This healthy sweet chili salmon recipe is high in protein, low in calories, and only takes 30 minutes to make! You won’t regret it!
Salmon is quickly becoming our family’s favorite seafood to eat, whether it’s Cedar Plank Salmon, Blackened Air Fryer Salmon Bites with Garlic Honey Butter, or this baked sweet chili salmon recipe. It’s fairly reasonably priced at the grocery store, high in protein, nutritious, and versatile. What’s not to love?! This recipe gives an Asian-inspired spin to my favorite fish, with the most irresistible spicy-sweet sauce.
Why I Love This Sweet Chili Salmon Recipe
Here’s why I think you should give it a try!
- It’s all about that sauce. The Thai sweet chili sauce is sweet, spicy, and all kinds of nice! It explodes with flavor and you’re gonna love having it slathered all over that salmon.
- Easy all around. The prep is easy, the cooking process is easy, and the ingredients are also easy—a lot of what you need for the sauce is probably sitting in your pantry already.
- Air fried to perfection. I cook this sweet chili salmon in the air fryer, which helps give it that combination of crispy skin and tender, flaky fish underneath. SO good!
What You’ll Need
You just need a handful of ingredients for this recipe! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Salmon – You can leave the skin on!
- Salt & pepper
- Green onions – Thinly slice these to sprinkle on the salmon for garnish.
Sweet Chili Sauce:
- Garlic
- Honey – For that sweet-and-sticky quality that makes this salmon irresistible!
- Water
- Rice wine vinegar – This is also labeled as rice vinegar.
- Red chili paste – I use the Thai Kitchen brand.
- Spices – Ground cloves, ginger, and red pepper flakes.
- Cornstarch
Tips and Variation Ideas
Follow these tips for perfect sweet chili salmon.
- Make it in the oven if you don’t have an air fryer. If you’d like to cook this recipe in the oven, follow the baking instructions in my recipe for Honey Mustard Baked Salmon.
- Thaw frozen salmon first. This recipe works well with both fresh and frozen salmon. If you’re using frozen, be sure to thaw it completely before cooking.
- Look for the salmon to flake. You’ll know when the salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Store leftover sweet chili salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: The salmon can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw it before reheating.
- To reheat: To reheat, simply place the salmon in the air fryer until warmed through. Alternatively, you can also microwave it for a quick and easy option, but I prefer the air fryer.
Description
This healthy sweet chili salmon recipe is high in protein, low in calories, and only takes 30 minutes to make. The air fryer makes it easy!
- Make Sweet Chili Glaze: To a bowl add, garlic, honey, water, rice wine vinegar, red chili paste, clove, ginger, red pepper flakes and cornstarch. Whisk together. Heat a small saucepan to medium high heat. Add the sauce into the pan and bring to simmer, whisking frequently, until the sauce thickens. Approximately 2-3 minutes, then set the sauce aside.
- Heat an air fryer to 400°F.
- Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the salmon to the air fryer, skin side down, and air fry for 10 minutes total.
- After 8 minutes, remove the salmon from the air fryer and brush each filet with the the sweet chili sauce. Then put the salmon back in the air fryer and finish cooking the 2 additional minutes.
- Remove from air fryer. Garnish with green onion and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz.
- Calories: 453
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 325 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 93 mg
