Thai Sweet Chili Air Fryer Salmon Bites
These sweet, spicy, and savory Thai Sweet Chili Air Fryer Salmon Bites are incredibly addicting—and they’re ready in less than 30 minutes!
A Sweet and Spicy Glazed Salmon You’ll Keep Forever. And Ever and Ever.
This is totally one of those even-my-picky-husband-loved-it recipes. It starts with a quick but solid marinade and ends with a sweet and spicy glaze. And the way these tender salmon bites cook to flaky perfection in the air fryer? Actual wizardry. Imagine all of the texture and flavor of a pan-seared salmon done up in a healthier, quicker, and cleaner fashion.
The Ingredient List Is Exciting *AND* Accessible!
This salmon might taste like it came straight from a restaurant kitchen, but the ingredients are available at pretty much any grocery store. Easy peasy! The marinade is a blend of salty and citrus—which honestly leaves the salmon bites delicious without even tossing them in the glaze—but we still recommend this bomb glaze made up of sweet and spicy. When it come to flavor, this recipe offers it all. Here’s your ingredient list:
- Salmon fillets, preferably a fattier species like King salmon, Faroe Island, or Scottish.
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Limes
- Sweet Chili sauce
- Scallions
- Sesame seeds
- Chilies or hot peppers
I typically use Bird’s Eye/Thai chilies in this recipe, which bring on quite a punch of heat. This pepper variety falls just beneath the Scotch Bonnet on the Scoville Unit scale. You can definitely swap this pepper for a milder one, however. Serrano peppers are great in this recipe; you could also opt for jalapeño. If you don’t want any heat at all, go ahead and skip the pepper all together.
Here’s the Gist on How to Make Thai Sweet Chili Air Fryer Salmon Bites.
Considering the flavor and the beautiful, colorful presentation of this dish, it’s astonishing just how quick and simple it is to bring together. The marinating time is a mere 20 minutes, the finishing glaze is made up of four ingredients, and the cook time is six minutes. SIX MINUTES. So yeah, this beauty? Ready in less than 30 minutes. Here’s how it’s done:
- Prep your salmon. Gently tap the fillets with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Make sure to get the skin, too. Then, cut the fillets into bite-sized chunks with a sharp knife or kitchen shears.
- Marinate! Whisk the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl and transfer the salmon chunks to the bowl. Give the salmon a gentle toss to coat, then set aside for 20 minutes. Leave the salmon on the counter—you want the fish to come to room temperature before cooking it anyway. This results in a more even cook.
- Time to fry. Lightly grease the bottom of the air fryer basket with olive oil. Then, carefully place the salmon chunks into the air fryer, skin-side up, with tongs. Skin-side up allows the skin to cook a bit and prevents it from sticking to the bottom of the fryer basket. Cook the salmon for 3 minutes at 350º F. Then flip the salmon chunks over and cook them for another 3 minutes. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 140-145º F.
- Time to shine! Remove the salmon chunks from the air fryer basket and place them in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the sweet chili sauce over the salmon and add the scallions, sesame seeds, and sliced chilies to the bowl. Give everything a gentle toss to evenly coat the salmon.
- How to serve it? We love eating these salmon bites over Coconut Ginger Instant Pot Rice with a vegetable on the side. It’s also great with this cool and crunchy smashed cucumber salad.
Equipment You’ll Need:
- Air Fryer
- Sharp knife
- Kitchen shears (optional)
- Cutting Board
- Mixing Bowls
- Microplane
- Meat Thermometer
- Juice reamer
- Spatula
- Tongs
Recipe Tips + Tricks.
- While the salmon is marinating, leave it on the counter to come to room temperature. Bringing fish to room temperature before cooking results in a more even cook.
- Because we have lime in the marinade, be sure not to marinate the salmon for longer than 20 minutes. Citrus breaks down the proteins in fish and will ruin the texture. If you plan to let the fish marinate all day, leave the lime juice out of it and add it 20 minutes prior to cooking.
