This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
These Air Fryer Salmon Bites are your next go-to dinner! These little bites of juicy salmon are marinated in the perfect sweet and salty teriyaki flavor combination and air fried until tender in the middle and crispy on the outside.
Serve with veggies and over cauliflower rice, quinoa, white rice or my favorite, coconut rice!
Air Fryer Salmon Bites Recipe
Cooking salmon in the air fryer has been a go-to method in our house for a while now, so it’s really no surprise that I’ve made an easy salmon bite recipe for the air fryer.
These little bites are tender and flaky in the middle, but the edges get that crispy texture that you just don’t get with any other cooking method.
Ever since we perfected my air fryer salmon recipe, I knew I wanted to make another version with the trendy salmon bites, and a flavor twist! Enter these Teriyaki Salmon Bites. With these bites are just a portion of the filet, you get more of those crispy edges that we all love! Not to mention, the flavor of the teriyaki marinade is, chef’s kiss, delicious.
Similar to other salmon recipes I have, these Air Fryer Salmon Bites are quick and easy to make and perfect piled over rice and topped with your favorite garnishes!
Ingredients Needed
Ask your local fishmonger to remove the skin of the salmon before you take it home! With that done, all you have to do is chop it up. Alternatively, just use a sharp fish knife to remove the skin.
- Coconut Aminos: A soy sauce alternative. If you’re not gluten-free, feel free to use regular soy sauce.
- Sesame Oil: A little goes a long way. You need just one teaspoon to give your salmon a delicious nuttiness.
- Garlic and Ginger: Fresh is best! You’ll need 3 cloves of garlic and a 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated.
- Spices: We’re seasoning our salmon with a simple blend of red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Honey: A drizzle of honey adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Salmon: You’ll need 1 pound of salmon, deboned and with the skin removed.
Using Frozen Salmon?
Starting with frozen salmon? It is best to let it thaw before air frying. You can do this in a couple of ways:
- Thaw it overnight. Working with a little more time? Simply let your frozen salmon thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.
- Thaw it quickly. Under more of a time crunch? Place the salmon into a sealed bag, then place that into a bowl filled with cold water. Let that sit for 30 minutes. If the salmon is still frozen, dump the water and refill with fresh, cold water to ensure that the fish doesn’t come to room temperature. Repeat this process until the fish is fully thawed.
How to Make Air Fryer Salmon Bites
These air fried salmon bites take just a few minutes to prep and a few minutes to fry up in your air fryer!
Here’s a quick summary of the recipe:
- Prep the salmon: Remove the skin from the salmon, then cut it into evenly-sized, 1-inch cubes. In a large bowl, combine the salmon pieces with coconut aminos, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and honey. Toss to coat well.
- Air fry: Spray your air fryer basket with cooking spray and preheat your air fryer to 400ºF. Once preheated, add the salmon into the basket, being sure to lay it in a single layer. Air fry for 5-7 minutes, shaking halfway through the cooking time.
- Garnish and serve: Once the salmon is cooked through and the exterior is golden-brown, remove it from the air fryer basket, serve over white rice or coconut rice, and garnish with sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, scallions, chili crunch, cucumber slices, and cooked broccoli.
FAQ’s
That depends on the size of your salmon and the air fryer you’re using! Since we’re chopping ours into 1-inch cubes, it cooks pretty darn quickly.
While you can plan for about 5-7 minutes of cooking time, the best way to tell that your salmon is done cooking is to use a meat thermometer.
The internal temperature should be 145ºF. I recommend checking it at 5 minutes, then adding time as needed!
Grease the air fryer!
Before adding the salmon into the air fryer basket, spray the basket with a generous layer of cooking spray. I like avocado oil spray with no additives. This helps prevent it from sticking as it cooks and helps with the crispiness of the fish.
You absolutely can adapt this recipe for the oven. Did you know an air fryer is actually a convection oven? Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place the marinated salmon cubes sprad out, and bake for roughly 10 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through.
