Although beef continues to be expensive in our area, salmon has been on special lately, and I've been trying to come up with different ways to cook it. Among my favorites is a simple recipe that's perfectly suited to the air fryer: Hoisin-Sesame Salmon. The fish takes only a few minutes to prepare and cooks in 15-20 minutes. The hoisin sauce provides a sweet, tangy taste, and a little orange juice and ginger give the salmon brightness. The sesame seeds toast in the air fryer as the salmon finishes cooking and provide a nice, almost nutty crunch. The fish comes out moist, delicious, and has a slightly Asian flavor. Try serving the salmon with rice and a green vegetable for a simple, quick meal that's good enough for company (okay, virtual company right now).
Air Fryer Hoisin Sesame Salmon -- Serves 2
1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar (regular will work fine, too)
1 tablespoon of orange juice
1 teaspoon of grated ginger (the kind in the squeeze bottle works fine)
2 salmon fillets (5-6 ounces each)
1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
Chopped green onions (optional)
In a small bowl, mix well the hoisin sauce, garlic powder, dark brown sugar, orange juice and ginger. Tear off a piece of aluminum foil large enough to fit in the bottom and a couple of inches up the side of your air fryer basket. Spritz the foil with non-stick cooking spray and lay the fillets, not touching, in the air fryer basket on top of the foil. Drizzle the fish with about 1/3 of the hoisin mixture. Set the temperature of the air fryer at 400 degrees and cook the fish for 10 minutes. Drizzle on a little more of the hoisin mixture and sprinkle on the sesame seeds. Cook the fish another 5-8 minutes or until it's cooked the way you like it and flakes with a fork (I like my fish cooked all the way through, so, if you don't, reduce the cooking time). If you'd like you can sprinkle a few chopped green onions on top of the fish and serve the remaining hoisin mixture alongside the fish and, if you make it, the rice.