- Cook the salmon bites skin-side up for the first 3 minutes so that the skin cooks and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the air fryer.
- If you don’t want too much heat, use a milder pepper. Instead of Thai chili, use Serrano pepper or jalapeño, or you could forego the pepper entirely.
What to Serve With Thai Sweet Chili Air Fryer Salmon Bites:
- Coconut Ginger Instant Pot Rice
- Sichuan Smashed Cucumber Salad
- Honey Miso Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Sesame Seared Baby Bok Choy
Have You Made This Recipe?
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Get the Recipe:
Thai Sweet Chili Air Fryer Salmon Bites
Ingredients
- 2 6 oz salmon fillets, Preferably a fattier salmon like King, Faroe Island, or Scottish
Marinade.
- 1/4 cup Low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated
- 1 tsp grated ginger
Sweet Chili Glaze.
- 2 TBSP Sweet chili sauce
- 2 TBSP thinly sliced Thai chilies, Or, if you want less heat, a Serrano pepper or jalapeño
- 1 TBSP sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
Equipment
Instructions
- Gently pat down the salmon fillets, skin and all, with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Cut the fillets into bite-sized chunks with a sharp knife or kitchen shears.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients, and then transfer the salmon to the bowl; gently toss to coat and set the bowl aside for 20 minutes. You can leave the salmon on the counter since you want the fish to come to room temperature before cooking it. This will result in a more even cook.
- With olive oil or cooking spray, lightly grease the bottom of the air fryer basket and, with tongs, place the salmon chunks into the air fryer skin-side up.
- Air fry the salmon for 3 minutes at 350º F, and then flip the salmon over and cook for another 3 minutes. You want an internal temperature of 140-145º F.
- Remove the salmon from the air fryer basket and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Top the salmon with the sweet chili sauce, scallions, sesame seeds, and sliced chilies. Gently toss to coat the salmon and serve.
86 Comments on “Thai Sweet Chili Air Fryer Salmon Bites”
This salmon recipe is so easy to make and soooo delicious! The sweet and spicy sauce is just phenomenal!
This is my new favorite way to make salmon! It’s so flavorful and the perfect blend of savory and sweet!
Best salmon bites we have tasted so far. Absolutely delectable and so flavorful.
This is so amazing! Thank you!
I really love making meals in the air fryer and this sweet and spicy salmon did not disappoint! It came out super tender and flaky and the sauce was amazing.
Such a delicious little salmon bites! The flavors are fantastic and I love how easily they come together with the air fryer and just 30 minutes.
Thank you for sharing your delicious creations. Your passion for food shines through in every recipe you share. This was delicious.
This was incredible!!! Made this to test my new air fryer and I can’t believe i ate the whole thing, no sharing ! Delicious, will make again and great for busy weeknight dinners!
Why have I never thought of making salmon in the air fryer before?? This is genius, and bonus: I don’t need to turn on the oven in this heat!
Fast, flavorful and the whole family gobbled this recipe up!
Love thai flavors, and I will be trying this recipe soon. Thanks a lot for sharing.
This was the best tasting air fryer salmon I have had in a long time. After working all day, a good homecooked and fast meal is what I am looking forward to in the evenings.
This recipe looks absolutely delicious! I love tossing the idea of tossing the salmon in this delicious glaze! Cant wait to make it
Literally life-changing that these can be made in the air fryer!
Oh my word, this was so perfect! My kids could not get enough! A bigger batch is needed next time.
These salmon bites were such a hit! We loved all of the flavors of the sweet chili and it was super easy to make in the air fryer! :) Will make again!
10/10 would make again!
Thrilled to hear it!
Wow! This is so delicious! :) And that glaze is amazing.
Loooove the glaze. So happy you do too!
We made these for friends last weekend and they were gobbled up ~ thanks for a great recipe!
Love hearing this!
You know me… I can never say NO to a salmon recipe… Especially if it is as good-looking as this one!
Keep me posted!
These bites are absolutely amazing! Love how delicious they look – just the way I like them :-)
Thanks, Mahy!
