Air Fryer Gochujang Salmon

This air fryer gochujang salmon is tender and moist with the perfect balance of heat from the gochujang and sweetness from the honey.

With our hectic schedule, I’m relying heavily on quick and easy dinners to feed the family. I make pre-marinated meat and fish that my husband can throw in the air fryer and put dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. Miso cod, miso Chilean sea bass, and tamarind salmon are our go-tos for fish. Our latest addition is the air fryer gochujang salmon. The salmon becomes tender and moist with the perfect balance of heat from the gochujang and sweetness from the honey.

Ingredient Notes

• Gochujang: is a Korean condiment made from red fermented paste glutinous rice, soybeans, chile peppers, and barley. The paste is thick with a wonderful balance of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. You can find gochujang online and at your local Asian grocery stores. I get mine from Hmart.
• Salmon: for this recipe I used a 1-pound piece of salmon fillet. Look for salmon with vibrant color and no darkening around the edges. Avoid salmon that smell fishy or off-putting. When picking out salmon, make sure that the thickest part of the fish is no larger than an inch to ensure optimal cooking.

How Long to Marinate Salmon

For the gochujang salmon, marinate it for at least 4 hours but overnight is even better.

Tips for Air Frying

• Depending on what air fryer you own, you’ll need to follow the instructions and preheat it. Preheating the air fryer will help crisp up the edge of your fish.
• Make sure the salmon fillets are similar in size. The time needed to cook salmon depends on the thickness and size of the salmon. Using the same size ensures that the salmon will cook evenly. I kept my salmon in one piece but feel free to divide up for your salmon into smaller pieces.
• Use salmon with skin on which adds a protective layer and prevents it from drying out during the cooking process.
• Spray the air fryer basket to prevent food from getting stuck to it. This step is optional of if you use the foil. For cooking salmon and other fish, I add a piece of foil right underneath the piece of fish. Depending on what kind of material your air frying basket is made of, the skin might get stuck to the bottom and makes it harder to clean. With the foil, I can easily lift the fish out of the basket.
• Don’t overcrowd the basket. Overcrowding the basket can result in undercooking some of the food and burning the other half. The food needs room on all sides to have the circulating air cook it. If you’re scaling up the recipe, divide your batch to ensure the fish cook evenly.
• Cook the gochujang salmon at 375 degrees F for 12 minutes.
• Cook the salmon for another 2 minutes in the air fryer if the middle part is still not cooked through.

What to Serve Salmon With

The gochujang salmon tastes great with Jasmine rice, green vegetables like bok choy, broccolini, green beans, or fresh cucumber.

Storage

Leftover salmon will keep well in a lidded container for 48 hours. Rewarm in the microwave before serving.

For more AF fish inspiration:

• AF Chilean sea bass with honey miso glaze
• Air fryer miso cod
• Healthy AF salmon with ginger and scallion
• AF Vietnamese tamarind salmon