Air Fryer Salmon: Should You Cook It Skin Side Up or Down?

Crispy salmon skin straight out of the air fryer is pure magic With just a small amount of oil, the air fryer yields deliciously crisped salmon skin every time But to attain that crackling crunch, should you cook your salmon fillet skin side up or down in the air fryer basket?

This straightforward question has sparked some debate among home cooks. Traversing Reddit forums and food blogs reveals contradicting schools of thought. If you want to cook salmon in the air fryer, which is better: skin up or skin down? Let’s look at the pros, cons, and important things to think about for each method.

Overview of Cooking Salmon in an Air Fryer

First, a quick refresher on using an air fryer to cook salmon fillets. A fast-moving air system is used in air frying to make food crispy with little to no oil. It cooks food quickly and doesn’t make your oven or kitchen too hot.

Salmon cooks beautifully in an air fryer The circulating high heat crisps up the skin while steaming the interior flesh Key tips for air frying salmon include

• Pat dry fillets thoroughly before cooking
• Brush lightly with oil to aid browning
• Preheat air fryer before adding salmon
• Cook at 400°F for 8-12 minutes, until opaque
• Use an instant read thermometer to confirm doneness

Now let’s dive into the skin up vs. skin down debate when cooking salmon in the air fryer.

The Case for Salmon Skin Side Down

Placing salmon fillets skin side down in the air fryer basket has its ardent supporters. Here are the main reasons this camp favors cooking salmon skin down:

Allows Fat to Drain Away – Salmon skin contains much of the fat. If you put it face down, the rendered fat can drip off instead of basting the top meat. This prevents the salmon from tasting overly greasy.

Avoids Soggy Skin – Direct contact with the metal air fryer basket crisps up the skin better than exposing it to the air flow. Skin up may steam and soften the skin before it sufficiently browns.

Easier Skin Removal – If you prefer skinless salmon, it’s easier to remove the skin when cooked skin down. Gravity aids separating the skin cleanly from the flesh.

Prevents Skin Shrinkage– Skin can shrink and curl when air fried skin side up. Skin down keeps it flat and anchored for better browning.

More Like Pan Frying – Placing skin down mimics pan frying or broiling salmon, considered more effective skin crisping techniques.

For many home cooks, these benefits make skin down the obvious orientation for air frying salmon. But others argue there are good reasons to go skin up.

Flipping the Script for Skin Up

While less prevalent, cooking salmon skin side up in the air fryer certainly has its merits. Here are the main benefits cited by those favoring skin up:

Direct Exposure to Heat – Skin faces heating element and air flow for optimal crisping. Skin down can partially steam and insulate the skin.

Better Browning Control – It’s easier to monitor skin browning and crispness with the skin facing up. You can peek through the air fryer window without disrupting cooking.

Lower Risk of Sticking – Exposed skin may be less likely to stick to the air fryer basket compared to skin pressed down directly.

Easier Brushing/Seasoning – Skin up makes it easier to brush on oil mixes or sprinkle on seasoning blends. Skin down makes this more challenging.

Matches Oven Logic – When oven broiling or baking salmon, skin commonly faces up to promote browning. Skin up mirrors this tried-and-true technique.

Results in Crispy Skin – Despite contradicting logic, many home cooks report success with crispy air fryer salmon skin using the skin up position.

With convincing rationales on both sides of the debate, what’s the best answer here?

Putting Both Methods to the Test

To resolve this skin up vs. skin down dilemma, I decided to test air frying salmon both ways to compare the results empirically. I cooked two identical wild sockeye salmon fillets in my Cosori air fryer. For one fillet, I placed the skin side down. For the other, I positioned the skin side up. Both were brushed with oil, seasoned, and cooked at 400°F for 10 minutes.

Here is what I observed:

Skin Down Salmon

• Skin nicely browned but not overly crispy
• Skin shrank back from edges, exposing some untanned flesh
• Skin stuck slightly to basket when removing
• Flesh evenly cooked, moist and tender

Skin Up Salmon

• Skin very crispy with browned blistering
• Skin appearance more attractive
• No sticking or skin shrinkage issues
• Flesh still moist but slightly less even cooking

The Verdict

While both samples were delicious, the skin up salmon had noticeably crispier, more appealing skin. However, the flesh suffered a bit more uneven cooking compared to the skin down orientation.

Best of Both Worlds Tips

Based on my test, I personally recommend cooking salmon skin side up for the best crispy air fryer skin results. However, a few small tweaks can help harness the advantages of both methods:

• Brush skin with oil – Lightly oiling the skin before cooking helps prevent sticking and shrinking issues seen with skin down.

• Use oil spray – Misting the flesh periodically yields more even cooking similar to basting from rendered fat.

• Finish skin down – Crisp the skin up for most of the cook time, then flip briefly skin down at the end to evenly brown any pale patches.

• Remove skin to recrisp – For a foolproof approach, remove the cooked salmon flesh, then recrisp just the skin.

So while skin up has my vote, employ these tips as needed to work around any potential drawbacks.

Handy Guide to Air Fryer Salmon

To summarize key tips for flawless air fryer salmon, here is a handy step-by-step reference:

1. Select Fillets – Pick thick, center-cut salmon fillets with skin for the best results.

2. Pat Dry – Gently remove excess moisture from the salmon skin and flesh before cooking using paper towels.

3. Brush Lightly with Oil – Apply a thin coating of olive oil, avocado oil or oil spray to help facilitate browning.

4. Season – Sprinkle with desired herbs, salt, pepper, spices, or dry seasoning rubs.

5. Preheat Air Fryer – Heat air fryer to 400°F prior to adding salmon.

6. Cook Skin Up – Arrange salmon skin side up in single layer in basket.

7. Mist Periodically – Optional – Use oil spray to mist flesh side periodically for more even cooking.

8. Cook 8-12 Minutes – Cook until salmon is opaque and flakes easily, about 10 minutes for a 1 inch thick fillet.

9. Verify Temperature – Use instant read thermometer to confirm salmon has reached 140°F for medium doneness.

10. Rest 1-2 Minutes – Let salmon rest before serving for easiest skin removal and juiciest meat.

11. Crisp Skin Separately – For ultra crispy skin, remove after initial cook then recrisp the skin alone 1-2 minutes.

12. Enjoy Flaky Salmon! – Dig into wonderfully moist, tender salmon with fabulously crisped skin straight from your air fryer!

More Delicious Air Fryer Salmon Recipes

Beyond basic air fryer salmon fillets, this versatile device can be used to whip up all kinds of flavor-packed salmon meals and appetizers:

• Maple Glazed Air Fryer Salmon – Brush fillets with maple syrup and Dijon mustard for candied salmon with crispy edges.

• Air Fryer Salmon Burgers – Combine minced salmon with almonds, herbs, and breadcrumbs then air fry into tender, crunchy patties.

• Air Fryer Salmon Cakes – For an easy twist on crab cakes, air fry patties made from canned salmon and crunchy binders like panko.

• Air Fryer Salmon Croquettes – Salmon melded with mashed potato makes delightful fish croquettes with crispy coatings.

• Air Fryer Smoked Salmon – Cure raw salmon with salt, sugar and spices, then air fry for intensely flavored hot smoked salmon.

• Air Fried Salmon Skin Chips – Transform leftover crispy salmon skin into crave-worthy crispy snack chips.

So go forth and air fry fabulously crispy salmon skin to your heart’s content! Mastering the simple tricks above will yield tender, flaky