My wife would bake more white fish (flounder, haddock, etc.), but she says she does not know how to tell when it is done. With chicken or meat, it is very obvious. But, with fish? I am not a cook, but I see her point. So, how does one tell if fish is done cooking? (If relevant, please note to which style of cooking your advice pertains: i.e., baked fish only, fried fish only, broiled fish only, lightly breaded fish only, etc., etc. Bon Appetit!
For me it’s a firmness that just takes practice to know when it feels right. Just like with a steak, you can press into the fish to see how firm it is. The firmer it is, the more cooked. Could be a better way though I’m sure.
The flesh firms up, the color changes. For most whitefish the flesh becomes flaky and opaque. If you can’t tell with a cursory examination use a meat thermometer and let it get up to 145F. You can eat plenty of fish that aren’t up to 145F, but it’s always with at least a slight risk. If you don’t know when fish is done cooking you probably don’t know how to assess that risk, so cook it to 145F.
For whitefish, I just poke a knife into it and pull back to see how the flesh looks. It takes a little experience to hit it just right. If it’s flaky and completely white, it’s definitely done, but most likely overdone. You want to pull it when it’s almost gone completely opaque white, because the carryover cooking will finish it off. So the center will be a little bit translucent, but the edges opaque. Rule of thumb is 8 minutes per inch of thickness for a 450F-ish heat source, but that’s just a rule of thumb.
For salmon, I just sear the skin side and, once that’s crispy, I flip it and let it cook for maybe 30 seconds just to warm it and then I consider it done. For tuna, I do about 60-90 seconds a side, depending on how hot my heat source is.
Experience helps. Keep an eye on the time. You can also use the same technique on frying or broiling or grilling fish as on beef. Use a knife to cut a tiny slit and see if it’s done.
First hit on Google. Of course that means I may never eat restaurant fish again.
If it’s been frozen I’m not too picky about it being a tad underdone. I shoot for just flakey and as pulykamell said it’ll carry over a bit.
If it’s fresh (like when my brother goes fishing and brings home dinner) I’m a little more cautious and I probably go a little overboard but frankly I’m not taking any chances. That fish gets cooked all the way through.
When the flesh separates easily from the bone.
As others have said, the color is the easiest way. Fish is naturally translucent and it turns opaque when it’s cooked. This even works for stuff like shrimp. The only problem is you have to cut the piece of fish to see what it looks like inside.
For salmon, I always sear the flesh side first, then finish it on the skin side. With the flesh side up, I can tell when it’s done because the flesh starts to separately just a little on the edges. That’s the point when the center is perfectly done for me.
For most other fish, I coat in flour and corn meal and pan fry them. The fish is done when the coating is golden brown and delicious.
Most home cooks are too worried about undercooking fish, by the way. While I’m not a fan of the medium rare style of fish, let me assure you that slightly underdone fish is much better than slightly overdone fish. If you’re ever not sure, then I would feel confident that it is done enough.
I do fine, how do you?
Interesting. I usually sear the skin side first. After a few minutes I can flip it over and peel the skin easily off. After a few minutes I flip that side back. I think it gives better cooking results to have both sides exposed fairly equally.
I do skin side first as well, but the crispy skin is my favorite part of pan seared salmon.
Actually, Gordon Ramsey shows the technique for salmon very well here. I don’t usually score my salmon, though. I don’t have a terrible issue with it curling up too much. Otherwise, that’s basically what I do.
I like to grill fish until it is not quite done, move it to a warm plate and cover with foil, let stand a few minutes. I prefer to serve fish slightly undercooked versus slightly overdone.
In my technique, the amount of time spent on each side is pretty close to the same, but I can make sure the crust on the flesh side of the salmon is perfect, then make sure the overall doneness is perfect while on the skin side. If the doneness takes a little longer or shorter than expected, I don’t care because I toss the skin anyway. Since I frequently grill salmon, this is especially useful - a too-hot fire can burn the skin all it wants without ruining my salmon.
Take its temperature, just like anything else I cook?
Meat thermometers run about $10 – I got mine at the grocery store. They have digital and analog. Some are made of all metal, you can stick 'em in a roast and right into the oven, pop it out when the temp hits where you want it to be. Really. Go pick up a meat thermometer. It’ll change your life.
I like (love) them for roasts, but for something like fish, I find them finicky and easier to go with visual cues.
I’m sure it can work just as well. We get all kinds of fish - my wife and I try practically anything new that our supermarket offers - and we don’t like skin. So I’ve learned ways to pan fry them by thickness and type of flesh to make even a new type work, and it’s just easier not to have to deal with skin. Which we’re throwing away anyway, as you do.
Although I’m sure that for some foods only one “right” way exists, for most things personal techniques can vary hugely and still produce fine results. Or acceptable results. I’m not claiming to be a chef, but I do have to eat what I cook so that’s incentive enough.
So, what happened to the tried and true method used by James Beard–who gives credit to the Canadian fisheries board.
10 minutes per inch of thickness, no matter the cooking method.