Air Fryer Honey Soy Salmon, Rice and Chilli Cukes
I’ve come across a few people who are wary about cooking fish in an air fryer because they think it’s too powerful…but cooking fish in a dishwasher is somehow kinda acceptable?! Put down the Calgon and whack open up your air fryer instead because this is where your fish truly belongs!
For this dinner, I served it alongside rice, tenderstem broccoli and chilli cucumbers (or chilli cukes if you’re cool and edgy like me hehe). To make this dish truly spectacular, I fashioned my cucumber into spiral shapes, which is much easier than it looks. You can watch the process here.
This recipe is from my book and Sunday Times BESTSELLER (whaaaaaat), The Actually Delicious Air Fryer Cook Book. I’m also sharing it here for free too because I love you all and feel we should all give fish in the air fryer a go.
Ingredients
For the rice
- 200g washed basmati rice
- 400ml cold water
For the chilli cukes
- 1 pack baby cucumbers
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- Yuzu or lemon juice to taste
- Chilli crisp oil, salt and pepper to taste
For the honey soy salmon and broccoli
- 2 salmon fillets
- 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp runny honey
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 small thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 300g tenderstem broccoli
Method
- Mix together all of the ingredients for the salmon marinade and coat the salmon fillets in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Pop the rice into a large saucepan with the cold water and bring to a boil, then boil for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover with cling film and a tight fitting lid, then leave to stand for 11 minutes.
- Bash or slice the cucumbers into a spiral - put a chopstick on both sides of the baby cucumber and slice at a 45º angle close together. When you have done this, flip the cucumber over and cut on a 90º angle and it will form an accordion cut. Mix together all of the ingredients for the cucumber marinade and toss the cucumbers in the mix. Leave to marinade while you finish the rest of the dish.
- Preheat your airfryer to 180ºc/350ºf. Toss the tenderstem broccoli in oil, salt and pepper then lay this at the bottom of your airfryer basket. Top with the salmon fillets and cook for 7-9 minutes until the salmon is flaky.
- Scoop the leftover marinade into a small pan and add a large dash of water. Stir together, bring to the boil and use this to brush over the salmon when it comes out of the air fryer. Fluff up the rice with a fork and dish up.