When you need a quick and delicious dinner idea, you have to make this Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon recipe in under 20 minutes! The soy garlic marinade is savory with a hint of sweetness, which goes perfect with the salmon. For an easy dinner, add your marinated salmon in the air fryer and the fish comes out juicy, flaky and SO flavorful!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick & easy – The teriyaki salmon marinade takes less than 5 minutes to make. You don’t need to marinate the salmon and the fish comes out so flavorful and savory! The air fryer is a great appliance to cook food fast – pop it in for 10 minutes and the fish is done!
- Easy to cook – You pop the salmon in the air fryer or oven (oven instructions in the recipe card) and you have dinner ready. I love how the air fryer crisps up the salmon more than cooking in the oven. No need to watch over the stove or flip the salmon over.
- Pairs well with vegetables and rice – The sauce goes so well with any vegetables like brocolli or cabbage. Eat it with a teriyaki salmon bowl filled with rice and you have a complete meal! For more veggies, try with a refreshing salad with homemade sesame dressing. If you’re salmon lover, you can try my 30 minute salmon poke bowl next!
Ingredients:
- salmon fillet – use a thicker-cut salmon fillet (de-boned). Skin-on salmon is preferred so you fish stays moist while cooking. If you’re using thinner salmon fillets, reduce the cooking time
- soy sauce – the base of the teriyaki sauce cannot be swapped out. I recommend to use low-sodium soy sauce so the recipe doesn’t taste too salty.
- mirin – the sweetness and cooking wine will make the salmon taste less ‘fishy’
- garlic – makes the teriyaki sauce extra fragrant!
- dashi powder – highly recommended to give your teriyaki sauce an umami flavor.
- honey – the hint of sweetness will balance the savoriness.
Garnish:
- sesame seeds and green onions – optional yet highly recommended for extra fragrance and freshness to the fish.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Variations and Substitutions
- Change up the fish type – You can substitute the salmon with steelhead trout or fatty cut of fish your choice.
- Substitute the dashi powder with ½ teaspoon salt. If you can get dashi powder, it is recommended because it adds a seafood umami flavor that will make your fish taste extra delicious.
- If you can’t have mirin (or alcohol like sake), you can omit this ingredient.
- If you have ginger in your pantry, you can grate some of it your teriyaki sauce for extra flavor.
How To Cook Salmon in The Air Fryer
Step 1: Combine soy sauce, water, mirin, dashi powder, minced garlic, and honey in a bowl. Mix well until the honey has dissolved.
Step 2: To marinate the salmon, add 3-4 tablespoons of sauce and spread evenly on all sides. Reserve the rest of the sauce for the end!
Step 3: Place salmon in the air-fryer for 10-12 minutes on 325 until the center is cooked. Oven instructions: bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes.
NOTE: Air fryer temperatures and cooking times will slightly vary depending on your appliance. Check at the 10 minute mark to ensure your salmon is ‘cooked’ or ‘undercooked.’
Step 4: To make the sauce thicker, add sauce from step 1 to pan on medium heat and cook for 5 minutes until thickened. Continuously stir so sauce doesn’t burn. Brush sauce on top of salmon.
Baking Instructions: If you want to bake your salmon, you can start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your salmon on the middle rack and cook for 15-20 minutes until salmon reaches internal temp of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The salmon will be perfectly cooked – buttery, soft and juicy! If you want a char on the top, feel free to broil for 1-2 minutes until your desired crisp.
Recipe FAQs
You can serve the teriyaki salmon with rice or salad. For a full meal, serve the salmon with some chinese cabbage stir-fry and soup like this korean soybean paste stew.
Yes! You can use frozen salmon fillets to make teriyaki salmon in an air fryer. Remember to thaw out your salmon in the fridge the night prior to ensure that the salmon is fulled thawed for even cooking. If the fish is frozen, it can overcook the outside and undercook the inside.
I recommend to marinate for 15-20 minutes prior to cooking for optimal flavor. However, the recipe is meant to be quick and easy so marinating the fish is an optional step!
I would suggest to keep the skin to ensure that the fish can stay juicy and moist throughout cooking. You can always peel it off after cooking.
Expert Tips
- Since there is garlic in the marinade, it can burn easily in the air fryer or oven. Make sure you bake at 325 or 350 Fahrenheit at it’s highest, so the garlic doesn’t burn!
- Line your salmon on parchment paper for an easier clean up. There is sugar in the marinade and the sauce can get sticky on your air fryer or sheet pan (if you’re using an oven).
- Cook the salmon skin side down to ensure there is nice charring on the top of the fish. You may remove the skin once the salmon is cooked.
- For ultimate flavor, marinate the salmon fillets flesh side down for 15-20 minutes before air-frying. Any more than that, the salmon may be too salty or mushy after 24 hours.
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Ingredients
Salmon
- 1 pound salmon fillet skin-on
Teriyaki sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon mirin
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dashi powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Combine soy sauce, water, mirin, dashi powder, minced garlic, and honey in a bowl. Mix well until the honey has dissolved.
- To marinate the salmon, add 3-4 tablespoons of sauce and spread evenly on all sides. Reserve the rest of the sauce for the end!
- Place salmon in the air-fryer for 10-12 minutes on 325 until the center is cooked. Oven instructions: bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 13-15 minutes.
- To make the teriyaki sauce thicker, add sauce from step 1 to pan on medium heat and cook for 5 minutes until thickened while continuously stirring.
- Add teriyaki sauce on top of the salmon after it’s cooked. Serve with rice or salad!
Notes
- Since there is garlic in the marinade, it can burn easily in the air fryer or oven. Make sure you bake at 325 or 350 at its highest, so the garlic doesn’t burn!
- Line your salmon on parchment paper for an easier clean up.
- Cook the salmon skin side down to ensure there is nice charring on the top of the fish. You may remove the skin once the salmon is cooked.
- For ultimate flavor, marinate the salmon fillets flesh side down for 15-20 minutes before air-frying.
Nutrition
Here are more easy dinner meals:
- Korean ox bone soup – tasty broth filled with beef and noodles made less than 20 minutes.
- Easy one pot chinese rice – cook this one pot chicken and pork sausage rice in the rice cooker!
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