Salmon fillet chunks seasoned with simple Asian-inspired spices, baked hot and fast until crispy served with an easy Bang Bang Sauce recipe for dipping or in a rice bowl with cucumbers and scallions.
JUMP TO RECIPEMama saw some TikTok or Facebook video for fried salmon bites and kept telling me about how she wanted to make them. I wasn’t sure if they were actually fried or maybe cooked in an air fryer but it certainly got me thinking.
I gave up on air fryers long ago, opting instead to use the convection mode on my oven since we have so many mouths to feed at our table. I can’t cook enough – even in the biggest of air fryers – to feed six grown people, especially when the youngest is a 6’ tall, 16 year old man-child who plays sports year-round.
We love salmon (and I almost always pick up a huge fillet when I’m at Costco or Sam’s Club) so I decided to craft a recipe similar to what Mama kept telling me about using the oven set to convection mode.
HOW TO USE A CONVECTION OVEN AS AN AIR FRYER
Air fryers are just small convection ovens that use wire baskets or racks to allow airflow to reach the bottom of the items being cooked, creating 360 degrees of fast, super-hot cooking that mimics frying.
Many traditional ovens have convection modes which use all the heating elements and a fan to whirl the intensely hot air around for even cooking – which is exactly what an air fryer does.
As with all air fryers, for an even crispier finish, spray the food with cooking spray before baking.
To use a convection oven as an air fryer, follow these steps:
- Preheat oven to desired temperature. If your traditional oven is like mine, you may have “convection bake” and “convection roast” options. If so, choose “convection roast” as it uses top, bottom and rear heating elements, whereas “convection bake” will only use the bottom and rear. If your oven automatically bumps the temperature down when you switch to convection mode, raise the temperature back up.
- Place a metal cooling/cooking rack on a baking sheet or metal pan lined with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup). For BEST results, place the rack so that it is resting on the sides of the pan instead of the bottom to create more airflow. You can use metal skewers laid across the pan or balls of aluminum foil placed in the four corners to rest the rack on if needed (get creative – the more space between the pan and the rack, the crispier the food!). You can cook on all your oven racks at once this way since the heat is being circulated.
- Follow instructions for air fryer preparation for time and temperature placing the food on the rack in the prepared pan. That’s it!
I season the salmon pieces with simple, common, Asian-inspired ingredients like sesame oil, ginger, garlic, etc., spray them with cooking spray then cook them hot and fast in the oven set to convection mode. Mine are done in FIVE MINUTES!!
In the time it takes me to cook the rice, the salmon is done, the veggies chopped and I can whip up my version of Bang Bang Sauce.
Some of my crew eats these like finger food – dipping them in the bang bang sauce – with a side of Korean Cucumber Salad (so super simple and totally addictive). The rest of us make bowls with jasmine rice, bang bang sauce, cucumbers and green onions.
IS BANG BANG SAUCE THE SAME THING AS YUM YUM SAUCE?
No, bang bang sauce and yum yum sauce aren’t the same. Especially not the original, restaurant versions. The copycat versions of the sauces are much more similar to each other than the original restaurant versions are, though.
A quick search online will lead you to dozens of recipe sites with the same basic recipes for these two sauces. Both have mayonnaise and sriracha (or a tomato based product like ketchup or tomato paste). Yum yum sauce will also have something sweet (honey sugar, agave, etc) and some simple spices (garlic powder, paprika, etc.).
Bang Bang sauce is typically made with mayo, sriracha and sweet chili sauce. I prefer to make mine with sweet & sour sauce than sweet chili sauce, though. I like the slight sour element in sweet & sour sauce and I think sweet chili sauce is a tad too sweet. AND, in a pinch, I can literally grab some sweet & sour sauce packets out of a drawer if I need to.
NOTES ABOUT BAKED BANG BANG SALMON BITES
Baking these in convection mode in a traditional oven on a cooking/cooling rack is the same thing as air-frying. If you have an air fryer that can accommodate this much salmon, feel free to use it instead of the oven.
If you don’t have a cooking/cooling rack you can cook these straight on the lined pan. They will have to cook in the pan juices and may not hold their shape as well, but it will still be delicious.
If your oven doesn't have a convection mode, bake at 475 degrees in the center of the oven. You may have to cook them a little longer.
I like the salmon bites to be a little rare in the center when I take them out of the oven as they will continue to cook through after removing from the oven.
