Air Fryer Salmon Bites with Smashed Cucumbers

Air Fryer Salmon Bites with Smashed Cucumbers! Flavorful, easy to make and so delightful and delicious, I hope you try this recipe!

Friends, I don’t know why I haven’t air fried my salmon more. It’s so delightful and delicious and you can use little to no oil! This recipe was inspired by my Faster Way to Fat Loss app. I added more honey and well, more of everything and made a bigger batch so my family could enjoy this too. Note to self: the halibut doesn’t work in the air fryer in my opinion. It was too dry but the salmon was perfect.

Salmon Skin Or No Skin

OK, I have to ask: do you like the salmon skin? Personally, I love it. I love it when it gets all crispy and crunchy. Sometimes, I will even save it when I bake my salmon and will throw the salmon skin into the toaster oven. I know some people who save the salmon skin for their dogs. Either way, I love it and will almost always keep the salmon skin on.

It didn’t necessarily get super crispy this time but I didn’t want to air fry my salmon longer because I didn’t want to overcook it. 

Smashed Cucumbers

I ate smashed cucumbers all the time in the summer. It’s been a while since I made them but man, are they delicious. Smashing the cucumbers opens them up and creates all these grooves and openings and allows the sauce to really adhere to the cucumbers. I thought these would go perfectly with the salmon. I especially love this sauce that I make for the cucumbers. You have to try this! It’s so good! and I highly recommend adding the gochugaru. 

Air Fryer Salmon Bites with Smashed Cucumbers

This is the perfect lunch or dinner. So, spend some time in the kitchen and have some fun smashing those cucumbers!

Print Recipe

Air Fryer Salmon Bites with Smashed Cucumbers

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time8 minutes mins

Total Time28 minutes mins

Course: Main or Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian-influenced dish

Keyword: air fryer salmon, air fryer salmon bites, smashed cucumbers

Servings: 2

Author: hipfoodiemom

Equipment

• Air Fryer

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Ingredients

For the salmon:

• 2 (6 oz) salmon fillets* diced into cubes
• 2 tablespoons tamari or low sodium soy sauce
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 to 3 teaspoons brown rice vinegar

For the smashed cucumbers:

• 4 Persian cucumbers or any small seedless cucumber
• 2 carrots sliced into thin pieces
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Maldon sea salt flakes
• 1 tablespoon gochugaru Korean red pepper flakes

Instructions

For the salmon:

• Place all the cubed salmon into a bowl. Mix together the tamari, honey and brown rice vinegar and pour over the salmon. Mix and let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Air fry the salmon for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through.

For the smashed cucumbers:

• Working on a flat, level work surface or cutting board, using a large chef's knife and the bottom palm of your hand, smash the cucumbers until they open and crack from top to bottom. Chop the cucumbers.
• Place the cucumbers into a bowl with the carrots. Add in the sesame oil, coconut aminos, brown rice vinegar, garlic powder, season with Maldon sea salt flakes and the gochugaru. Mix together, taste and adjust anything as needed.
• To serve: serve over a bowl of rice (if desired), top with the air fried salmon and add the smashed cucumbers on the side. Lightly drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil if desired and feel free to sprinkle on a little furikake if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

*skin on or off; up to you! I left the skin on