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If you’re wondering how to make salmon in a Ninja Foodi air fryer, then look no further. This easy recipe for air fryer salmon takes less than 10 minutes to complete. It includes tips to cook your salmon filets perfectly. Plus, I share several recommendations for delicious, low carb & keto-friendly side dishes. This recipe is great if you want a quick & easy healthy meal.
How to Make Salmon in an Air Fryer:
- Ensure that all of the bones are removed from your salmon by rubbing the tops gently with your hand
- Pat your salmon filets dry with a paper towel
- Drizzle olive oil on your filets and spread it evenly on both sides
- Season the filets with salt and pepper or a spice mix
- Turn your air fryer on 390 degrees and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until your fish flakes easily with a fork
How to not overcook your salmon filet in the Ninja Foodi:
The amount of time that this dish takes largely depends on how thick your fish is. I would always start with less time and add more time in 1-minute intervals. For Sockeye Salmon, 5 minutes was more than enough. If you have a thicker fish, start with 5 minutes, then add more time until it flakes easily.
Just like salt, you can always cook the fish longer if it’s not done. But you can’t reverse time, if it gets overcooked. Air Fryers are perfect for doing quick checks, since you can open the lid, test the fish, and return it if needed.
Does the bottom skin get crispy?
After making salmon in an air fryer several times, one thing that I noticed is that the bottom skin does not get as crispy as when you sear salmon in a hot pan. For me, I opt to eat the salmon without the skin when I make it in my air fryer.
Which salmon did you use?
In this recipe, I used two, 4-oz Sockeye Salmon fillets. My fish came pre-portioned from Sizzle Fish.
Since this fish is light and not as thick (when compared to Atlantic Salmon), it cooked pretty quickly. My fish was thawed and had sat on the counter for about 15 minutes to come closer to room temperature.
Which air fryer did you use?
In this recipe, I’m using the “Air Crisp” function on my Ninja Foodi. As I mentioned in my Ninja Foodi product review, this performs exactly like an air fryer. One of the perks though is that it’s a pressure cooker too! So, with one machine, I can make this dish as well as Keto BBQ Pulled Pork and Ninja Foodi Ribs.
What spice mixture did you use?
This recipe uses an easy spice mixture with items that you likely have in your pantry. The spice mixture includes:
- Herbes de Provence
- Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
- Smoked Paprika
What about spice substitutions?
If you don’t have Herbes de Provence, I commonly substitute it with Italian Seasoning. They have lots of the same flavors like basil, oregano and thyme. The major difference is that Herbes de Provence has other flavors like lavender.
What are some side dishes for air fryer salmon?
To create a keto & low carb meal, I paired this salmon with easy roasted vegetables. But, there are so many side dish options to make this cooked salmon a meal. Some of my favorites are:
- Cauliflower Rice Risotto
- Keto Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Easy Sauteed Asparagus
- Sautéed String Beans
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- Loaded Cauliflower
- Roasted Bok Choy
- Filipino Garlic Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Feta & Zucchini
More keto & low carb air fryer recipes:
I love cooking in an air fryer because it turns almost anything into a quick meal! If you have an air fryer or are new to having one, then here are some other delicious recipes that you can make in it.
- Garlic Parmesan Wings
- Air Fryer Fried Chicken
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Green Beans with Bacon
- Air Fryer Shrimp Scampi
- Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs
- Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Bacon
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
- Air Fryer Green Beans
If you have a Foodi, then you should also explore my collection of Ninja Foodi recipes.
Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Herbed Salmon Recipe
Use DRDAVINAHS at checkout to save on some equipment & ingredients!
Ingredients
- 8 oz Sizzle Fish Salmon Fillets, I used two, 4-oz Sizzle Fish Sockeye Salmon filets
- 1 tsp Herbes de Provence
- 1/4 tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Medlee Seasoned Butter, I used Medlee Lemon & Herb. You could swap this for regular butter and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Instructions
- Dry your filets with a paper towel and run the surface gently to ensure that there are no bones
- Drizzle the olive oil on the fish and rub it in on both sides of the fix
- Mix the seasonings & sprinkle them on both sides of the fish
- Turn your air fryer on 390 degrees and cook for 5-8 minutes. I recommend starting with 5 minutes, checking the fish, and increasing the time by 1 additional minutes until it flakes easily with a fork.
- Melt the seasoned butter for 30 seconds in the microwave and pour it over the fish before eating.
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!
Tanjiro says
I wonder what this recipe tastes like. I can’t wait to try this someday. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Davinah says
Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope that you get the chance to make it.
Michelle says
Made it twice so far, exactly as you have, and I must say, it’s the best salmon I have ever made. Can’t see any reason to make it any other way. Thank you , Dr. Davinah.
Davinah says
Hi Michelle!
Thanks so much for taking the time to review this! I’m so happy that you enjoyed it!
Best,
Davinah
Josh says
Are your fillets frozen
Davinah says
Hi Josh,
They were thawed before I cooked them.
Thanks,
Davinah
Jeena says
Hi, I made it yesterday. I used the salmon from Costco. Somehow, it was too dry. I had put 390, wondering if I should have tried with lower temp
Davinah says
Hi Jeena,
Generally, when fish gets too dry, it is because the fish is overcooked. Depending on the size, your fish can cook in ~5 minutes in an air fryer. When I make this, I start with 5 minutes, then check at 1-minute intervals until it flakes easily with a fork.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
Davinah
Nelly Elayoubi says
How long would I cook for if using frozen salmon?
Thank you.
Davinah says
Hi Nelly,
I don’t include those instructions because cooking frozen meat & fish will cause them to toughen up. I recommend thawing all of your proteins out first using the cold water method. All you do is add the packaged fish to a large bowl and fill the bowl/cover the fish with water. It takes about 30 minutes.
Hope that helps!
Best,
Davinah
John Albert E. says
The Magic Salmon Seasoning is sensational! It provides the best flavor ever and also takes away the strong ‘fishy
taste of the Salmon. I made extra for later meals.
Davinah says
Hi John,
I’ve never tried this seasoning. Thanks so much for sharing the tip. Glad you enjoyed this 🙂
Best,
Davinah