Before singing the praises of my air fryer I’d like to take a moment to talk about salmon. Salmon is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. This popular fatty fish is not only loaded with nutrients but also may reduce certain risk factors for several diseases. What’s more, it’s tasty, versatile, and widely available.
There are several health benefits to eating salmon and they include but are not limited to:
- salmon is high in important nutrients such as protein, iodine, and various vitamins and minerals
- salmon may lower your risk of heart attack
- salmon can boost brain health
- salmon helps to treat depression
- salmon is a great source of Vitamin D, most lacking especially in older adults
- salmon can assist with improving sleep quality
- salmon is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious
And that last point is the primary focus of this post. Salmon is easy to prepare in a wide variety of ways but my go-to prep method these days is my air fryer. At this point, probably the best appliance I have in my kitchen is my air fryer. I use it all the time. And, over time, I have perfected this salmon recipe which I have, on average, twice a week. It is delicious, satisfying and most of all good for you.
Just a few words about air frying – like ovens all air fryers are different. I’ve found that part of the success of using any appliance is knowing the basics of how it functions. Case in point, I had one well known brand name air fryer that I absolutely hated. I just couldn’t master how it functioned. I gave that away, bought a very inexpensive lesser known model and after just a few practice runs learned how to use it to create perfection.
I always tell people not to give up on an air fryer just because something doesn’t come out the way you want it the very first time. Get to know the appliance and only after many, many tries give up on it if you feel you can’t get it to work. I’ve found hardly anything comes out exactly right the first time you make it be it in the oven, toaster oven, instant pot, microwave or air fryer. But if you’re persistent success will come your way.
Air Fryer Salmon
INGREDIENTS:
2 six ounce pieces of salmon, skin on preferred
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
Lemon pepper seasoning
Garlic Powder
Cooking spray
DIRECTIONS:
Marinate the salmon by sprinkling lemon pepper and garlic powder on both sides. Sprinkle each ingredient separately and press the seasoning into the skin and flesh of the salmon each time. Combine the soy sauce and maple syrup. Place the salmon in a plastic bag, pour the soy sauce mixture over the salmon, seal the bag and let the salmon marinate for at least 30 minutes but 2 hours is more desirable.
Preheat the air fryer to 385. Once preheated, remove the fryer chamber from the machine, spray the bottom surface with cooking spray and place the marinated salmon (make sure to shake off any excess moisture from the marinade) into the air fryer skin side down. Air fry for 8-10 minutes (with my air fryer 8 minutes is perfect), remove the salmon from the air fryer and serve.
The pictures below show how my salmon, using this recipe, comes out of the air fryer every single time.
You Betcha Can Make This! 