For The Best Fish, Try One Chef-Approved Tip

Fish is one of our favorite proteins to experiment with in the kitchen. There's a huge variety of seafood to choose from, with different flavors and textures to suit everyone's preferences, and they're generally a lean, heart-healthy source of essential nutrients. Cooking fish does have its unique challenges, though, so naturally there are some common mistakes to avoid, like not properly prepping your fillets or handling them carelessly.

According to a bona-fide seafood expert, the most important thing to keep in mind when preparing fish is not overcooking it. While the FDA recommends cooking seafood to an internal temperature of 145 degrees, Robert DiGregorio, the director of seafood quality at New York's historic Fulton Fish Market, says you should actually aim a bit lower initially. "It's best to cook it to 135-140 degrees and then remove it from the heat source and let it sit for 3-5 minutes and it will continue to cook," he says.

Because fish has some of the most delicate meat compared to other proteins, it's crucial to time your cooking correctly and allow it to finish cooking outside of the heat source. Another way to avoid overcooking fish is to fry it in a preheated pan to ensure it heats evenly and doesn't stick to the surface.

You know you want your fish to reach the perfect temperature, but how can you tell when that is? A food thermometer (like ThermoPro's digital thermometer) is the most reliable way to check for doneness, although there are other methods that work when you don't have one on hand. "We recommend using a meat thermometer and inserting it into the thickest section of the fish," Robert DiGregorio says. "If you don't have a thermometer, use the 'flake' test. Your fish is cooked when it's opaque and flakes easily with a fork." If you don't want to ruin the smooth aesthetic of your fish by flaking it, you can try using a cake tester to check your fish for doneness instead for similar results.

Fortunately, fish is one of the easiest meats to visually assess for doneness. With shellfish, which cooks a little differently than fresh or saltwater fish, there are simple tells as well. DiGregorio advises, "Shellfish like shrimp is cooked when it turns pink and opaque. Shellfish like mussels and clams are cooked when they open up."

You might be wondering, how should your cooking strategies change when cooking with fresh fish versus frozen? There are plenty of cases where frozen fish is a better buy than the fresh stuff, but DiGregorio says, "It's usually best to let the fish thaw before cooking." That said, there is a correct way to cook fish from frozen to avoid mushiness. In that case, he advises, "It's best to use thinner cuts and let it cook at a lower temperature for a longer period of time."