How to cook fish

Let’s cook some fish, shall we?

But first, knowing how to cook fish is essential.

The best thing about cooking fish is that it cooks in minutes!!! Depending on the thickness of the fish’s fillet, you can bake, broil, poach, grill, fry, or sauté it in as little as 4 to 10 minutes! Now that’s what we call an easy weeknight dinner plan. The only downfall to this speedy cooking time is that you could accidently overcook the fish. But don’t worry, we are here to help!

Here are some cooking hacks that will help you identify when a fish is ready so you can guarantee your cooking judges a tender delicious fish instead of an overcooked, chewy fish.

How to tell when the fish is done cooking?

The 10 minute rule

10 minute rule indicates that it takes 10 minutes per inch of fish to cook, turning it halfway through the cooking time (5 minutes one side, 5 minutes the other side). For example, a 1-inch fish steak should be cooked 5 minutes on each side for a total of 10 minutes. Pieces less than 1/2 inch thick do not have to be turned over.

How to tell if the fish is done?

There are two visual cues that tell you when the fish is cooked that don’t require any special equipment. When your fish reaches the proper cooking temperature it will display:

Opaque color: When you start cooking the fish it’s rather shiny and translucent. When it’s done, fish will be opaque.
Flake easily with a fork: When the fish is finished cooking, it’ll flake apart with a fork.

At what temperature is the fillet done?

While the opaque color and fork test are excellent giveaways that ensure your fish is ready to eat, if you want to be more certain, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that a safe temperature for fish is 145°F. You can use an instant-read thermometer to measure this. The fish will continue to cook a bit more once it has been removed from the oven, so pull it out of the oven once it reaches an internal temperature of 140°F.

Some fish are done at a lower temperature, like the ones bellow:

Halibut:

For the perfect firm-but-flaky fish internal temperature should be between 130 to 135°F. If you prefer a more rare or medium-rare portion look for temperatures around 120°F (for rare) and 125°F (medium rare).

Tuna:

When grilling, searing, or baking tuna steaks, you should always cook them to an internal temperature of at least 130° F. If you are looking for that perfect rare, medium rare, final temperature should be of about 90°F.

Cod:

You should take the fillet out when it reaches the temperature of 120°F. The fish will keep on cooking 5 to 10 degrees more because of the carryover heat that is just the right temperature for the fish.