How I use Trader Joe's Salmon Rub to make air fryer salmon bites for a delicious and easy weeknight dinner on the fly or meal prep for a quick, easy protein source!
I used to have a blend of seasoning that I found in some cookbooks that I kept on hand in big batches for salmon, but since I found this salmon rub from Trader Joe's, I've never made that again. It's the perfect smoky, sweet punch of flavor every piece of salmon needs.
As you may know, we recently moved to the Dallas area and are currently renting. I'm 20 minutes from Trader Joe's when you factor in their universally terrible parking, so I don't go there as often as I would like. But I always stock up on this seasoning blend when I go because it's easier than trying to meal prep a bunch of my own seasoning blend. I like to focus my efforts on cooking things that are too expensive to buy, like healthy waffles, from scratch. Why are they seven dollars for six waffles? Why? Otherwise, if I can buy it for a reasonable cost, that's what I'm going to do because I have three kids, six and under. I just can't do it all, and I've never enjoyed making my own seasoning blends (in the last 10 years of blogging, I've posted two - chicken tender seasoning and wing dry rub), and I don't have the time.
HH has always been about sharing the recipes I love and what works for me. Making my own seasoning blends is an extra step I chose to avoid. Stocking up on TJ's salmon rub is where it's at! And this is pretty much my go-to thing to do with the seasoning blend. In this post, you'll see I used salmon from Costco because, like I said, I tend to stock up with beloved TJ's items but don't get there more than once a month. So, more often than not, I'm using this rub on salmon from Costco or sometimes Sprouts. The beauty of it is that once you get your hands on this rub, then you can use it whenever! For my friends who don't live near a Trader Joes, you can grab it on Amazon.
- You can find this Trader Joes rub on my Healthy Trader Joes Shopping List (with printable.)
- You can find this recipe on my Trader Joes 7 Day Meal Plan
- You can find even more Trader Joe's inspiration in these posts: 35 Trader Joe's Recipes, 25 Trader Joes Dinner Recipes
How to Make Trader Joes Salmon Rub Air Fryer Salmon Bites
This is a visual how-to section; you'll find the full printable recipe card below!
1) I used about a 2.5lb piece of salmon for this photo shoot. Make sure to pat the salmon dry with a paper towel. You can use separate fillets, too. If you use skin-on fillets, you'll want to remove the skin first by taking a really sharp knife and slicing off the skin.
2) Then, you can cube your salmon. The bigger the cubes, the juicer the pieces of fish. The smaller the cubes, the faster they will cook and risk drying out.
3) Toss with oil, I used avocado oil spray.
4) Toss with salmon rub. I used a pretty liberal amount here. About half the salmon rub jar for 2.5 lbs of fish. I've found it's kind of hard to use too much here. You want the salmon to look like it's liberally coated.
5) Now, for air frying, I did two batches. The meaty middle pieces were bigger in the first batch, and the thinner side pieces in the second batch. My first batch took around 11 minutes, and 8-9 minutes for the second batch at 400F in an oven-style air fryer.
Swaps and Substitutions
Really, there are not a whole lot of swaps and substitutions here. This recipe is low-carb, gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free.
Can you use Trader Joes Salmon Rub on other types of fish? Yes, but I haven't tried it. I would caution you because salmon is a "fatty fish" that creates flavor, so using this rub on a white lean fish may not have great results. It probably needs more salt and an acid to bring it to life for something like tilapia or cod. It might compliment another fatty fish, though, like a tuna or trout. But tuna steaks are often cooked rarely, so really, just stick with salmon or try trout!
As for a substitute for the salmon rub, I found this one and this one on Amazon you could try! Let me know if you try them and how you like them!
How to Store and Freeze
To store: Let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I usually just microwave them to reheat them, but you could use the air fryer's reheat function as well.
To freeze: In this case, I don't think these bites would hold up in the freezer. Typically, when you freeze cooked salmon, you wrap it in individual portions in saran wrap and then pack it in a freezer bag. In this case, you'd have to just freeze it in a container unless you wrapped each piece individually. I think it would be susceptible to drying out in the freezer even if you double-wrapped it. But, if you try it let me know! It would be safe for up to three months. Alternatively, if you use fresh fish, you could prep the pieces by tossing them with the seasoning and then freezing them on wax paper on a sheet pan. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container. Then you could air fry the portions from frozen and see how that turns out! I'm guessing it would work great, but I haven't tried it!
You May Also Like:
- chimichurri salmon
- honey chipotle salmon
- meal prep sweet and spicy salmon
- barbecue salmon foil packets
- healthy fall salad with bacon-seared salmon
- everything bagel salmon
- easy salmon tacos
- garlic dill butter salmon
What to Serve With Air Fryer Salmon Bites:
The salmon rub from Trader Joe's is the perfect smoky, sweet, and savory flavor. It's giving barbecue undertones, and I'm here for it!
Here are a few pairing ideas:
- Tartar sauce
- Chipotle Ranch (what's in the photo)
- Barbecue sauce is not my favorite, but it pairs nicely with the flavors in the seasoning blend.
- If you are feeling like making something from scratch, my chipotle sauce for fish tacos is amazing.
- lemon wedges
- any veggie, but I always love my super easy steamed broccoli in the microwave (non-toxic method)
- The last time I made this (for this photo shoot), I ended up eating them with a Caesar salad bag kit, and it was DELICIOUS (tip for calorie deficits: use half the dressing the kit gives you!)
Trader Joes Salmon Rub Air Fryer Salmon Bites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Trader Joes Salmon Rub Blend
- 2 lbs salmon fillet skinless or skin removed
- cooking spray or 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400F.
- Remove skin from salmon fillet(s). Pat dry with a paper towel. Cut into one-inch cubes.2 lbs salmon fillet
- Spray with avocado oil spray or toss with up to one tablespoon of oil.cooking spray
- Liberally sprinkle on Trader Joes Salmon Rub blend and toss to combine. I used about half a bottle of 2.5 lbs, and that was perfect. I just eye it until it all looks well-coated.1 ounce Trader Joes Salmon Rub Blend
- Cook for 8-12 minutes. For best results, cook the bigger pieces together and the smaller pieces in another batch together. The salmon cooks super fast, and you don’t want it to get too dried out! It’s done when it’s flaky and reaches 145F, but if you prefer your salmon rarer, then stay close and check it frequently. You’ll likely want to pull it out sooner if you prefer it on the rare side! I did not toss or turn over my bites I just cooked them once as is!
Nutrition
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