Sweet And Spicy Air Fryer Salmon Bites Recipe

The FDA recommends eating 2-3 servings of fish per week, and salmon, whether fresh or frozen, farmed or wild, is a heart-healthy seafood full of omega-3s and other nutrients. This recipe is a quick and easy way to add fish to your diet because once you've chopped the salmon into bite-sized bits, the most time-consuming part of the preparation is the marinating, which is entirely hands-off. What's more, developer Erin Johnson says "you can marinate the salmon in advance if you want to make dinner prep even faster." 

Johnson describes these air-fryer salmon bites as "crispy and the perfect blend of sweet and spicy." She likes to eat these crunchy fish bites with a side of rice and some pickled vegetables since this suits the Asian-inspired soy and gochujang marinade, but she also says that a simple salad would also be a good accompaniment. As for any condiments or dipping sauces, "these bites are delicious as is," she says, but "you can top them with more honey, green onions, chili crunch, or Kewpie mayo — or any combination you like."

This recipe only requires 7 ingredients. The main one is salmon, of course, plus you'll need soy sauce, honey, garlic, and gochujang for the marinade. "If you don't have gochujang," says Johnson, "you can substitute sriracha." To give the salmon a little crunch, you'll also want some panko breadcrumbs, as well as everything bagel seasoning for added flavor.

Mix the soy sauce with the gochujang, honey, and garlic, then use this combination to marinate the salmon. Refrigerate the fish for 20 minutes as it soaks up the sauce.

Mix the panko with the everything seasoning. Dip each piece of salmon in the crumb coating, turning so all the sides are evenly coated in soon-to-be-crispy breadcrumbs.

Cook the salmon in a 400 F air fryer for 10 minutes. Once it's crispy on the outside and cooked through, you can eat it with your choice of condiments and sides. These bites could make for the perfect appetizer with a dipping sauce, go into a salad or rice bowl, or serve as the main course with a range of smaller dishes.

If you won't be eating all of the salmon bites right away, Johnson says that leftovers can only be refrigerated for about a day to stay in tip-top shape, so it might be best to just cut the recipe down if you want a smaller amount. She also suggests reheating any refrigerated salmon bites in the air fryer, as this will "preserve some of the crunch."