This miso glazed air fryer salmon is a quick, protein-rich dinner with a savory-sweet glaze with white miso as the star. After multiple recipe tests, I found that 30 minutes of marinating offers plenty for flavor, while cooking at a lower temp gives the glaze time to caramelize and keeps the salmon juicy and tender. The result is deeply flavorful, beautifully glazed salmon from start to finish in under 45 minutes.
This is a great meal to prepare for yourself or family when you feel like something special but don’t have a lot of time or energy left after a long day.
All the ingredients are easy to source and keep stocked, and the recipe makes enough for 4 salmon filets. Easy to scale up if feeding a larger group, or make as is to meal prep for a delicious week of lunches or dinners.
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Key Points for This Recipe
- Short list of easy to source ingredients, including white miso paste which can safely be stored in the fridge for up to a year!
- Only 2 steps and 7-9 minutes of active cook time to create an impressive dish that works with other quick sides. Think microwavable rice, bagged salad, pre-cooked edamame.
- Foolproof cooking method for salmon, even for those scared of cooking fish. I’ve shared A TON of salmon recipes on my site, all with different techniques, and air fried salmon is my absolute favorite way to cook this fish. It’s quick, easy and the salmon comes out tender and juicy every time. Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it!
Ingredients for Honey Miso Glazed Salmon
- 4 four ounce salmon filets of equal thickness. They don’t have to all be exactly the same size, but the closer the better. If one is slightly thicker or thinner, just know you may need to pull the thinner one first, or extend cook time on the thicker piece.
- White Miso Paste – This recipe was taste-tested using the new Trader Joe’s white miso paste which definitely has a more mild, slightly diluted flavor than more authentic Asian brands. If using Trader Joe’s brand, you will need 1 tablespoon, but if using a more traditional brand like Cold Mountain or Hikari Miso, use 1.5-2 teaspoons. You can easily adjust the flavor of the marinade to your taste preference by adding more if need be, but start there.
- Neutral oil – 4 tablespoons of neutral oil will serve as the marinade base. We tested it with 3 tablespoons, and while it worked, the salmon did not caramelize as well and lacked that beautiful rich color.
- Toasted sesame oil – 1 tablespoon to add that distinct nutty punch of flavor. While you can substitute regular sesame oil as a liquid, the flavor will be more neutral/mild and lack that distinct nutty flavor. Most stores carry toasted sesame oil and even Trader Joe’s offers a bottle for less than four dollars.
- Soy sauce – 2 tablespoons is all you need since miso paste also provides plenty of saltiness.
- Honey – 1 tablespoon to balance out the flavors and also aid in caramelization.
- Grated ginger, about 1 teaspoon, and 2-3 minced cloves of garlic, depending on their size.
Read This!
Rethink Miso Paste
If you’re a little skeptical to try this recipe because miso paste sounds like one of those ingredients you’ll use once and then never again, hold your skepticism for a second please!
In practical terms, it lasts in the fridge for 6-12 months, and is now widely available at pretty much every grocery store. Even Trader Joe’s offers it in a $2.99 squeezable pouch!
For taste enhancement purposes, white miso paste is a simple ingredient you can try adding to zhuzh up typically “boring” foods like green beans, roasted potatoes or your tired salad dressing.
Make the Marinade
Combine the oils, miso paste, honey, ginger and garlic in a small bowl and whisk vigorously until well incorporated.
Marinade the salmon
Lay the salmon filets in a baking dish and pour the marinade on top, making sure to move pieces around so the undersides get coated as well. Marinade for 30 minutes, and up to an hour. The extended marinade time doesn’t noticeably enhance the flavor
Air Fry
Shake off excess marinade and place the filets in the air fryer basket. For the 5 quart Ninja air fryer, you should be able to fit 2-3 salmon filets in the basket, so work in batches as to not overcrowd the vessel. Air fry at 370 degrees for 7-9 minutes.
