Cooking fish isn’t hard, and when you know the basics you can cook any fish perfectly. A basic rule to remember: 10 minutes for every inch of thickness measured at the thickest point. For example, if your fish fillet is 1/2″ thick, then total cooking time will be around 5 minutes, give or take. Are you preparing a baked, stuffed fillet? Then measure the rolls after the preparation has been finished and they are ready to cook. If the stuffed fish rolls are baked in a sauce, give them an additional 5 minutes in the oven to ensure the centers have reached the proper temperature.
The FDA suggests all finfish be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, or 63 degrees C. How do you know when it’s done? Check with an instant read thermometer.
Here are some guidelines for cooking all fish and seafood:
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- Finfish will be opaque and not translucent.
- Shrimp and lobster will be an opaque white color, and scallops will be an opaque white color and firm.
- Clams/mussels/oysters that are shucked and cooked will be opaque and milky white in color and firm to the touch.Color:
- Flakes:
- Finfish flesh will flake with a fork when done.
- Shells open:
- Clams, mussels, and oysters will open their shells when done. After steaming, boiling, simmering, or grilling, check the shells and when they open they are done. Discard any that have not opened after cooking.