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Home » Air Fryer Recipes

Air Fryer Lemon Salmon

Published: Aug 26, 2023 · Last Updated: Mar 19, 2024 by Aimee - This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Air fryer lemon 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.

Air fried lemon garlic salmon on a plate with basil leaves.

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 make air fryer lemon 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.

Zesting a lemon.

Place the salmon on a plate. Pat dry with paper towels.

Raw salmon on a plate.

Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over the top and rub into all surfaces.

Uncooked salmon with lemon juice and olive oil.

Season the top of the salmon with garlic powder, dried thyme, salt, and pepper.

Uncooked salmon with herbs and seasonings.

Add salmon to the air fryer basket. Top with lemon slices.

Salmon in air fryer basket.

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.

Air fried lemon garlic salmon on a plate with basil leaves.

So flaky and so delicious.

Air fried lemon garlic salmon on a plate with basil leaves.

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.

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

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Air fryer puff pastry tarts
Roasted zucchini with lemon slices.
Air fryer lemon zucchini
Air fried lemon garlic salmon on a plate with basil leaves.

Air Fryer Lemon Salmon

Recipe by Aimee
Air fryer lemon 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
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 8 minutes mins
Total Time 13 minutes mins
Course Air Fryer, Main Course, Seafood
Cuisine American
Servings 1
Calories 314 kcal

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

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

Calories: 314kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 35gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 78mgPotassium: 1004mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 102IUVitamin C: 57mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 2mg

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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Hi! I'm Aimee, and I'm so glad you stopped by! I love sharing easy recipes that are flavorful and delicious.
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