Temperature & Timing NOtes
I tested this recipe at 2 different temps and found that air frying the salmon at 370 degrees consistently produced the best results. Flaky, still moist salmon with beautiful caramelization. I also began checking for doneness at the 7 minute mark. Some smaller pieces of salmon were ready, while others took up to 9 minutes of air fry time.
Perfectly cooked salmon should be moist and tender inside and flake easily with a fork while still looking slightly translucent in the very center. Avoid cooking until the center looks completely dry and opaque, which can leave the salmon overcooked.
Avoid Over-Marinating
More isn’t always better! I tested this salmon after both 30 and 60 minutes of marinating and found no noticeable improvement with the extra time. Because the marinade contains both soy sauce and miso, leaving the salmon much longer can eventually make the exterior overly salty and alter its delicate texture. For the best results, 30 minutes is plenty, up to an hour. The key here is not to leave this marinating all day while you’re at work!
Recipe Tips for the Perfect Air Fryer Miso Salmon
Here are some tips to help you trouble shoot, or even preemptively stop any recipe mistakes and fails when making your miso salmon!
- Avoid the miso glaze burning. A common complaint when air frying a glazed salmon is that the sauce burns and overly crisps. This is why I purposefully suggest a lower air fry temperature than most recipes. 370 is just enough to cook perfectly, avoid burning and yest still achieve caramelization.
- Your salmon comes out dry? This is why it is very important to know that the cook time is set at a range for a reason! Not every piece of salmon is created equal when it comes to size. Some will cook quicker, and others take longer. I have also found the second batch of salmon will cook slightly faster than the first because the air fryer is so well heated. That’s why I state to START checking for doneness at the 7 minute mark.
- The marinade is too salty or the soy and/or miso is too overpowering? The ratio in this recipe will also help you avoid this often stated issue with miso and soy marinades. Too low of an oil ratio to miso and soy can result in salty, overly powerful flavors. This ratio has been tested several times and produces lots of flavor, yet adds a subtle savory depth without overpowering the salmon.
- Salmon doesn’t get that pretty dark caramelization? If you’ve made a marinated salmon in the past and didn’t get that rich color you wanted, it’s likely because the oil content in the marinade was too low. The oil to sauce/honey ratio is a bit higher than other recipes out there, but it’s to produce that beautiful color with crisp but not burnt edges.
Common Questions for Air Fryer Salmon
It really doesn’t matter for taste or cooking time, as the thickness of the fish is what matters most.
Technically yes, but the flavor will be stronger. I’d recommend sticking white miso for the flavor balance I designed.
More Delicious Salmon Recipes
- Teriyaki Air Fryer Salmon Bites
- Pesto Salmon Filets
- Salmon & Veggies in Parchment Paper
- Honey Butter Glazed Salmon
- Poached Salmon
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Did you make this recipe?
If you gave this recipe a try, I’d love your feedback! Any tips or recipe additions you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it! Let’s connect down in the comments below.
Air Fryer Miso Glazed Salmon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Four ounce salmon filets of equal thickness.
- 1 tablespoon White Miso Paste If using Trader Joe’s brand, you will need 1 tablespoon, but if using a more traditional brand like Cold Mountain or Hikari Miso, use 1.5-2 teaspoons.
- 4 tablespoon Neutral Oil
- 1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
- 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Grated Ginger
- 3 Garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- Combine the oils, miso paste, honey, ginger and garlic in a small bowl and whisk vigorously until well incorporated.1 tbsp White Miso Paste, 4 tbsp Neutral Oil, 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil, 2 tbsp Soy Sauce, 1 tbsp Honey, 1 tsp Grated Ginger, 3 Garlic cloves
- Lay the salmon filets in a baking dish and pour the marinade on top, making sure to move pieces around so the undersides get coated as well. Marinade for 30 minutes, and up to an hour.4 Four ounce salmon filets of equal thickness.
- Shake off excess marinade and place the filets in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 370 degrees for 7-9 minutes.
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