Seafood Cooking Tips

Cooking fish doesn't have to be tricky. But sometimes it is. Here are some great Seafood Cooking Tips that will make it all easy as pie and make all your seafood recipes taste the best.

General Cooking Tips for Fish

• For broiling or baking seafood - general rule for cooking times is approximately 10 minutes for every inch of the thickness of the fish. This is based on a temperature of 400 to 450 degrees F. Halfway through the time you are cooking the fish, turn it over. If you are microwaving or frying the fish, this tip doesn't apply.

• Fish that is under half an inch in thickness doesn't need to be turned over.

• If you are cooking fish in a sauce or with a foil wrapping or cover, you'll need to add 5 minutes of additional cooking time.

• If the fish is frozen, your cooking time should be twice the amount of time as indicated by the rules above.

• Some fish has a lower fat content than others, such as tilapia, grouper, or flounder ideally needs to be basted and using a dry heat like baking and broiling.

• You know the fish is cooked when the meat has an opaque look to it and flakes off at the fat part of the meat easily.

• A very important tip to know about: almost all fish continues to cook for another 1-2 minutes once you've have removed it from it's source of heat. This needs to be planned for when you start to cook the fish.

Seafood Cooking Tips for Broiling

• When broiling seafood, it's best if the fish is only 1" or less thick or you run the risk of burning AND not thoroughly cooking your fish. Place the fish 2 to 4 inches away from the heat source.

• In the event that your fish is more than 1" thick- make sure you place it 5-6" from the source of heat. This will ensure that the fish gets cooked and not burned in the process.

Seafood Cooking Tips for Grilling

• First, preheat your grilling source. If using a charcoal grill, a good rule of thumb is to start the fire approximately 30 minutes before you begin cooking.

• For best results, grill your seafood over a moderately hot fire. Make sure the surface that you use has been well-oiled.

• With a charcoal grill, spread out the coals in a single layer when they become white hot. Then, adjust the height of the grilling rack to 4-6 inches above the heat.

• If you are grilling a whole fish, make sure you do it over indirect heat.

• The best types of fish for grilling are shark, swordfish, grouper, and amberjack.

• Remember that seafood cooks quickly. So, if you are cooking shish-kebabs, make sure that the combination of food that you use will cook in approximately the same time. That way you won't run the risk of burning or overcooking the fish

Seafood Cooking Tips for Frying
Pan-frying or sauté:

• Fry a fillet of fish in about 1/8" of oil or fat for 3-6 minutes on each side, until it turns a golden color and you test to see that the fish flakes off easily.

• The thickness of the fillets will always determine what the time for cooking should be.

Deep frying:

• For best results, place your fish in a one layer in a large sauce pan and then cook in a sufficient amount of oil to cover. Make sure the fish is able to move freely and don't crowd your fillets or pieces.

• The best temperature for the oil needs to be right around 365 degrees F.

• Cooking time should be for 2-3 minutes, by then, the fish will start to turn to a golden brown.

• If you are cooking more than one batch of fish, make sure you keep the oil temperatureat 365 degrees F. Then, once the temperature is right, you can add more of the fish.

Seafood Cooking Tips for Marinating

• When marinating seafood, make sure you keep it in your refrigerator.

• After you have finished the marinating process, discard the remaining marinade as it will contain the raw juices of the fish and this is a breeding ground for bacteria.

• If you need a marinade for basting - just set aside a part of it before you add it to the raw fish.

Seafood Cooking Tips for Shellfish

• When cooking shellfish, look for signs that shellfish such as clams, scallops, shrimp, mussels, and oysters become opaque and firm. This will indicate that it is fully cooked. Avoid overcooking - the result would be a losing moisture in the fish which then affects the taste and texture of the fish.

Boiling

• If cooking scallops and shrimp - place in a pot of boiling water (a good measure is 4 cups for every pound of flesh) and simmer it for 3-5 minutes.

Broiling

• Peeled and de-veined shrimp as well as scallops can be cooked easily in 3-5 minutes.

• For Rock shrimp, you'll need to cook it in half the amount of time you would for regular shrimp - and you'll need to watch it closely.

• Shucked oysters, clams and mussels can be cooked easily in 3 to 5 minutes.

• Shellfish with a lower content of fat, such as scallops, shrimp, oysters, and clams need to be covered with a basting mixture and cooked with dry-heat like baking or broiling.

Frying
Pan-frying or sauté:

• Clams and oysters that have been shucked can be cooked in 3-5 minutes.

• Scallops and shrimp can be cooked in 7-9 minutes.

Deep frying:

• If you are frying shellfish that is breaded, like shrimp, oysters, clams and scallops, fry them until they have turned a golden brown. Temperature should be about 365 degrees F.

Steaming

• Scallops and shrimp can be cooked in 3-5 minutes.

• Clams and oysters need to be steamed until the shells open up completely. If any of the shells do not open, discard. It means the meat inside is bad.

Hope these Seafood Cooking Tips have helped you!
Take a look at the seafood recipes below and try a few.

Cold Crab and Avocado Soup
Creamy Clam Chowder
Easy Crab Bisque
Easy Shrimp Soup
Lobster Bisque
Lobster Chowder
Lobsterman Stew
Main Shrimp Chowder
Mushroom Scallop Chowder

For a complete listing of soup recipe ideas, visit my Soup Recipe Index page.