We've all been there. You're looking forward
to moist, flaky salmon, and then you take a bite, and it's just dry as the Sahara. With this air fryer salmon recipe, you never have to do that again. Hi everyone, it's Maya
from WholesomeYum.com, and I make easy, healthy recipes with 10 ingredients or less. And today, I'm showing
you how to make salmon in the air fryer. This is one of my favorite
ways to cook salmon because it's practically foolproof. It's much harder to overcook it than using other methods. The fish is tender and flaky. The skin comes out crispy. It's perfectly seasoned. And it's so easy. Plus, this is faster
than using other methods. The ingredients are simple and it takes just 10
minutes start to finish. That's including the prep
time and the cook time. And I'll show you an easy side to serve with this at
the end. Let's do this. (bright upbeat music) We're going to start by mixing together 1/4 cup of olive oil. And you can use avocado
oil here if you like, but I think olive oil has a
better flavor for this salmon. And one tablespoon of lemon juice. I like to squeeze mine fresh. I think it tastes better. But bottled lemon juice will work as well. So I just squeeze this into
a measuring spoon like this. Although, on average, a
tablespoon is about the juice of half a lemon. Go ahead and add that in, and whisk it together. I have four salmon filets
here, about six ounces each. This is what I recommend. A larger piece might overcook. So I'm going to pat these
dry with paper towels. This is going to help keep the moisture inside when they cook, and it will help the outside get crispy. Flip them over, do the other side. I got skin on salmon because
I love the crispy skin. But even if you don't like the skin, skin-on salmon will
come out more flavorful. And you can just remove the
skin or not eat it later. That being said, this
recipe will still work if you only have skinless salmon. Just make sure there's no
leftover fish scales here. So I think there are
tools to remove these, but I don't have a tool so I just use a knife
or your hands work too. Usually the ones from the store will be mostly without scales, but there might be a few. Now we're going to add the
lemon juice/olive oil mixture to the salmon. Half on one side, half on the other side. And same with the seasonings we'll add. We'll add half on one
side, half on the other. We'll go ahead and brush that on. Make sure to get the sides too. (bright upbeat music) So the total you'll need for both sides is one teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika or
smoked paprika if you like, one teaspoon of sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. (bright upbeat music) Now we're going to place the salmon filets in the air fryer basket. You want place them skin side down first and make sure there's
space between the pieces. If your air fryer is smaller than mine and they don't all fit, then you can cook them in batches. But we don't wanna crowd
the air fryer basket. Cook the salmon in the air fryer for six to 12 minutes at
400 degrees Fahrenheit. I always like to check at six minutes, and then see if it needs more time. The best way to know it's done
is to use meat thermometer. 130 degrees Fahrenheit is
perfect for flaky, medium salmon. And if you don't have a meat thermometer, then just check that it
flakes easily with a fork. (bright upbeat music) My least favorite part of
cooking air fryer salmon is removing it from the air fryer basket. So that's why I have
my handy fish spatula. I think this is the
easiest way to do this. And it does help that it has skin because then it doesn't
break apart as easily. For serving, I like to garnish this with a few lemon wedges just because pretty food
is always more enjoyable. And some parsley sprigs. If you are super hungry,
feel free to skip this part. I'm excited to try one of these. Transfer that to a plate here. And by the way, you can see underneath, the skin is so crispy. And the perfect pairing for this air fryer salmon is asparagus. Not too surprising, right? So you can cook this a couple of ways. You can cook it in the
air fryer, actually. But then you have to wait
for the salmon to be done or do it the other way around. So what I actually did is
I cooked this in the oven, which took almost the same
amount of time as the salmon. So they were both done at the same time and they're both warm at the same time. You can never have too much lemon either. I'm gonna squeeze some more on here. Over the asparagus too. Salmon is normally so flaky
I would just use a fork, but because this has skin, I'm gonna cut through that with a knife. (bright upbeat music) That was so good. Perfectly flaky and tender. The skin is crispy. Let me know what you
think if you try this. And if you like this air fryer salmon, you are going to love this juicy air fryer chicken breast too.