Loving these salmon bites with an Asian kick. They look fabulous and are so easy to make.
Hope you give them a try!
Made this for my wife for Valentine’s dinner and it was amazing! Thank you! Very easy too, so I will be making this again.
So happy to hear this! Hope you had a wonderful evening.
Love spicy salmon and this would make a great dinner or appetiser too. Great flavours!
Thanks!
These salmon bites turned out absolutely perfectly and were so flavorful thanks to the sweet chili glaze! Yum!
So happy to hear it!
Salmon in the air fryer is delicious and these sweet chilli bites look amazing.
They are so good, hope you try them!
This healthy salmon dish is amazing. I made this for dinner tonight and it turned out perfect. Can’t wait to make again.
Awesome!
Sweet and spicy Thai flavors sound wonderful on salmon. Love that you make this in the air fryer.
Thanks! It’s so so good :)
You had me at Thai sweet, savory and spicy. These are little bites of deliciousness.
Thank you!
Loved this salmon, came out perfect!
So happy!
This is a perfect salmon meal for my family. Love the sweet, spicy, and savory flavors in each little bite. Looking forward to making this again.
Thanks, Kathleen!
I love your air-fryer recipes, so decided to give this one a go for dinner! We are obsessed! So tasty, and has a perfect amount of heat for us! And I love the ginger that comes through ever so slightly in the marinade! Perfect with noodles and Asian-style veggies!
So glad you enjoyed this, Ieva! We love this one.
Making this tonight. It was so easy to prep. Can’t wait!
Awesome! Keep me posted :)
We had these salmon bites for dinner last night and everyone loved them! Already can’t wait to make them again!
Awesome!
This is the most addicting salmon recipe ever!
I agree!
I’ve made this recipe twice in the last two weeks. It’s so good! My husband loves it and he’s not much of a salmon guy. So that speaks for itself.
Funny, my husband has never been much of a salmon gyu either and this is his favorite dish. It’s all in the flavors! :)
I had everything in stock, and these salmon bites were done in a flash. Dinner was fabulous!
I’m so glad!
Love Thai flavors. Great recipe, Thanks
You’re welcome!
This was SO flavorful and super easy!! I love how it’s just a few ingredients! Everyone loved it!!
Happy to hear it!
Fast, flavorful and perfect for these busy, end of school days! I love that this recipe is ready to go in just 30 minutes!
Fast and easy is the name of the game here :)
I am always looking for new salmon recipes and am so happy to find this one! Everyone in the family loved it. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Sharon!
This was super easy to make and the salmon came out nice and tender. The marinade made is super flavorful. I don’t know if I’ll oven-bake salmon again!
That’s how I feel about roasted salmon! Love it but I think this is the way now.
That was super easy to make and so delicious! Thank you! I had it with steamed Jasmine rice and it was a hit on our table.
It’s so good with steamed rice :)
We love the taste of the sweet chili on the salmon bites. I make more of the sauce to pour over the rice too!
Love that!
These came out so delicious and worked perfectly with the green tea noodles I served them with. Definitely a repeater recipe!
Sounds like a delicious combo!
Wow! This salmon is bursting with flavor. I’ve never cooked salmon in the air fryer before so thanks for all of the detail you provide!
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed it :)
Wow! The salmon bites sounds super delicious 😋 can’t wait to make it I have some salmon in my fridge!
Keep me posted :)
Love that beautiful glaze on the salmon! So flavourful! Thanks for sharing your recipe with us :)
Really glad you enjoyed it, Michelle!
Oh my gosh. That glaze!! SO good! We love making salmon in the air fryer, but hadn’t made it like this before. Will make again!
I’m so happy to hear this!
Excellent recipe and I love that you added lower sodium this was perfect for me
Lower sodium is definitely the way to go! You don’t even lose out on flavor :)
Holy wow! That looks and sounds so delicious. I love healthy recipes that are also full of flavor. This one ticks all the boxes.
Thanks!