Teriyaki Salmon Air Fryer.

Salmon filets marinated in a quick homemade teriyaki sauce, then air fried to perfection until crisp on the outside and perfectly flaky and tender on the inside. This easy air fryer salmon cooks in less than 10 minutes, making it a great family friendly weeknight dinner option.

Teriyaki salmon is arguably one of the best and most popular ways to serve salmon. It’s been a favorite in our house for years (see this teriyaki salmon kabob post)t. We love teriyaki salmon every which way. In fact, my all-time favorite restaurant meal is a teriyaki salmon dish served at an Asian fusion bistro in Westport, CT.

Since we’ve been on an air fryer kick recently, I decided to try teriyaki salmon in the air fryer. To be honest, I had my doubts as to how it would turn out. It blew us away! A crisp and flavorful filet on the outside and a tender, luscious, perfectly cooked inside.

Let’s dig into the details.

INGREDIENTS:

For this air fryer teriyaki salmon, you’ll need:

• 1 ½ lbs skin-on salmon filet, cut into 4 equal sized pieces (if you’re serving 4 people)

Marinade ingredients:

• 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin (sweetened sake). THIS is the secret ingredient. Seek it out – you can find it in pretty much any grocery store in the Asian foods aisle. This (image below) is the one we use from Sushi Chef. If you can’t get it/find it, we’ve made this sauce with seasoned rice vinegar, it just changes the flavor quite a bit.

• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 finger fresh ginger grated or finely minced (just over 1 tablespoon minced)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

For serving (optional):

• Black sesame seeds
• Lime wedges

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS for this salmon teriyaki air fryer:

• Make the teriyaki sauce, by whisking together soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Cool slightly.
• Add ¾ of the sauce to a sealable zip lock bag (just eyeball this, no need to be exact). Add the salmon and make sure the filets are covered in marinade. Set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature.

• Pour the remaining ¼ of the sauce into a small serving bowl. You will use this later to serve with the salmon as a dipping sauce.
• Preheat your air fryer to 390 degrees.

• Wipe or spray your air fryer basket with avocado oil or other high heat cooking oil.
• Remove salmon from teriyaki marinade (discard remaining marinade) and place salmon in the air fryer, spacing the filets out so they don’t touch each other. Do this in batches, if need be.

• Cook salmon for 5-6 minutes, or until desired doneness. Salmon is cooked through at an internal temperature of 145 degrees, but keep in mind, the fish will continue cooking at least an additional 5 degrees once you remove it from the air fryer, so best to pull it out at about 140 degrees (or less if you prefer it medium). Salmon will flake easily with a fork once cooked through.

• Plate salmon. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and serve with lime wedges. Serve with reserved teriyaki sauce for drizzling and dipping.

Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon RECIPE FAQ:

1. Can you cook the salmon from frozen?

Yes, but for best results, I don’t recommend it, as the salmon will cook unevenly and the quality will suffer. Remove your frozen salmon from the freezer at least 24 hours prior to cooking it, so it can fully thaw. Thaw the salmon in the fridge – never at room temperature. If you forgot to take the salmon out of the freezer 24 hours prior to cooking, remove it from the freezer, place in a ziplock and place the ziplock into a bowl in the sink with cold water for about 30 minutes. The salmon should be mostly thawed by that time.

2. Can you substitute minced ginger in a tube for the fresh ginger?

Yes! If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can substitute the jarred/bottled refrigerated ginger paste. The approximate conversion is for 1 inch of ginger, use about 1 teaspoon of ginger paste. I would decrease the brown sugar a bit in the teriyaki sauce if you do this, as the ginger paste typically has added sugar.

3. Can you use a store-bought teriyaki sauce/marinade as a time-saver?

Yes! In fact, we love this teriyaki sauce from SoyVay. Ultimately, homemade marinades and sauces always taste better and this one is quick to make, but in a pinch lean on your favorite store-bought teriyaki.

4. How do you store any leftover teriyaki sauce?

Store any leftover sauce in a glass container with a tight fitting lid in the fridge. Sauce will keep for a week (plus) in the fridge.

MORE SALMON RECIPES

• Salmon Bites
• Honey Garlic Butter Salmon
• Mediterranean Salmon

SIDE DISH SUGGESTIONS

Serve this air fryer teriyaki salmon with:

• Brown or white rice
• Seaweed salad
• Stir fried or steamed broccoli

PIN this salmon teriyaki recipe for later: