Fish
Salmon
Forgiving on fat, unforgiving on time — a fillet moves from perfect to chalky fast.
What it does in fast-moving hot air
Salmon's fat keeps the flesh moist across a wider window than lean white fish, but its proteins set within a narrow temperature band and squeeze out moisture sharply once they do — the white albumin that beads on the surface is that happening. Skin crisps readily in moving hot air, better than in a pan, because the air removes moisture from all sides rather than only where it touches metal.
Why the cut matters
Salmon suits air frying well: it is fatty enough to tolerate dry heat, thick enough to develop a contrast between surface and centre, and quick enough that the appliance's speed is an advantage rather than a hazard.
Cooking pages
- Salmon fillet — One of the foods an air fryer does better than the alternatives, and quickly.
- Salmon jerky strips — Three to five hours at 70°C — two hours shorter than any meat jerky, because of the fat.
This page gives no cooking answer of its own. A food does not have one — a cut, at a thickness, in a state, at a loading, in a particular appliance does. Any figure mentioned above is one manufacturer’s, and the page for the cut says which machine, quantity and state it was printed for, or that the manufacturer named no state.