When grilling meat, two things can happen: Some parts of the meat taste good and other parts do not. This depends mostly on the type of meat you are cooking and whether the internal temperature of the meat is higher than necessary.
With fish, however, there is another thing that can occur when baking it on an oven-top grill pan or frying it in oil–overcookeding!
If you start smelling burnt flesh or seeing black dots on the surface, chances are the fish is overbaked.
Fortunately, there are some very easy ways to know if your fish is cooked all the way through and no longer smells funny.
Use a fork or toothpick to test doneness
In addition to using your hands to check if fish is cooked all the way through, you can use a knife to do it as well! Insert a thin sharp blade into the thickest part of the flesh and see whether it goes in easily with little resistance. If it does not, that meat has probably still got some life left in it and should be saved for later!
Remember that depending on the kind of fish, different temperatures are needed to ensure safe eating. For example, lighter fleshed fishes such as trout and char require less time to cook completely because they dry out more quickly.
Use a meat thermometer
The best way to determine if your fish is done is by using a meat temperature gauge. There are many types of meat thermometers that can help!
Many people use an instant-read grill meat thermometer to make this judgment. These have a probe that touches the surface of the meat and instantly tells you its internal temperature.
However, these don’t tell you how dry or cooked the meat is. Taking the time to cook the meat completely will depend on whether you like it more well-done or medium-rare.
Use caution when cooking on high heat
Sometimes, even though fish is no longer pink or totally cooked, it can still taste raw or burnt. This could be due to over-cooking!
As we mentioned before, white meat like chicken or fish will continue to cook slightly after completely browned. This process is called color retention. The internal temperature of your food does not really determine if it is fully cooked because this can vary depending on the amount of white protein in the item. For example, salmon can take much longer to thoroughly bake than chicken because of all that oil and buttery flavor.
So how do you know if your grilled seafood has enough time to enjoy its full potential? An easy way is to use tongs to poke it just like using a knife to check doneness for red meats! If the tines feel soft and doughy, it is probably good to go!
Remember, never assume anything about any type of meat or grill! Never trust what touch feels like vs what looks like.
At What Temperature Is Fish Done?
If you’re not sure whether your fish is done, you can use the fork test or look for an opaque color as signs of doneness.
But if you want to be sure that your fish is cooked through, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends cooking it to 145 degrees F. To test this, use an instant-read thermometer and insert it into the thickest part of the fish to ensure an accurate reading.
How to Tell if Cooked Fish Is Bad
While there are several ways to tell if cooked fish is bad, tasting it is by far the best way to do so. If you feel your taste buds tingling due to acidity or bitterness, then chances are the fish is not fresh and/or contaminated.
Acidity can be caused by raw meat that has spoiled, cooking juices that have evaporated, or both. Taste of salt will also affect how much flavor the fish possesses.
If the fish tastes bland and dry, it may have dried out from the process. This could be due to time spent in water or toast being baked with it.
Overall quality of the food matter when determining whether or not to eat it! No matter what kind of fish you cook, make sure to check it before eating to ensure it does not look or smell funny.
Know your fish!
Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi on Pexels
There are several ways to know when most fresh seafood has reached its end of life. The best way to determine this is by knowing what kind of fish you have and how to cook it.
If you’re cooking flounder, for example, there are three different types of flounders. Flat-fish flounder, cod or Atlantic haddock flounder and Pacific surfperch flounder. Each one needs to be cooked differently because they all taste different!
Knowing which type of flounder you have will tell you how to prepare it. For instance, flat-fish flounder can easily be grilled like some other firm white meat fishes such as sea bass, grouper, snapper and so forth.
Cook them just like you would grill any other fish and she’ll come out almost every bit as delicious! Haddock and cod/Atlantic haddock flounder must always be broiled or pan fried. They are both slightly sweeter than surf perch, so feel free to add more butter or olive oil while baking or frying.
That said, if you do choose to bake or toast it, make sure to season with salt and pepper and then brush with lemon juice or wine vinegar to keep from drying out.