Air-Fried Salmon with Preserved Lemon Tapenade
Air frying bestows a light, crisp exterior and tender, juicy interior to quickly cooked salmon fillets. Preserved lemons, which are available at many well-stocked grocery stores and any Mediterranean specialty market, adds a mild sweetness and depth of flavor to a delicious green olive tapenade for serving alongside.
Ingredients
For the tapenade:
- 1 cup (5 oz./155 g) pitted green olives
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 Tbs. coarsely chopped preserved lemon plus 3 tsp. preserving liquid
- 1 Tbs. capers, drained
1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 salmon fillets, each about 6 oz. (185 g)
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for serving
- Lemon wedges for serving
Directions
To make the tapenade, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the olives, anchovies, garlic, preserved lemon and liquid, and capers. Process until well combined. Add the 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) olive oil and process until smooth. Set aside.
Drizzle 1 tsp. of the olive oil over each salmon fillet and season generously with salt and pepper.
Preheat an air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
Coat the air fryer basket liberally with cooking spray. Place the fillets, skin side down, in the cooking basket and insert the basket into the air fryer. Cook until the desired doneness is reached, about 7 minutes for medium-rare and 10 minutes for medium-well.
Place each salmon fillet on a serving plate and spoon the tapenade on top, dividing it evenly. Sprinkle evenly with parsley and serve with the lemon wedges alongside. Serves 2.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma The New Airfryer Cookbook (Weldon Owen, 2018)