If you want to take your salmon to the next level, this air fryer sweet chili salmon is a great recipe to try. It’s an easy way to turn store-bought sweet chili sauce into a little something extra in the air fryer.
Made with fresh salmon and a simple marinade of sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, water, and lemon juice, this salmon turns out one bit sweet, one bit spicy, and a little bit sticky.
It goes really nicely with rice or rice noodles, vegetables like broccoli or bok choy, and a side salad.
Ingredients
- Salmon fillets – Fresh salmon fillets of roughly the same size.
- Sweet chili sauce – Use a store-bought sweet chili sauce you like or make your own (we use a store-bought one to make it easier).
- Water – To thin out the sweet chili sauce for the marinade.
- Lemon juice – For the marinade; helps balance the sweetness in the chili sauce.
- Soy sauce – For some extra flavor in the marinade. You can use low-sodium soy sauce if you’re worried about the sodium, but we use regular all-purpose soy sauce.
- Oil – For the marinade; we use a neutral-tasting oil like avocado oil. Don’t use extra virgin olive oil for this recipe; it has a distinct taste that doesn’t work too well here.
Recipe Tips
- For the best taste, use good quality salmon fillets. We try to avoid using overly fatty ones.
- Don’t use frozen salmon fillets for this recipe. You wouldn’t be able to marinate them as well and the longer cooking time could cause the chili sauce to get too dark (due to the sugar content).
- You can place parchment paper under the tray to help with clean up. (Don’t place lose parchment paper in the air fryer that is not held down either by the tray or food).
- Watch the salmon towards the end because you don’t want to burn the sauce (due to high sugar content).
- Don’t overcook the salmon as this can make it dry. The exact cooking time can vary depending on the size, thickness, and fatiness of the salmon and your air fryer.
- Salmon is officially safe to eat at an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, but some people aim for 125 or 135 degrees Fahrenheit when it comes to salmon.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
First, pat the salmon fillets dry, if needed.
Then grab a shallow bowl and add the sweet chili sauce, water, lemon juice, soy sauce, and oil. Mix well.
Place the salmon in the bowl and give it a roll to coat all sides. Then lay it flesh-side down, cover, and marinate in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.
Next, preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Place the salmon in the air fryer skin-side down, and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Then brush on some more of the marinade to coat the top and sides and fir fry for another 3-4 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through and flaky.
Remove the salmon from the air fryer and serve with sides like rice (or rice noodles), green vegetables and/or a salad. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
You can store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and reheat them in the air fryer at a lower temperature (such as 280 degrees Fahrenheit) for a few minutes.
Sometimes we also like to eat leftovers cold as the protein addition for rice bowls!
Related Recipes
Here are some more air fryer fish recipes (mostly salmon) that you can try out next:
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Air Fryer Sweet Chili Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 salmon fillets
- 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oil
Instructions
- Pat the salmon fillets dry, if needed.2 salmon fillets
- Mix the sweet chili sauce, water, lemon juice, soy sauce, and oil in a shallow bowl. Place the salmon in the bowl, give it a roll to coat all sides, then lay it flesh-side down, cover, and marinate in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce, 1 tablespoon water, 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon oil
- Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
- Place the salmon in the air fryer skin-side down, and cook at 360 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 4-5 minutes. Then brush on some more of the marinade to coat the top and sides (discard the rest).
- Air fry for another 3-4 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through and flaky. Salmon is officially safe to eat at an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When done, remove the salmon from the air fryer and serve with sides like rice, green vegetables, and salad.
Video
Notes
- For the best taste, use good-quality salmon fillets.
- Don’t use frozen salmon fillets for this recipe. You wouldn’t be able to marinate them as well, and the longer cooking time could cause the chili sauce to get too dark (due to the sugar content).
- Watch the salmon towards the end because you don’t want to burn the sauce (due to high sugar content).
- Don’t overcook the salmon as this can make it dry. The exact cooking time can vary depending on the size, thickness, and fatiness of the salmon and your air fryer.
- Salmon is officially safe to eat at an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, but some people aim for 125 or 135 degrees Fahrenheit when it comes to salmon.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
