Air Fryer Salmon Bites

5 from 1 vote

These quick and easy Air Fryer Salmon Bites with Bang Bang Sauce are a family favorite in our home. Prepped and served in less than 30 minutes! Crispy golden brown outside and tender flaky and so flavorful inside. This is going to a be a weeknight dinner favorite!

Prep Time10

Total Time20

Course: air fryer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Lorie Yarro

Equipment

air fryer

Ingredients

For the salmon

1 ½-2 lb center cut salmon filets skin removed and cut into approx. 1 inch pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp soy sauce tamari for gluten free
3-4 garlic cloves minced
¼ tsp onion powder
¾ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp sea salt

For the bang bang sauce

½ c mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
½ - 1 Tbsp sriracha vary to desired spice level
2 tsp honey
1 tsp rice vinegar

Instructions

Cut salmon into approximately 1 inch cubes/pieces making them as uniform in size as possible. Add them to a medium bowl.
Combine all of the salmon marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well.
Toss the marinade with the salmon to fully coat. Marinate for up to 30 minutes, but do not let this sit for more than that as the acid in the lemon will cause the salmon to become mushy.
Add the salmon bites to air fryer basket in a single layer. You can work in batches if needed. (I do not preheat my air fryer, but you can if preferred, cook time may be a bit less).
Set air fryer to 400°F and air fry for about 7-10 minutes, turning or shaking halfway through is optional. Salmon is ready when the outside is brown and crisp and the internal temperature reads 145°F or desired doneness.
While the salmon cooks, whisk the bang bang sauce ingredients together and adjust spiciness to taste.
When salmon is cooked, allow to rest for 3-5 minutes before serving with a generous drizzle of bang bang sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

Storage: Store leftover salmon bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. The bang bang sauce will keep for about a week in the fridge. Reheat for a couple minutes in the air fryer! The salmon bites can be frozen. Allow them to cool completely and then wrap in foil and then add to a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Cut the salmon in uniform sized pieces. The closer the salmon pieces are in shape in size, the more even they will cook. If some pieces are much smaller, that is ok, just remove them when finished cooking and then cook the larger pieces a bit longer.

I don't preheat my air fryer when making this recipe to make it easier to add the salmon since it takes a minute to get all the individual pieces in and don't want to risk overcooking some pieces as they sear while adding the rest.

Do not marinade the salmon longer than 30 minutes. Salmon marinated in anything with acidic ingredients can have a negative impact on it if it sits longer than 30 minutes. The acidic qualities of the lemon juice will cause the texture of the salmon to become mushy if left too long.

Stay close to the air fryer to make sure you don't overcook it. Air fryers are all a bit different. You know your air fryer best, so adjust the time as needed.

Nutrition is based off an 8 oz. serving of salmon and 2 tablespoons of bang bang sauce. A typical serving recommendation for salmon is about 6 ounces so this is slightly larger than an average serving.

Nutrition