I’m very excited that IKEA has started selling responsibly-farmed seafood in its Swedish Food Market. Whenever I go to IKEA, it’s a must for me to order the poached salmon cos I adore the fresh and clean flavour with absolutely no fishy taste. Now I can buy good quality and sustainable frozen salmon to cook at home!

I picked up some salmon fillet (SG$20.80 for four pieces) from IKEA last weekend. Even before I was pregnant, I ate a lot of salmon cooked in a variety of ways. Now that I am 35 weeks, salmon features in many of my daily meals because it is a good source of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids. And most importantly, salmon fillets are easy to handle – just defrost overnight in the chiller, season lightly and airfry or oven-bake for a convenient and delicious meal.

I decided to sprinkle these with cajun seasoning and airfry them for 5 minutes. Of course, you may also oven bake or pan fry these over the stove top.

I completed the meal with some blanched asparagus, IKEA’s mashed potatoes (SG$3) and their tangy lemon and dill sauce (SG$3.90):

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The salmon that’s sold at IKEA meets the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)’s certification for responsibly-sourced fish. Products carrying the ASC label comes from farms that limit their impacts on the environment and the community. Follow IKEA’s food journey and learn how they strive to take better care of our planet: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_SG/this-is-ikea/people-and-planet/energy-and-resources/#food

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The problem with most home-cooked salmon is that it tends to get overcooked. I’ve heard many people (my own family included!) say that salmon sashimi ‘always tastes better than cooked salmon’ because it is so moist and tender, and cooked salmon tend to be dry. That’s because you’re frying your salmon to death!

I’ve seen lots of recipes cooking salmon in the airfryer for 15 minutes and the cook wonders why the salmon is tough after cooking. If your salmon is about 3/4 of an inch thick (as most salmon fillets are), all you need is 6-7 minutes in a preheated airfryer. For even thinner slabs like the tail part, 6 minutes max is all you need.

I use the first-generation Philips 9220, so I set the temperature to 180C, then turn the knob to 5 minutes. In the mean time, I prepare my fish (just sprinkle Cajun seasoning all over – not too much, just enough to coat) and when the orange light is off, I fry my salmon skin side up, on the grill pan for 7 minutes. Eat immediately and don’t let it sit in the airfryer. You don’t want the residual heat to continue cooking the fish. I use this Cajun seasoning but you can use any other brand:

Optional step: If you like crispy keropok-style skin like in this old Airfried Cod Fish recipe, just open your AF drawer at the 3rd or 4th minute and use a pair of tongs to gently lift the skin off the salmon. Fry the skin alongside. When the time is up, remove the salmon and continue to fry the skin for 2-3 minutes until the timer goes off. Let it remain in the airfryer for 1-2 more minutes so it’ll be super keropok-style crispy.

Have fun with this super-simple recipe. You’ll never have to eat dry salmon ever again. Moist, juicy and delicious, always!

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[Airfried Salmon Patties] is one of the earliest dishes I made in the airfryer, and it has appeared on our dinner table many times since. The dish is easy to prepare, budget-friendly, pretty healthy and chockful of flavour.

We usually buy our salmon frozen. They come in a packet of 6-7 salmon portions for about SG$22. You have no idea how much easier my dinner preparation has become because of them. All I do is this: remove frozen salmon from the freezer and transfer to the centre fridge compartment the night before, get home from work the next day, clean and dry salmon, season lightly (usually with home-made teriyaki sauce or lemon butter, and now I also have a favourite lemon-mayo + dill dip!), preheat my AF, and finally grill for 6 minutes at 180C.

In the meantime, I get some rice cooked and make a small salad. And dinner is ready in less than half an hour! Because I reach home at 6pm, I’m usually done with dinner preparations by 6.30pm max. Thank you Philips Airfryer. Because of you, we’re eating more fish (I almost NEVER cooked fish because I hate the oil splatter, and I’m not a fan of steamed fish) and I’m spending less time in the kitchen. You have improved my life in more ways than you can ever imagine. You have my vote for BEST KITCHEN APPLIANCE EVER!

Although the AF makes really delicious and moist grilled salmon, I wanted to eat salmon in more ways than grilled all the time! This weekend, I thought that I would make the salmon-potato patty that Jason likes very much, although the preparation was just a tad more troublesome than simply seasoning and airfrying a salmon steak.

