The Best Temperature To Cook Salmon In The Air Fryer For Serious Flavor Results

We enjoy salmon in any way that it's cooked, and the fish is absolutely irresistible when air fried. The convenient cooking method yields salmon that's tender with a slightly crisp exterior — although it takes the right circumstances to get results like that. We spoke to an expert to learn the best temperature setting when cooking salmon in the air fryer.

Air fryers are similar to convection ovens, using a rotating, high heat to give food that sought-after crunchy finish. This also means that food is prone to losing too much moisture if you're not careful with how you use the appliance. To keep salmon moist and tender, it's important for the heat settings to be just right. Rachel Buck, senior demo chef at the Ninja Test Kitchen, likes to set the air fryer at 370 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. "This temperature allows the outside to crisp while keeping the inside tender and juicy," she explains, adding that "a lower temperature might make it mushy, while too high of a temperature can dry it out."

This temperature range is just high enough for salmon to be slightly browned without becoming devoid of moisture. Still, you'll need to heat the fish for just the right amount of time to prevent it from getting stale. For Buck, that tends to be around 7 to 12 minutes, although that ultimately depends on the thickness of the salmon.

To really get the best from your fish, there's an important step you cannot skip when cooking salmon in the air fryer — preheating. Part of the reason Buck prefers the 370 to 375 degree range is due to the beautiful crust the salmon gets at that heat. To keep the crust intact, the fish should be placed in the air fryer basket when the unit is completely hot; otherwise, you risk having it stick to the bottom. This method also ensures that your salmon will cook evenly.

If you really want to make sure that it's cooked evenly, keep a meat thermometer on hand. It can be hard to tell from the outside alone whether your fish is properly cooked, so checking to see when it's reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit will help you know the exact time to pull your fish out from the air fryer. If you're cooking salmon without a thermometer, examine the changes in color as the flesh heats up. When the fish goes from practically see-through and pink to almost white, you should be good to go. The surface of the salmon should also flake when pressed with a fork.