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How To Know When Fish Has Cooked Through

Last Modified: 07/22/10
First Published: 07/22/10
Views: 1442
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Views: 1442
Many people are a bit hesitant to cook fish, after all it is quite sensitive, and you neither want to undercook it, fishnor overcook it. If you have never cooked fish before, then this will be a trial and error experience, as you usually get a better feel for when it's done after you've had more experience.

However, there are a couple of things to think about when cooking fish to make sure that it is cooked to perfection.

The general rule for cooking fish is to measure the thickness and to calculate 10 minutes per inch, however this is not always accurate, and often it will mean you're overcooking it. When you cook fish there are many factors which will determine the outcome; the heat, the type of pan, the type of fish, the cooking technique etc...

The best thing therefore to do, is to check the fish to see when it's done. Start checking it after about 7 minutes (or less if you have very small fillets). When you check, you pick the thickest part of the fish, carefully cut into it and see the color inside. When the flesh has turned from translucent to opaque, it's done. You don't want to wait until it flakes very easily, then you'll have over cooked it as fish, just like meat carries residual heat and will continue to cook once it's off the heat.

(If you do happen to cook the fish a little too long which can easily happen, make sure to make a quick butter sauce in the pan where the fish was cooked and pour this over the fish – that will make up for any dryness!)

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