I mashed three large sized Russet potatoes as the base- they’re the best for mashing because of their high starch content. To that, I added some mixed vegetables for crunch and colour, and some chopped parsley for a flavour lift. The seasoning was simple: just some salt, pepper and dill. And of course, I airfried a salmon portion and flaked it into the bowl before adding an egg and mixing them all up.

Shape into the size you like and coat with breadcrumbs. You could also shape these into little salmon balls (like finger food for the kids) instead of patties. Spray some oil before airfrying for 10 minutes to crispy, golden, perfectness.

I served it with some mayo and lettuce leaves by the side. We loved it. I think you will too!

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Fried rice. Not exactly my kind of food but I was looking for new ways to cook salmon. I don’t really like rice and normally wouldn’t eat fried rice. I know, what a great way to introduce this recipe!

But, a regular human being should like this though. Jason loved it- I think he went through three bowls? So this recipe is really for either 4 normal people or 1 husband + wife who doesn’t really eat rice. When cooking fried rice, two things really matter to me. Overnight rice and a smoking hot wok. I know sometimes you just wanna cook fried rice on a whim, so where to get overnight rice last minute?

On days that I haven’t planned on cooking fried rice and for some reason die-die mustcookfriedriceoriwilldie, here’s something I do. Cook the rice with less water so that it is drier, then I spread it out on a flat surface and direct the fan at it. This won’t work as well as day-old rice left overnight in the fridge, as the grains are not properly fluffed up and cooked, but this should do if you’re desperate.

Make sure you have a smoking hot wok when cooking the fried rice. Turn up the flame as you add the rice so that each grain gets the attention it deserves and the overall result doesn’t end up soggy and mushy. You can use whichever dry vegetables you want, like peas, beans, carrots, corn. I would have loved to add some green beans but I didn’t have them that day. For the crab meat, it would be best to use fresh crab meat as they’re meatier.

How did I get the skin to be so crispy? Wouldn’t have been able to do it if I didn’t have the airfryer. Airfry the salmon fillet whole, and allow to cook for 4 minutes. You should then be able to lift the skin easily off the flesh using a pair of tongs. So now you have two separate components: the salmon fillet and the salmon skin. Let the skin airfry alongside the fillet until the 7 minutes are up. Give it a few more minutes if it is not crispy enough, but be sure to remove the salmon fillet first. You don’t want to overcook it. Salmon isn’t very forgiving. I overcooked the salmon a little in this attempt, but you don’t have to.

If you don’t have an airfryer, you can still make this dish- see instructions below. But I don’t know how you’re going to get the crispy skin without making a mess. I’m glad I don’t have this problem. Buy your AF la, it’s one of the best kitchen investments you can make.

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We recently bought a large amount of fish from our favourite fishery, Song Fish Dealer because they are moving out from their Jurong Point outlet. The Jurong Point location was always meant to be a temporary one, and their permanent address is at 19, Fishery Port Road. Where? Looks like I’ll be shopping from their online store from now on. They offer free delivery for orders over $150, otherwise delivery charge is $20 per trip.

Their salmon fillets come in a pack of 6 for $20. We also got saba fillets ($13 per pack of 7), sea bass fillets ($10 for 3 large pieces), batang steaks ($10 per pack of 6-7), some pre-cooked tempura fish and chicken cutlets.

I love eating fish but I don’t like handling them, so these gutted, cleanly-cut fillets are a God-send. I don’t need to do anything else other than rinse and pat them dry, then season accordingly. When it comes to cooking them, I don’t need to struggle with splattering oil nor worry that the skin will stick to the skillet, nor have to bother wiping the kitchen floor after cooking. I pop them into my Airfryer for 7 minutes, prepare some sides, and a meal is on the table.

Today, I decided to something a little bit different with the salmon. I wasn’t just going to cook it in the airfryer. I was going to cook it in the airfryer AND top it with its own crispy skin. The kind of crispy skin that go “cruuuuuunch” reallyyy loudly when you bite into it. Yes, this kind.

I didnt really like the mango salsa because I am after all, a hollandaise sauce kinda girl, but Jason adored the refreshing, citrusy, sweet, sour and slighty spicy salsa.

I coated some baked potatoes and cherry tomatoes with a little olive oil and airfried them for 15 and 3 minutes respectively.

The dish turned out beautifully. All I used was two teaspoons of oil for 2 serving plates like this.

I’ve come to realise that the airfryer made me healthier not because I’m consuming less oil, but because I’m eating more fish! The salmon was just perfect. Wouldn’t have it any other way.

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