This delicious bang bang salmon is the perfect weeknight dinner, taking just 20 minutes! Serve it up in a rice bowl with your favourite toppings, and make sure to drizzle over that extra yummy bang bang sauce!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ this is amazing, easy to make and full of flavour. thank you sally! – julie
Salmon is one of my favourite proteins to cook with during the week. It’s quick, versatile, and always delicious. And when it comes to easy weeknight dinners, you really can’t go past an easy rice bowl recipe.
I’ve been making my favourite air fryer salmon bowl (or some variant) of it for years and I always love it. But after making these bang bang chicken skewers in the air fryer, I knew I needed to give a salmon version a try and it has quickly become a new favourite.
What makes this recipe so delicious is that the salmon isn’t just drizzled with bang bang sauce after cooking. Instead, it’s coated in the sauce before air frying, which gives it a beautifully caramelised, sticky finish.
I was initially sceptical about cooking salmon in a mayo-based sauce, but something amazing happens when it’s cooked. The salmon is rich and creamy and just so so delicious I just know the whole family is going to love it.
Plus you know how much I love cooking salmon in the air fryer because it’s completely stress-free. These salmon bites cook in just 6 minutes meaning you can turn this into bang bang salmon rice bowls including all the topping prep in just 20 minutes. It’s the kind of meal that feels totally doable even when you’re low on energy.
Key Ingredients
This bang bang salmon recipe uses a combination of simple, every day ingredients to create a flavourful sauce that also works as a marinade.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Salmon – you can use any salmon you like, but you’ll want skin off fillets, or use a very sharp knife to carefully remove the skin before cutting into bite-sized cubes.
- Spices – just like my bang bang chicken recipe, you’ll want to season the salmon with a combo of garlic powder, smoked paprika, and onion powder for extra flavour.
- Mayonnaise – this is the base for the bang bang sauce. Use a good quality one you like the taste of.
- Sweet chilli sauce – this is a staple sauce in my fridge! I find the supermarket brand sweet chilli sauce is fine for this recipe, otherwise you can use Thai sweet chilli sauce.
- Sriracha – depending on if you’re serving this to kids, or if you’re sensitive to spice you may want to adjust the amount so that the sauce is more sweet than spicy, but I like to add it to give the bang bang sauce a little more spice and flavour.
- Rice wine vinegar – adds a tangy element that balances out the sweet and spicy flavour of the sauce.
Serving Suggestion: If you want to serve these as bang bang salmon bowls as I have done, then you’ll also need some edamame (I just buy the packet of frozen, shelled edamame from the freezer section), avocado, cucumber, and some cooked rice.
You’ll Also Love: Hot Honey Salmon
Step-By-Step Instructions
This really is a quick and simple salmon recipe. The salmon does cook really fast, so I do recommend starting with how you’re going to serve it so as soon as the salmon is cooked you can eat it fresh. This may mean putting the rice cooker on and chopping your veggies if you’re making a bowl.
Step 1: Make the bang bang sauce by mixing together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl until smooth.
Step 2: Cut the salmon into bite-sized cubes. Place in a medium bowl, drizzle with olive oil, add the garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
Step 3: Spoon about ¼ cup of the bang bang sauce over the seasoned salmon and gently mix until coated. Keep the rest of the sauce aside for serving, so it never touches the raw salmon.
Step 4: Preheat the air fryer to 200°C/400°F. Arrange the salmon in a single layer with space between each piece so the edges caramelise. Air fry for 6 minutes, until just cooked through (63°C/145°F) and flakes easily.
Step 5: Once the salmon bites are cooked and your rice, cucumber, avocado and edamame are prepped, you’re ready to start assembling the bowls.
Step 6: Top the bowls with the bang bang salmon, drizzle over the reserved sauce and finish with sesame seeds. Serve straight away.
👉 Don’t overcook the salmon. It keeps cooking from its own heat once it’s out of the air fryer, so pull it right on the 6 minute mark. It’s ready at 63°C/145°F, or when it flakes easily.
Storage Instructions
Leftover cooked salmon keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and any leftover bang bang sauce keeps for up to 5 days (store them separately).
To reheat, pop the salmon in the air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes or microwave in short bursts until warmed through. Or if you don’t love reheated salmon, it’s also just as delicious served cold, which makes it great for meal prep and lunches.
Oven Method
Don’t have an air fryer? You can easily bake the bang bang salmon in the oven instead!
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a baking tray with baking paper and lightly spray or brush with oil. Arrange the coated salmon pieces in a single layer, spaced out so they bake evenly.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the salmon is just cooked through and starting to caramelise at the edges. For extra colour, you can switch to the grill (broiler) for the final minute.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Just thaw the fillets fully first and pat it dry with paper towel before seasoning, so it caramelises rather than steams in the air fryer.
Bang bang salmon is perfect served over steamed rice, jasmine rice, or noodles. You can add crunchy vegetables like shredded cabbage, cucumber, carrot, or edamame. You can also serve it in lettuce cups for a lighter option.
Bang bang sauce is a creamy, sweet and spicy sauce made from mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce, sriracha, and a splash of rice wine vinegar. It’s the perfect balance of richness with spice and a little tang, and it pairs beautifully with salmon.
The bang bang sauce is definitely mild, and is more sweet chilli than actual chilli. You can adjust the spice level though by using more or less sriracha in the sauce, depending on your preference.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More weeknight salmon recipes:
Teriyaki Salmon and Avocado Rice Bowls
Grilled Salmon Tacos with Avocado Crema
Creamy Salmon Tagliatelle (Dairy Free)
Sheet Pan Salmon and Broccoli
Bang Bang Salmon
Equipment
Ingredients
For the bang bang sauce:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 4 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons sriracha to taste
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
For the salmon:
- 500 grams (1 lb) salmon fillets approx 4 fillets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper
To serve (optional):
- cooked rice
- shelled edamame
- cucumber
- avocado
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ½ cup mayonnaise, 4 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce, 1-2 tablespoons sriracha, and 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar until smooth. Set aside.
- Remove the skin from the 500 grams salmon fillets if needed, then cut into bite-sized cubes. Place in a medium bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon onion powder, salt and pepper, and toss to coat evenly.
- Spoon about ¼ cup of the bang bang sauce over the seasoned salmon and gently mix until the pieces are coated.
- Preheat the air fryer to 200°C/400°F. Arrange the salmon pieces in a single layer in the basket with space between each one. Air fry for 6 minutes, or until the salmon is just cooked through and starting to caramelise at the edges.
- Serve the bang bang salmon in a bowl with cooked rice, shelled edamame, cucumber and avocado if you like. Drizzle over extra bang bang sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds to finish.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Julie says
This is amazing, easy to make and full of flavour. Thank you Sally
Sally says
So glad you loved this one Julie!