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This easy Air Fryer Salmon Bites recipe uses fresh salmon chunks, simple seasonings, and my 5-minute homemade garlic butter as a sauce. It has a cooking time of fewer than 10 minutes and goes great with a variety of side dishes. Whether for an easy weeknight dinner, or a quick meal on the weekend, use my easy steps to learn how to make perfectly seasoned salmon bites in your air fryer for the whole family.
Why Make Air Fryer Salmon Bites
- Quick and easy: these salmon bites require simple ingredients and take less than 10 minutes to make.
- Work with your favorite sauce: You can top these tender salmon bites with so many sauce options. For example, you can use my lemon garlic butter sauce, cajun garlic butter (uses cajun seasoning), keto sweet chili sauce, bang bang sauce, alfredo sauce, and even the Hennessy BBQ sauce that I used on my Hennessy Wings.
- Pairs with a range of side dishes: Enjoy these as a high-protein, low-carb main dish with my creamed spinach, cauliflower pilaf, or air fryer spaghetti squash.
Ingredients Needed
Air fried salmon bites use a few ingredients. Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.
- Skinless Salmon Fillets: I used center-cut fresh (or thawed frozen salmon filets) with the bottom skin removed. I prefer Atlantic Salmon and cut it into about 12 bite-sized pieces (or salmon cubes).
- Herb Sprinkle Seasoning: I love herb blends because they pack a lot of flavor without requiring you to buy a lot of spices. If you don’t have the blend I use, you can make air fryer salmon bites with salt-free Garlic and Herb, Original Blend Mrs. Dash, Herbs de Provence, Cajun Seasoning, or Italian seasoning.
- Natural Ancient Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
- Smoked Paprika
- Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
- Sauce: I’m using lemon garlic butter sauce, but you can use keto sweet chili, bang bang sauce, alfredo sauce, and more.
How to Air Fry Salmon Bites
Making air fryer salmon bites is similar to the process of making my popular air fryer salmon.
- Prepare the fish: I dry each salmon fillet with a paper towel, and ensure there aren’t any bones. Then, I cut the fish into bite-sized pieces with a sharp knife.
- Season the fish: Add the fish bites to a small bowl with the olive oil and spices. Then, gently toss the fish in the olive oil and spices to coat.
- Add the salmon bites to the air fryer: make sure they are in your air fryer basket in an even, single layer.
- Air Fry the salmon bites: Add the fish to the air fryer basket and cook at 390 degrees. Once they are air fried, you toss the air fryer salmon nuggets in creamy garlic butter sauce with lemon, hot sauce, or another dipping sauce that you enjoy.
Top Cooking Tips & FAQs
- No need to flip: salmon cooks well without flipping it in the air fryer. So, you only need to check on the fish to check for doneness.
- Optional: Spray your air fryer basket with cooking spray to prevent your chunks of salmon from sticking.
- Add different sauces to switch things up: I’m using lemon butter garlic sauce, but you can easily vary this recipe by adding other sauces. Some of my personal favorites are: keto sweet chili sauce, keto teriyaki sauce, bang bang sauce, Alfredo sauce, and the Hennessy BBQ sauce that I used on my Hennessy Wings.
- Optional: If you want a little extra kick, you can add a little cayenne pepper.
How to Store Leftover Air Fryer Salmon Bites
The best way to store any leftover salmon pieces is in an airtight container for the next day (up to 3-4 days).
It takes about 15 minutes to cook. You can follow the steps in my frozen salmon in the air fryer post.
I choose to cook my salmon at 390 degrees so it’s done in less time. But, 375 and 380 also work (especially for frozen salmon), just be sure to adjust the cook time with a lower temperature.
In this recipe, I am using thawed salmon. But you can make frozen salmon in an air fryer.
It should flake easily with a fork. You can also look at the sides. Cooked salmon is opaque throughout the sides.
Recipes to Enjoy This With
Make a delicious meal with these side dishes:
- Keto Creamed Spinach
- Cauliflower Rice Pilaf
- Air Fryer Vegetables
- Pressure Cooker Collard Greens
- Pressure Cooker Cabbage
More Salmon Recipes
Here are other easy salmon recipes:
If you try this recipe, please stop back and leave it a star rating and/or a review in the comments. Stay connected & share photos of your creations with me & others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Air Fryer Salmon Bites
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Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz Salmon Filets , I used center-cut fresh, or thawed salmon filets with the bottom skin removed. I prefer Atlantic Salmon, cut into about 12 bites-sized pieces.
- 1 tsp 24 Herbs Sprinkle Seasoning (Salt-free), Salt-free Herb Blend like Mrs. Dash, Herbs de Provence, or Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt, fine
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp garlic butter, click for recipe
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Dry your filets with a paper towel and run the surface gently to ensure that there are no bones. Cut the salmon into bite sized pieces.
- Add the fish bites to a bowl with the olive oil and spices. Gently toss the fish in the olive and spices to coat.
- Turn your air fryer to 390 degrees and cook for 5-7 minutes. I recommend starting with 5 minutes, checking the fish, and increasing the time by 1 additional minute until the salmon bites are translucent pink is solid in color and it flakes easily with a fork.
- Melt the seasoned butter in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, mix in the lemon juice, and pour it over the fish.
Recipe Notes
- No need to flip: salmon cooks well without flipping it in the air fryer. So, you only need to check on the fish to check for doneness.
- Add different sauces to switch things up: I’m using lemon butter garlic sauce, but you can easily vary this recipe by adding other sauces. Some of my personal favorites are: keto sweet chili sauce, keto teriyaki sauce, bang bang sauce, Alfredo sauce and the Hennessy BBQ sauce that I used on my Hennessy Wings
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used. The keto sweeteners I use have 0g net carbs & are not included because sugar alcohols do not impact most people. This is provided as a courtesy, but you can do your own calculations if you wish!
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