I always want to add more fish to my diet, because of the health benefits it brings, but also because I want to reduce my consumption of red meat.
I tried a number of fish recipes during my best air fryer tests and none have quite lived up to my expectations.
That was until I tried these Deep Fryer Salmon Bites, posted by a popular TikTok foodie, who has over 128,000 likes (and counting) on the recipe.
Below, I walk you through how to make these sweet, salty, and deliciously sticky salmon bites — and it only takes 15 minutes from start to finish. I swapped out a few ingredients for various reasons, but it didn’t affect the ease of making or the delicious taste, so I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do.
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Deep Fryer Salmon Bites Recipe
@tiffycooks (opens in a new tab)
♬ original sound – TIFFY COOKS 🥟 (opens in a new tab)
Over 128,000 people have liked this air fryer salmon bites recipe from @tiffycooks, and even more on Instagram.
Air Fryer Salmon Bites Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon, cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper
I’m allergic to ginger so I didn’t include it in my recipe. Tiffy also recommends using Japanese mayonnaise in her original post, but I couldn’t find any, so I opted for regular mayonnaise instead.
Air fryer salmon bites method
I used the Tower Vortx 9 Quart Dual Capacity Basket Air Fryer with Smart Finish 5.2L and 3.3L at 380°F (190°C) for 12 minutes.
Step 1: Cut the salmon into large chunks and add it to a mixing bowl.
2nd step: Add the honey, soy, oyster sauce, ginger and mayonnaise to the bowl of salmon and toss with your hands so that the marinade coats each bite-sized piece. You can also use a spoon, but the flesh of the salmon is delicate, so you’ll have to be careful not to break the pieces.
Step 3: Place the salmon bites in rows inside your air fryer, set to 380°F (190°C) for 12 minutes. After six minutes, flip each bite of salmon over so the air fryer cooks both sides evenly.
Step 4: When cooked, salmon bites should have a sticky, crispy coating and be soft and flaky in the center. They can be fragile and prone to breaking, so we recommend letting them cool slightly before removing them from the air fryer with a flat slice of fish.
Step 5: Serve your salmon bites with rice or any side dish of your choice. Since I first made this recipe, I have been making these bites as a lunchtime snack as they are also suitable on their own.
In Tiffy’s original post, she also explains how to make a honey glaze for these Deep Fryer Salmon Bites.
Air Fryer Salmon Recipe Verdict
I’ve tried countless recipes and these air fryer salmon bites are some of the best. The flavor of the marinade doesn’t overwhelm the salmon, but it does add a delicious sticky, sweet and salty coating to it that pairs beautifully with the mild salmon inside.
It also fills the kitchen with the most amazing flavor of Asian cuisine that even my kids asked what I was doing. The youngest then devoured an entire plate – and he’s someone who claims he doesn’t like fish…
Additionally, the recipe uses very few ingredients, many of which most people will likely have, and it only takes 15 minutes from start to finish.
This is a quick, tasty, and easy recipe that I will make over and over again.
If you’re still sitting on the fence and wondering whether to buy an air fryer, you might want to read our article to decide whether are air fryers worth it?