Don't Bake Salmon — Cook It This Way For Dinner In Half The Time

Do you wish there was a faster way to prepare salmon for a quick weeknight dinner that didn't include turning on your oven? Sure enough, when you factor in the time it takes to preheat your oven and cook your fish, this seemingly simple meal can actually take close to 30 minutes to prepare. Yet, by making the salmon in an air fryer instead, you can achieve perfectly cooked fish in nearly half the time.

While the ideal oven temperature for perfectly baked salmon also applies to air-frying, the biggest difference between these two appliances is the speed of cooking. Unlike conventional ovens which heat food through one or two heating elements, air fryers cook food through the speedy circulation of hot air. To break it down further, most air fryers are up to temp in just a few minutes — on the other hand, ovens may take up to 15 minutes to preheat before they're ready to use.

Baking whole pieces of salmon at 400 degrees Fahrenheit takes roughly 12 to 15 minutes while air frying takes between seven and 10 minutes. The rule of thumb you should follow to cook moist yet crisp salmon in the air fryer is to adjust the cooking time based on the thickness of your fish. For example, if your salmon fillets are usually 1-inch thick, cook them for 10 minutes. However, if your portions are a little thinner than an inch, cook them for seven or eight minutes. Either way, that's faster than the oven, especially when you factor in preheating time.

If you're cooking whole pieces of frozen salmon (instead of fresh), using your air fryer also proves to be the most time-saving method. While frozen salmon can easily defrost and cook in an air fryer with minimal ingredients in a total of 20 minutes, the same steps using your oven may often require more supplies and finesse to prevent your fish from drying out.

Another quick way to prepare salmon in your air fryer is to make salmon bites or small individual portions which tend to cook faster than fillets. At 390 degrees Fahrenheit, salmon bites take between five to eight minutes to cook. In an oven, salmon bites typically cook in about 12 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. By popping salmon bites into your air fryer, you can prepare a quick nutritious bowl with instant rice and steamed, microwavable veggies in a matter of minutes.

Lastly, if you do decide to use your air fryer to cook your next round of salmon, make sure to avoid the air fryer mishap that tends to leave salmon a greasy mess by keeping oil to a minimum. Thanks to your appliance's convection-style heating system, you only need a small amount of oil to heat salmon that's both tender and crispy.