Ninja Foodi Salmon

If you’re looking for the best recipe for making salmon in a Ninja Foodi air fryer, you have come to the right place! This easy Ninja Foodi salmon recipe is made in your Ninja Foodi in just 10 minutes.

Complete with a savory, well-balanced seasoning blend and a spritz of fresh lemon juice, this Ninja Foodi Salmon recipe is the best around.

My new favorite dinner to make in the Ninja Foodi is Salmon Filets.

Use this Ninja Foodi method to cook salmon filets, or save money by buying a whole side of salmon and slicing it into pieces yourself.

What You’ll Need

• Salmon Filets – You can use frozen salmon that you’ve thawed or fresh salmon. The spice mixture in this recipe is enough to season 4 large pieces of salmon.
• Olive Oil – Coating the salmon with oil before cooking it in the air fryer helps to keep it moist. Plus it allows all the seasonings to stick on well.
• Paprika – I love the warmth that paprika adds, as well as its ability to add color.
• Garlic Powder – A bit of this savory seasoning is so delicious with fish.
• Coarse Salt – Kosher salt or coarse sea salt will melt into the salmon as it cooks in the Ninja Foodi for great flavor.
• Rosemary – Fresh, chopped rosemary is the first of three fresh herbs in this salmon rub.
• Basil – Chop the basil to about the same size as the other herbs so that the texture is similar.
• Parsley – The third green herb finishes up our herb and spice rub perfectly.

How to Make It

1. In a small bowl, mix together paprika, rosemary, basil, parsley, garlic powder, and salt. Prepare salmon filets, checking for any bones you can feel. If you’re using a whole salmon filet, cut it into serving-sized pieces. 
2. Preheat the Ninja Foodi on the Air Fry setting to 390°F/198°C for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add ¼ teaspoon of olive oil to the top of each salmon piece, then rub in ¼ of the seasoning mixture to each.
3. Place seasoned salmon in the Ninja Foodi basket, skin side down. You will need to cook this recipe in batches. 1 large filet or two large ones can be cooked at a time.
4. Cook at 390°F/198°C for 8 to 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh lemon and fresh parsley if desired.

Tips and Tricks

• The fish filets shown here are larger ones, but you can cook smaller filets using the same process. Check them at the 8-minute mark so that they don’t overcook.
• With large pieces of salmon, I only cook one at a time. Avoid crowding the air fryer basket so that the salmon will cook evenly.
• Preheating is important in this recipe. You want the air fryer to be nice and hot when you add the salmon.
• Leave the skin on the salmon. It protects the delicate fish from sticking or overcooking on the bottom of the Ninja Foodi basket.
• You don’t need to flip the fish over when cooking it in the Ninja Foodi air fryer.
• Try using simple Cajun seasoning, or Italian seasoning. Lemon pepper seasoning is always good with fish as well.

How to Serve

• Use your air fryer to create a simple potato side dish like Air Fryer Baked Potatoes (this is the only way I make them now!) or Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes.
• Toss in a vegetable like Ninja Foodi Brussel Sprouts, Air Fryer Baby Carrots or Air Fryer Green Beans and you’ll have an amazing and healthy air fryer meal.

How to Know When It’s Done?

The age-old question…

If you take a fork and lightly pull from the center (or the thickest part) of the salmon filet, the fish should flake apart easily. If you prefer to go by temperature, ensure that your salmon is 145°F/63°C.

Visually, you can tell that salmon is done when the color has changed from translucent red or pink to opaque pink.

Types of Salmon Cuts

Three main salmon cuts that you may find are:

• Salmon steaks: They’ll be cut as a slice that includes both sides of the salmon.
• Side of salmon: A large fillet, that is one whole side of the fish, usually trimmed, but not super well.
• Filets: These Will be pieces cut from the side. These will come with or without skin.

For this recipe, the best choice is salmon filets, with the skin on.

Fresh vs. Frozen Fillets

It can be cost-effective to purchase frozen salmon filets. Before air frying, be sure that you thaw the fish overnight in the refrigerator. Fresh salmon can be more expensive, but I think it’s generally tastier.

Wild vs. Game Caught Salmon

Wild-caught fish is more nutritious. Farmed salmon is generally lighter in color and has more fat, while wild-caught salmon will be a redder, darker color.

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