Air fryer lemon garlic salmon is bright and flavorful. The salmon cooks to flaky perfection in the air fryer. This air fried lemon salmon can be ready in less than 15 minutes, making it perfect for an easy lunch or weeknight dinner.
It's always a toss up of my favorite thing to make in the air fryer. Some days it's chicken, some days it's salmon. Both are so delicious and easy.
This air fried lemon garlic salmon is one of my favorites. There's just something about lemon and fish together, right? I feel like lemon and seafood are a match made in heaven.
In this recipe, the salmon is coated with fresh lemon juice, air fried with lemon slices on top, and then served with lemon zest. All the lemon! It's so good though, and paired with the garlic and thyme, is a perfect combination of flavors.
Ingredients
- Salmon fillet
- Olive oil
- Lemon
- Garlic powder
- Dried thyme leaves (or other dried herb)
- Salt
- Pepper
How to customize
While I used dried thyme in this recipe, you could easily swap it out for dried oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, or herbs de provence.
To add a bit of spice, add some ground cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
What to serve with the lemon salmon
The air fried lemon salmon pairs nicely with so many dishes. Here are some suggestions.
Side dishes - Air fryer crispy zucchini, air fryer smashed potatoes, air fryer fennel, air fryer brown sugar butternut squash, air fryer parmesan tomatoes
Desserts - Air fryer apples, air fryer puff pastry tarts, air fryer peach cobbler
Recipe notes
- All air fryer cook differently. Cook times may depend on your air fryer and the thickness of your salmon. I used Atlantic salmon for this recipe.
- While the recipe serves 1 as written, this can be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled if serving more.
- I usually either use air fryer parchment paper or brush my air fryer basket with a bit of oil before adding the salmon to prevent sticking.
How to make air fryer lemon garlic salmon
First, I like to zest my lemon so I can top my salmon with it after cooking! If you don't have a zester or don't want lemon zest, you can ignore this step.
Place the salmon on a plate. Pat dry with paper towels.
Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over the top and rub into all surfaces.
Season the top of the salmon with garlic powder, dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
Add salmon to the air fryer basket. Top with lemon slices.
Air fry salmon for 7-9 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Remove from the air fryer basket and plate. I like to take the lemon slices off the top and sprinkle lemon zest on top. I also added some fresh basil leaves.
So flaky and so delicious.
More air fryer salmon recipes
- Air fryer crispy skin salmon
- Air fryer honey garlic salmon
- Air fryer garlic butter salmon
- Air fryer blackened salmon
- Air fryer Mediterranean salmon
- Air fryer orange salmon
Recipes to love
Air Fryer Lemon Garlic Salmon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 oz salmon fillet
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Take the lemon and zest enough to top the salmon with. Set aside for after salmon is done cooking.
- Slice half the lemon into lemon slices to top the salmon with. Juice the other half to get 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
- Take the salmon and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a plate. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over the salmon. Rub into all sides of the salmon.
- Top the salmon with garlic powder and dried thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Top with lemon slices.
- Place salmon in the air fryer basket, and cook for 7-9 minutes at 400 degrees F.
- Remove from the air fryer basket. Remove lemon slices and top with lemon zest.
Notes
- All air fryer cook differently. Cook times may depend on your air fryer and the thickness of your salmon. I used Atlantic salmon for this recipe.
- While the recipe serves 1 as written, this can be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled if serving more.
- I usually either use air fryer parchment paper or brush my air fryer basket with a bit of oil before adding the salmon to prevent sticking.
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
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