The Rule Of Thumb You Should Follow To Cook Moist Yet Crisp Salmon In The Air Fryer

Why make a mess on your stovetop when you can make perfectly crispy, tender salmon in your air fryer in as little as eight minutes? Despite the name, air fryers don't actually fry food. Instead, they work like a countertop convection oven, rapidly blowing hot air around your food to cook it evenly and quickly without being immersed in oil. Air fryers are perfect for cooking salmon because the hot air that circulates in the machine crisps up the outside while keeping the inside juicy and moist. 

To achieve perfect air fryer salmon that's not dried out, it's important to cook it for the correct length of time. According to Business Insider, Chef Meredith Laurence of Blue Jean Chef says how long you cook your salmon in the air fryer depends on the thickness of the fillets. "My rule of thumb is for every inch that the salmon is thick, you cook it for 10 minutes at 400 degrees," she says. "So if it's thicker than an inch, you're going to go up 12 minutes, and if it's thinner than an inch, you're going to go for about eight minutes." Laurence also says the higher the temperature the better, so you can also choose to set your air fryer to 425 degrees (if it goes up that high) and check your salmon at around eight minutes (The FDA recommends cooking your salmon until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees). 

Overcooked salmon, like most overdone meat, is flavorless and dry, which is why it's important to nail the correct cooking time for your fish dinner. In addition to advice from professional chefs like Meredith Laurence, it's helpful to consult your air fryer manual for the best cooking times since the optimal times/temperatures can vary depending on the wattage and size of your appliance. For instance, larger toaster oven-style air fryers should be set to a higher temperature and need about five to 10 minutes longer to cook salmon, according to the Hamilton Beach Test Kitchen. So, if you have this style of air fryer, aim to cook your salmon for 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Additionally, if you're adding vegetables like asparagus or baby potatoes to your basket alongside the salmon, you'll likely have to increase your cooking time since there's more food to cook. Instant Brands Culinary Team suggests cooking salmon and asparagus in their basket air fryers for a total of 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, adding the asparagus halfway through cooking. Cuisinart, meanwhile, advises 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for cooking salmon and veggies simultaneously in their toaster oven-style air fryers. 

When selecting your fish, it helps to check out a guide to buying salmon at the grocery store. You'll also want to avoid making big mistakes with your air fryer, like forgetting the oil when cooking salmon. While you don't always need to add oil to your air fryer — frozen foods like tater tots and french fries usually have enough oil already — you'll definitely want to brush or spray your salmon with olive oil or cooking spray before adding it to the air fryer. This will help prevent it from sticking to the basket, as well as add flavor and amp up the crispiness. It's best to avoid spraying the actual basket with cooking spray since this can damage the non-stick coating. 

Boost the flavor by seasoning or marinating your salmon prior to adding it to the air fryer. To ensure a crispy outside, avoid the marinade mistake that makes salmon mushy – marinating your salmon longer than 30 minutes. A question that often pops up when cooking salmon in the air fryer is whether to flip it halfway through cooking. Opinions on this vary, with some people believing there's no need to flip since the hot air circulates underneath the food in the basket. However, since the heating element is typically located near the top of the air fryer, it's likely best to flip your food to ensure both sides have a chance to get nice and crispy.