Cooking Times | Baking Fish | Pan-frying Fish | Deep-Frying Fish | Doneness | Cooking Tips
Fish can be prepared using almost any type of cooking method including baking, steaming, frying, grilling, broiling, or slow cooking. When cooking fish, care must be taken not to overcook the fillet, steak, or whole fish, which results in dry and somewhat tasteless meat. A general rule is to cook a fish 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. The 10 minute rule should not be used for deep-frying or microwaving fish. The fish should be cooked until it has reached an internal temperature of at least 145ºF.
Fish cooking temperatures are important to monitor in order to insure meat is safely cooked to the proper temperature. When preparing fish, use the chart below as a guide to check doneness when the fish is oven baked, pan-fried, deep-fried, grilled, and steamed.
FISH Cooking Temperatures and Times | |||
Baked | Approximate Cooking Time | ||
Portion | Temp. | Weight / Thickness | Total Time |
Whole | 350°F | 3-5 lbs | 25-30 min |
Fillets | 350°F | 3-5 lbs | 25-30 min |
Steaks | 350°F | 3-5 lbs | 35-40 min |
Pan-Fried | Turn Once | ||
Whole | Med. | ![]() | 8-15 min |
Fillets | Med. | .75 in. | 7-9 min |
Steaks | Med. | 1 in. | 9-10 min |
Deep-Fried | |||
Whole | 350°F | ![]() | 3-5 min |
Fillets | 350°F | .75 in. | 3-5 min |
Steaks | 350°F | 1 in. | 4-6 min |
Grilled - 4 in. from the Heat Source | Turn Once | ||
Whole | Med | ![]() | 10-20 min |
Fillets | Med | .75 in. | 7-9 min |
Steaks | Med | 1 in. | 9-10 min |
Steaming - Over Gently Boiling Water | |||
Whole | ![]() | 10-12 min | |
Fillets | ![]() | .75 in. | 10-12 min |
Steaks | ![]() | 1 in. | 10-15 min |
Note: Cooking times are estimated times and will vary depending on the type and thickness of the fish. Fish is done when meat turns opaque white and has a flakey texture. Overcooking will cause the fish to be tough and lose flavor and moisture. |
Baking is a good method to use for cooking whole fish, stuffed or unstuffed, and large, thicker cuts. Baking can also be used for steaks and fillets. While baking, the fish should be basted to keep the meat moist.
Preparation
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Baking
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Pan-frying fish is a popular method of cooking fish. It works well with small whole fish, steaks and fillets. Lean fish are better pan-fried than oily fish because the oil helps keep them too moist. Oily fish are better cooked using a method that allows their natural fat to drain while cooking, such as broiling, grilling or steaming. Instructions for pan-frying whole and pieces of fish are shown below.
Pan-frying Whole Fish
Small fish that are less than 1 1/2 inches thick work well to panfry. If thicker than 1 1/2 inches they should be filleted before frying. Frying the fish in butter would give it the best flavor but butter burns too easily. To get the benefit of the butter flavor use half butter and half vegetable oil. Vegetable oil can also be used on its own if desired.
Preparation
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Pan-frying
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Pan-frying Steaks and Fillets
Fish steaks or fillets should not be thicker than 1 1/2 inches. Slice any pieces over 1 1/2 inches thick into thinner fillets. When frying, cook pieces with similar thickness together so that they cook evenly.
Preparation
Crumb Coating:
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Pan-frying
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Deep-frying, also known as deep-fat frying, is a process of immersing food in a pan containing hot oil, which cooks the food quickly, producing a crispy surface covering a tender and moist interior. For the best results as well as for ease in handling, it is best to use small pieces of fish when deep-frying. Fish is often covered with flour and seasonings or some type of batter before deep-frying, which provides a crispy, brown crust on the food.
Any cooking oil can be used for deep-frying provided it does not smoke or burn at temperatures that may reach as high as 375°F. See Oil Smoke Points to assist in selecting oil for deep-frying. Oil low in saturated fat is best to use because the fish will absorb a small quantity of oil during the cooking process. See Fat Composition of Various Oils to assist in selecting oil low in saturated fat.
Checking the Temperature of the Oil | |
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Deep-frying
If cooking a large amount, the fish can be placed on a baking sheet and placed in an oven preheated to 175°F to 200°F to keep them warm while more are cooking. |
Grilling | Broiling
Grilling and broiling are very similar methods of cooking fish. They both use a dry heat that quickly cooks the surface and then slowly moves to the middle of the meat. The main difference between the two methods is that grilling applies the heat to the bottom surface of the fish, and broiling applies the heat to the top surface. Also, grilling infuses the fish with a smoky flavor from the meat juices that drip during the grilling process. When broiling, this infusion of flavor does not occur.
