.
Sweetness? If you like a bit of sweetness to your salmon, feel free to add 1 teaspoon brown sugar to the seasoning paste.

If you want to make sure your topping does not char at all, don’t add it from the beginning – spread it over the salmon after half the cooking time.
In the air fryer it’s OK to check on your food a few times. That way, you can see when your salmon is done and won’t end up with overcooked fish.
Use your air fried salmon to make a creamy salmon pasta!