Healthy Air Fryer Salmon with Ginger and Scallion

Skip the oven and make this healthy air fryer salmon for a delicious, easy weeknight meal that takes less than 15 minutes to cook.

The pandemic really changed the way we cook. More than ever, we gravitate toward easy meals with the Instant Pot, air fryer, and one pan dinners. When I had COVID in January, my husband took over feeding the whole family for a couple weeks. He used the air fryer for half of the meals, making everything from wings, chicken nuggets, meatballs, pork chops, salmon, and fish tacos, to fries. One of my favorite meals was the air fryer salmon with ginger and scallion. Brushed with a simple oyster sauce glaze, the salmon came out perfectly tender, moist, and flaky then topped with fragrant ginger and scallion for a fuss free dinner that even someone with minimal cooking skills can throw together!

Ingredient Notes

• Salmon: Versatile and delicious, salmon are quick and easy to cook. For this recipe I used a 1.25-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. I believe in sustainability and buy salmon with Marine Stewardship Council Certification. MSC certification tells you the salmon was produced sustainably. 
• Oyster sauce: oyster sauce is a common condiment used in Asian cooking for stir-fries marinade, and a finishing touch on steamed vegetables. Made from a mixture of boiled down oyster juices (which have caramelized), along with salt and sugar, it lends an earthy, slightly sweet, salty, and umami flavor. You can read more about oyster sauce here.  My favorite brand is Lee Kum Kee and you can find oyster sauce at Asian grocery stores or online. 
• Ginger: for this recipe I used fresh ginger. Fresh ginger is less fibrous, more tender, and lends a peppery and spicy kick to the final recipe. Peeling the skin is a personal preference. I use organic ginger so I leave the skin on.
• Scallions: Scallions are a member of the Allium family and commonly used in Asian cooking. They have two distinct parts, the white bottoms and the green shoots on top. The flavor of the bottom white section resembles the flavor of an onion while the green parts also taste oniony but have an additional fresh, grassy flavor. For this recipe, use both the green and white parts.

Why the Air Fryer Works for Salmon

Air frying technology combines a radiating element and powerful fan to circulate hot air around the food, cooking it on all sides to create a golden, perfectly cooked exterior. The air fryer creates minimal steam resulting in the salmon staying moist and succulent on the inside. Pan frying salmon or roasting it often leads to overcooked and dry salmon evident by the white bubbles, known as albumin, a protein that solidifies and oozes out the sides as the fish cooks.

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.
• 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. 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.

Once we started using the air fryer for salmon, we haven't turned back to pan frying or roasting it in the oven. After 12 minutes, the air fryer salmon turned out incredibly moist and flavorful. The ginger and scallion added a nice kick to the succulent and flaky salmon. Pair it with Jasmine rice and your favorite steamed veggies for a complete meal.

For more seafood inspiration, check these recipes: harissa roasted salmon, Thai green curry mussels, or Vietnamese tamarind prawns.