Maple Garlic Air Fryer Salmon Bites

square crop of cooked salmon cut into cubes on rice with edamame and carrots.

5 from 1 vote

Maple Garlic Air Fryer Salmon Bites

These Maple Garlic Air Fryer Salmon Bites are sweet, savory, and ready in about 15 minutes. They're perfect for salmon bowls, salads, rice, or noodles, making weeknight dinners quick and easy.

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer, garlic, maple, salmon

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 208kcal

Author Debi

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

1 pound salmon fillets
2-3 teaspoons neutral oil avocado, grapeseed, or olive oil
3 tablespoons Maple Garlic Spice Mix homemade or store-bought
Sesame seeds or chopped chives optional, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 380° F (193° C).
Remove the skin from the salmon if needed. Rinse under cool tap water, and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the salmon into 1-to-2-inch cubes.
Place the salmon in a small bowl and drizzle with oil, gently toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle the Maple Garlic Spice Mix over the salmon and gently toss again until every piece is evenly coated.
Arrange the salmon bites in a single layer in the preheated air fryer basket, leaving a little space between each piece for even cooking. Air fry for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes and your preferred doneness. The salmon should reach 140-145 °F in the thickest piece.
To check for doneness, press a piece with a fork, it should easily flake apart with a moist texture inside and a golden color outside.
Remove from the air fryer and garnish with sesame seeds, if desired. Serve immediately over rice, noodles, salad, or with your favorite vegetables.

Notes

Don't have Maple Garlic Spice Mix? Use the entire batch for this recipe. Stir together:

4 teaspoons maple sugar
1⅓ teaspoons packed light brown sugar
1⅓ teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon dried chives or dried green onion
⅓ teaspoon black or white pepper
⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 scant teaspoon kosher salt (optional)

This amount of seasoning works well for 1 to 1½ pounds of salmon.

If the spice blend has clumped, break it apart with a fork before using.

For whole salmon fillets, leave the fish intact and increase the cooking time to approximately 8-12 minutes, depending on thickness.

USDA recommends cooking salmon to 145°F, but removing it around 140°F allows for carryover cooking while keeping it moist.

Cooking time will vary by air fryer model and the size of the salmon cubes. 2-inch cubes may take closer to 7-9 minutes, depending on the air fryer.

Serve with rice, edamame, carrots, avocado, crumbled nori, noodles, spring mix, or your favorite bowl makings.

These salmon bites can be cooked in the oven. Bake at 400° F (200° C) for about 8-12 minutes. They won’t be as crispy on the outside when baked in the oven.

Nutrition