I haven't made this with chicken BUT, if you'd like to try it, use boneless breasts. I usually prefer thighs but since you won't need to cook very long, breasts would likely be better. Cooking time will likely be longer. use the "test piece" method described in the next paragraph to ensure the chicken is cooked through.
TEST PIECE TIP: To cook salmon bites perfectly every time and ensure you don’t overcook them (it’s a sad, sad culinary travesty to overcook salmon), create a “test piece”. Just before cooking, select one piece of salmon then cut in half horizontally. Fit the pieces back together snuggly then place back onto rack. After cooking 5 minutes, lift the top piece to peer inside the center to check for doneness.
Bang Bang Sauce isn’t the same as Yum Yum Sauce but both are great with this recipe. See the notes above for more info on the differences in the two sauces.
HOW TO EASILY REMOVE SKIN FROM SALMON FILLETS WITHOUT A KNIFE
Some may like the skin on salmon (like Mama) and some may hate it (like me). I try to only buy skinless fillets but sometimes I don’t have a choice. It’s OK, because you can EASILY remove the skin!
- Add just enough water to cover the bottom to a large skillet then heat until water starts bubbling. If working with a whole fillet, cut the fish to fit in the pan and handle easily.
- Lay the salmon fillet, skin-side down, in the simmering water for 10 seconds only then quickly remove.
- Place the fillet on a clean surface skin-side up then easily peel the skin off. It will usually come off in one solid piece but you can use a rubber spatula to scrape off any stubborn bits.
Recipe for Baked Bang-Bang Salmon Bites
Baked Bang Bang Salmon Bites
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs salmon fillet
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Bang-Bang Sauce (recipe below)
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sriracha
- 1/4 cup sweet & sour sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place a cooking/cooling rack in pan then spray rack with cooking spray.
- Cut salmon into 1-inch pieces then add to a mixing bowl. Add olive oil and sesame oil then gently stir to coat salmon with oil.
- Combine salt and remaining spices in a small bowl then mix well. Add spice mixture to salmon then gently stir until all salmon pieces are evenly coated with spices.
- Place salmon pieces evenly onto rack in prepared pan then spray with cooking spray (this makes the salmon bites crispy).
- If applicable, switch oven to Convection Roast (Convection Bake works as well but bump temp back up to 450 if oven automatically decreases it in this mode). Bake salmon in the center of the oven for 5-7 minutes or until cooked to your preference. Do not overcook! I like mine to be a little rare in the center when I take them out of the oven as they will continue to cook through after removing.
- Serve with Bang Bang Sauce for dipping or assemble into rice bowls as pictured above (our favorite!) using cooked jasmine rice, Bang Bang Sauce, diced cucumber and sliced scallions.
- Combine ingredients then whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate up to two weeks.
Notes
BAKED SALMON BITES:
- Baking these in convection mode in a traditional oven on a cooking/cooling rack is the same thing as air-frying. If you have an air fryer that can accommodate this much salmon, feel free to use it instead of the oven.
- If you don’t have a cooking/cooling rack you can cook these straight on the lined pan. They will have to cook in the pan juices and may not hold their shape as well, but it will still be delicious.
- If your oven doesn't have a convection mode, bake at 475 degrees in the center of the oven. You may have to cook them a little longer.
- I like the salmon bites to be a little rare in the center when I take them out of the oven as they will continue to cook through after removing from the oven.
- I haven't made this with chicken BUT, if you'd like to try it, use boneless breasts. I usually prefer thighs but since you won't need to cook very long, breasts would likely be better. Cooking time will likely be longer. use the "test piece" method described in the next bullet to ensure the chicken is cooked through.
- To cook these perfectly every time and ensure you don’t overcook them, create a “test piece”. Just before cooking, select one piece of salmon then cut in half horizontally. Fit the pieces back together snuggly then place back onto rack. After cooking 5 minutes, lift the top piece to peer inside the center to check for doneness.
BANG BANG SAUCE:
- Combine ingredients then whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate up to two weeks.
- Regular or seasoned rice wine vinegar works with this.
- Use any brand sweet & sour sauce (even from the packets in your drawer).
- Adjust ingredients per your taste as needed.
- Substitute rice vinegar with 2 teaspoons white or apple cider vinegar then increase water to 2 teaspoons.
- Substitute sweet chili sauce for sweet & sour sauce if needed.
- Bang Bang Sauce isn’t the same as Yum Yum Sauce but both are great with this recipe. See the recipe article above for more info on the differences in the two sauces.