Indirect Heat | Direct Heat
The grilling process cooks foods over a heat source, either directly, indirectly, or a combination of both. Grilling temperatures typically reach as high as 650ºF, but any temperature above 300°F is suitable as a grilling temperature. The high heat of grilling sears the surface of fish, creating meat with a flavorful crust. The required cooking temperature and the method of grilling (direct, indirect, or a combination) depends on the size of the fish or the pieces. It is important to cook the fish to its proper doneness but not to overcook.
There are many different types of grills available today that can be used when grilling fish. For information on the different types of grills, see Grilling Beef - Types of Grills. It is important that the grill is set up properly and reaches the appropriate temperature for the type of fish that is being grilled to ensure that it produces a moist and flaky finished product that is cooked to the proper doneness. For information on setting up a charcoal or gas grill, see Grilling Beef - Outdoor Grill Setup.
A medium heat should be used when grilling fish, whole or pieces. Using too high of a heat will cause some parts to cook too quickly and dry out while other parts will not be done all the way through. To check the temperature of the grill, use the palm of your hand for testing, see Charcoal Grill Setup - Estimating Temperature for testing method. The thicker the piece of fish the farther away from the heat source it should be or the heat source should be at a lower temperature to prevent the outside of the cut from burning before the inside is properly cooked. You will also have to decide whether you will use direct or indirect heat during the grilling time. Depending on the type of fish and size, you may use both. A whole fish or a thick piece may require direct heat to seal the outside and indirect to allow the cut to cook thoroughly to the center.
Cooking with indirect heat occurs when you use an area of the grill that is not directly over the heat source. Using indirect heat slows the cooking process down, which allows the center of the fish to cook thoroughly without burning the outside. On charcoal grills, coals are pushed to one side of the grill or banked into a ring around the outer edges. On gas grills, the side of the burner, which is below the area where the food will be placed, is turned off after the grill is preheated. Using one of the indirect setups will provide an area on the grill that is a low heat source. The fish is placed over the area in which there are no coals or over the burner that is turned off on a gas grill. Indirect heat is good for cooking whole fish or larger pieces.
To prepare the grill for indirect heat, see Beef Grilling - Indirect Heat for grill setup.
See general instructions below for cooking fish using indirect heat.
Preparation
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Cooking Use the indirect grilling method with a medium hot grill when cooking whole fish and thick fillets or steaks. |
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Cooking with direct heat occurs when you cook the meat directly over the heat source. The fish is cooked quickly over medium or high heat coals or over burners set to medium or high heat on a gas grill. Direct heat is used when grilling thinner fillets and steaks. Thin fish will cook quickly when grilled using direct heat. Because they are thin, the direct heat will cook them thoroughly through to the middle.
For more detailed setup information on grilling, using direct heat, see Beef Grilling.
Preparation
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Cooking Use the direct grilling method with a medium hot grill when cooking thinner fillets and pieces of fish.
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When broiling fish, there is no benefit from the infusion of smoked flavoring that occurs when grilling, causing the fish to be fairly bland in taste. This can be remedied by the use of seasoning, such as a mixture of herbs, marinades or basting sauces.
Preparation
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Cooking
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There are several methods that can be used to check for the doneness of fish. Some methods work better on some types of fish than others. Similar to meat, fish continues to cook after removing it from the heat. So for a more flavorful result, begin checking for doneness a few minutes before the end of the estimated cooking time. Since the meat of the fish is somewhat translucent, it begins to become opaque as it cooks, which is one method of visually checking for doneness, especially for fillets that are most often not as thick as fish steaks.
The best procedure for checking doneness is to use a cooking thermometer, checking to make sure the fish has reached an internal temperature of 145ºF. To cook fish steaks that are slightly translucent in the center, remove the steaks from the heat when they reach an internal temperature of 135ºF to 140ºF. The fish steaks will continue cooking with the retained heat if they are covered and left to stand a few minutes prior to serving.
Listed below are other methods that can be used to check for doneness.
- To check the fish for doneness, use the tip of a sharp knife and cut through the thickest part of the fillet. If the fish has been properly cooked, the meat will appear opaque but will still be moist. Some varieties of fish contain more fat, such as salmon or tuna, which can be cooked until opaque on the outside while remaining somewhat translucent on the inside.
- Another test to use for doneness is to check the meat with a knife to see if it is firm and beginning to separate or "flake". If the fish flakes too easily, it may be overcooked. The meat should slightly resist separating, but still be able to be separated, thus indicating it is moist and not too dry.
- When cooking fish that has not been boned, such as trout or pan fish, the meat should not drop off the bones, but instead should slightly resist removal.
- Rub lemon juice on fish before cooking. This will help the fish maintain its color and add to its flavor.
- Flour is often used as a coating for foods that are fried. Pieces of fish are often pan-fried with a flour coating, which develops a crisp, flavorful crust, and an interior that is tender flaky.
- Fish that is less than 1/2 inch thick do not require turning when cooking.
- Increase cooking time when cooking fish that is frozen.
- For moister broiled fish, first steam or poach the fish until close to being done and then brown it under the broiler.
- It is best to grill, broil, steam or poach oily fish so that their natural fats can drain while they are cooked.