Air Fryer Miso Salmon

This air fryer miso salmon is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner. It's super flavorful and fast and only requires 6 ingredients. We serve ours with rice and whatever vegetables are in our fridge.

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• Why We Love This Recipe
• Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Top Tips
• Side Pairing Ideas
• Frequently asked questions
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Why We Love This Recipe

• It’s super easy: This recipe doesn't require a marinade or any difficult prep, and you don't really have to think about it ahead of time. Just throw the miso-glaze ingredients together in a bowl, smear them on the salmon, and throw it in the air fryer. It's really that simple—you don't even have to cut anything.
• It’s full of flavor: The miso sauce caramelizes in the air fryer and makes this salmon so good. It has Asian-inspired flavors.
• It's doesn't require a lot of ingredients: This salmon only requires 6 ingredients and most of them live in our pantry on a regular basis. We love using the miso over the course of a couple of weeks—it's such an easy ingredient to use that we often make this salmon in the middle of the work day for lunch.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Salmon Fillets: You can use skin-on or skin-off—either works. We prefer the taste (and health and environmental benefits) of wild-caught salmon, but you can use whatever you prefer. If you use frozen salmon, make sure it's completely defrosted before cooking.

White Miso: Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans. It has a creamy texture and a nutty umami flavor. White miso has the mildest flavor compared to other varieties. You can find it in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores.

Sriracha: Sriracha is a hot sauce made from chili peppers. If you don’t have sriracha (or don’t like it), you can substitute your favorite hot sauce or leave it out.

Soy Sauce: Soy sauce provides more great salty umami flavor to this salmon. If you’re gluten free, you can substitute coconut aminos—it works great and we use it in place of soy sauce often.

Maple Syrup: We use maple syrup to add some sweetness to this salmon. It also helps the salmon caramelize.

See the recipe card for the full ingredient list and amounts.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Add miso, maple syrup, sriracha, soy sauce, and rice vinegar to a small mixing bowl and mix until no large clumps remain.

Step 2: Place the salmon fillets on a plate, skin-side down (if your salmon has skin), then pat them dry with a paper towel.

Step 3: Spread a generous amount of the miso mixture on the top and sides of each salmon fillet. We use a basting brush, but a spoon works too.

Step 4: Place the salmon fillets in the basket of your air fryer (skin-side down if your salmon has skin) and cook at 400°F for 7-9 minutes, or until the miso sauce has caramelized and the salmon easily flakes with a fork. The internal temperature should be anywhere from 125°F (medium rare) to 145°F (well-done), depending on your preference. We eat ours around 130°F.

Step 5: Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions if you desire.

Top Tips

• The longer you cook salmon, the tougher it gets. If you like soft, tender salmon, cook it to medium rare, or until the internal temperature is about 125°F. That will happen closer to the 6-7 minute mark. If you like well-done salmon, cook it to 145°F, which will take around 8-9 minutes.
• Miso lasts up to 6 months in the fridge after it has been opened, so you can use the leftover miso paste again and again.
• For a quick meal, serve this salmon with a bag of frozen microwavable jasmine rice (we love the frozen jasmine rice from Trader Joe's) and some veggies.

Side Pairing Ideas

This air fryer miso salmon goes great with:

• Rice: We love pairing it with jasmine rice.
• Cauliflower Rice: Try our cauliflower fried rice!
• Vegetables: This salmon pairs perfectly with broccoli, carrots, bok choy, brussels sprouts, or whatever vegetables you have lying around.

More Salmon Recipes

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