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+ servings
A plate with a green salad and a piece of blackened salmon.
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Blackened Air Fryer Salmon

A delicious air fryer salmon recipe, made with a spicy butter spread! The butter keeps the salmon from drying out in the hot heat of the air fryer. If you're looking for some variation, check out the other seasoning options in the notes section below!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 292kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 salmon filets 4-6 ounce portions, skin on
  • 1 tablespoon butter preferably grass-fed
  • 1 teaspoon blackening seasoning *see notes to make your own
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • lemon wedges to serve

Instructions

  • Preheat air fryer to 400º F for 5 minutes.
  • Add softened butter and blackening seasoning into a bowl, and mix together well. If the butter isn't very soft, put the bowl in another bowl with some hot water, and mix it until it's very soft and spreadable.
  • Sprinkle the salmon with kosher salt, to taste. Then spread the salmon with a thin layer of seasoned butter.
  • Air fry salmon for 10 minutes. If cooking only 1 filet, air fry for 8 minutes.

Video

Notes

Make it Less Spicy: Most blackening seasonings have quite a kick to them. You can use half the amount of blackening seasoning, or make your own seasoning and omit the cayenne and half of the black pepper to lighten it up.
Lemon Pepper Air Fryer Salmon: Instead of blackening season, use 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper in the butter blend. Check your seasoning to see if it contains salt, and adjust the amount of salt you use on the filets accordingly.
Southwest Air Fryer Salmon: Make a blend of 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 paprika, 1/4 garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder. Use this seasoning in place of the blackening seasoning and follow the recipe otherwise.
CAN I AIR FRY FROZEN SALMON?
Luckily, salmon defrosts fairly quickly, so if you haven’t thought about dinner plans yet, this is a great recipe!
Add frozen salmon to a bowl of warm (not hot water), and let it sit as you prepare the softened spiced butter mixture.
If you have 20 minutes, the salmon will be fully defrosted when it’s time to cook the salmon.
Otherwise, once the salmon is about half defrosted, spread it with the seasoned butter, and throw it in the air fryer. The salmon will need to cook for 12-14 minutes, depending on how much is had defrosted first.

Nutrition

Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 835mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 243IU | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg