1-Step One: Preheat Your Air Fryer Start by preheating your air fryer to 400°F. This step is crucial for achieving those crispy edges everyone loves. A preheated air fryer sears the exterior of the salmon immediately upon contact, locking in moisture and creating that desirable crust. Most air fryers take 3-5 minutes to reach temperature, so turn it on before you even touch the fish. While preheating isn’t strictly required by all air fryer manufacturers, I’ve found through extensive testing that it makes a noticeable difference in the final texture. Think of it like preheating an oven or a skillet you want that immediate heat transfer when the food hits the cooking surface.

2-Step Two: Prepare the Salmon Fillets Remove your salmon fillets from the refrigerator and pat them dry with paper towels. This step removes excess moisture that can prevent proper browning. If your salmon has pin bones, run your fingers along the center of each fillet and remove any you find with fish tweezers or clean pliers. Check that your fillets are roughly the same thickness. If one is significantly thicker than others, it will need more cooking time. For even cooking, you can butterfly particularly thick fillets or simply plan to check doneness individually.

3-Step Three: Season the Fish Place the salmon fillets on a clean plate or cutting board. Rub each fillet with about ¾ teaspoon of olive oil, using your hands or a pastry brush to coat the top and sides evenly. The oil should be a thin layer just enough to make the seasonings stick. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle this seasoning blend evenly over each oiled fillet, using about ½ teaspoon of the mixture per portion. Gently pat the seasonings into the fish to help them adhere. There’s no need to season the skin side if using skin-on salmon.

4-Step Four: Place Salmon in the Air Fryer Once the air fryer is preheated, carefully place the salmon fillets in the basket skin side down. This orientation is important for several reasons: the skin acts as a protective barrier between the delicate flesh and the hot basket, it helps the fish hold its shape during cooking, and it allows the skin to crisp up nicely if you enjoy eating it. Make sure not to overcrowd the basket. The hot air needs space to circulate around each fillet for even cooking and crispy edges. If you’re cooking more than 4 fillets, do them in batches rather than stacking or squishing them together. Overcrowding leads to steaming rather than air frying, and you’ll miss out on that gorgeous crust.

5-Step Five: Air Fry to Perfection Set the timer for 7 to 9 minutes at 400°F. The exact time depends on the thickness of your fillets thinner fillets closer to 1 inch thick will need about 7 minutes, while thicker fillets up to 1½ inches may need the full 9 minutes. Halfway through cooking, there’s no need to flip the salmon. The circulating hot air cooks it evenly from all angles. However, if you’ve used a glaze or sauce on top, you might want to check at the 5-minute mark to make sure it’s not burning.

6-Step Six: Check for Doneness At the 7-minute mark, check your salmon by inserting a fork into the thickest part and gently twisting. Fully cooked salmon will flake easily and appear opaque throughout. The internal temperature should reach 145°F when measured with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the fillet. If the salmon needs more time, continue cooking in 1 to 2-minute increments until it reaches the desired doneness. Remember that the fish will continue cooking slightly after you remove it from the air fryer, so it’s better to pull it a touch early than to overcook it.

7-Step Seven: Rest and Serve Transfer the cooked salmon to plates and let it rest for about 2 minutes before serving. This brief rest allows the juices to redistribute throughout the fish rather than running out immediately upon cutting. Serve with fresh lemon wedges and tartar sauce, or try it with hoisin salmon noodles for an Asian-inspired twist on the same great flavors. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity and speed. From start to finish, you’re looking at about 10 minutes a fraction of the time traditional baking or pan-searing requires.