Good question! While I love making salmon in the oven or on the stovetop, the air fryer is hands down my new go-to method because it’s essentially mess-free. No oil splattering, no house smelling like salmon for hours… it’s truly a breeze in under 10 minutes and cooks perfectly every time!
That’s definitely a personal preference! We’ve tried quite a few air fryers over the years. We have and use this basket style, this Instant Pot air fryer attachment and this toaster-style air fryer! They all work great, so what you really need to do is consider a couple of questions: 1) Do you want/need a new toaster? 2) Do you have space for a new solo appliance?
You should also be aware of what size air fryer you want. Some can be quite small so you may have to air fry certain foods in batches.
Tips and Notes
- Cut the salmon into equal pieces. Whether it’s 1″ cubes, smaller, or larger, make sure that all of the salmon cubes are equal in size. This ensures that they cook evenly and at the same rate.
- Pat the salmon dry before marinating. Removing excess moisture helps the salmon edges get nice and crispy.
- Cook in a single layer. You want to give the salmon space to cook all over and get those crispy edges. If the air fryer isn’t big enough to fit all of the salmon, cook in batches.
- Shake the basket halfway through. Re-distributing the salmon helps it cook evenly on all sides.
Serving Suggestions
Garnishes:
- Sesame seeds
- Red pepper flakes
- Scallions
- Cucumber slices
- Cooked broccoli
- Chili crunch oil
A healthy helping of that makes a complete meal all on its own, but you can absolutely round it out with a couple of tasty sides. Here are some ideas:
Rice: Cauliflower Rice, Quinoa, Coconut Rice, or the Best Rice Ever!
Salads: With this Cucumber and Sweet Pepper Salad, Easy Cucumber Salad, or over my favorite Chopped Greek Salad!
With a side of veggies: Try my air fryer asparagus, garlicky green beans, air fryer broccoli or easy stir fry veggies!
How to Store
Leftover air fried salmon can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat the leftovers, you have a couple of options:
- Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 350ºF, pop the salmon bites into the air fryer basket, then heat for 3 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
- Stove: Warm the salmon bites in a sauté pan over medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until heated through.
- From Frozen: Thaw overnight in the fridge and then follow on of the above methods
More Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love
- Air Fryer Steak
- Air Fryer Bacon
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Fish Sticks
Air Fryer Salmon Bites
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos soy sauce alternative
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves grated or minced
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger peeled and grated
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 pound salmon deboned and skin removed (Ask your local fishmonger to remove the skin of the salmon before you take it home! With that done, all you have to do is chop it up. Alternatively, just use a sharp fish knife to remove the skin.)
- garnishes of your choice sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, scallions, cucumber slices, cooked broccoli, chili crunch
- rice for serving
Instructions
- Cut the skin-removed salmon into approximately 1-inch cubes.
- Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add in salmon and coat well.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF.
- Spray basket with oil and place into your air fryer, avoid layering salmon. If you have more, cook in batches. Air fry 400ºF for about 5 to 7 minutes, making sure to shake the basket halfway through until the salmon is cooked through in the center and the exterior is golden brown. The internal temperature should be 145ºF if using a thermometer.
- Garnish with sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, scallions and serve over white rice or coconut rice, cucumbers slices, and cooked broccoli! Top with chili crunch for extra heat!
Notes
-
- Cut the salmon into equal pieces. Whether it’s 1″ cubes, smaller, or larger, make sure that all of the salmon cubes are equal in size. This ensures that they cook evenly and at the same rate.
- Pat the salmon dry before marinating. Removing excess moisture helps the salmon edges get nice and crispy.
- Cook in a single layer. You want to give the salmon space to cook all over and get those crispy edges. If the air fryer isn’t big enough to fit all of the salmon, cook in batches.
- Shake the basket halfway through. Re-distributing the salmon helps it cook evenly on all sides.
- To store leftover salmon bites, let them cool completely, then keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat:
- Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 350ºF, pop the salmon bites into the air fryer basket, then heat for 3 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
- Stove: Warm the salmon bites in a sauté pan over medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until heated through.
We’ve made this twice now with sockeye salmon and it’s been wonderful. We served with roasted broccoli and rice. It’s delicious!