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Avoid Overcooking Fish For Good With An Easy Tip

Nobody wants overcooked fish. Tentatively prodding rubbery, flavorless, and dry meat with a fork? Count us out. Luckily, Roberta Muir of Be Inspired has an easy tip to avoid this nightmare scenario for good: removing fish from the heat prematurely. It sounds simple (or like a ticket to food poisoning), but the truth is that the lingering warmth finishes the job. "Fish flesh is delicate and cooks quicker than poultry or red meat, and continues cooking in the residual heat once it's removed from the pan or oven," Muir explains. "The real trick in cooking seafood perfectly is to remove it from the heat just before you think it's ready, so the final bit of cooking happens in that residual heat."

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The lower intensity is ideal for getting the balance just right. "The biggest mistake people make in cooking any seafood is overcooking it," Muir says. It's easy to get wrapped up in uncertainty and wind up with a chewy fillet. If you're still concerned about cutting cooking times too fine, just learn the safe temperature to cook fish to when in doubt. We recommend using the GDEALER digital meat thermometer (available on Amazon) to get an objective figure and set your mind at ease.

Signs your fish is properly cooked

You've removed the fish from the heat, and you're carefully analyzing whether the residual heat hack is complete. What are the signs to spot? The most conclusive measurement is internal temperature; official U.S. guidance states 145 degrees Fahrenheit as the best figure to hit. However, gently peeling back some flesh with a fork also provides a definitive answer. Opaqueness and easy flaking are surefire signs it's ready for a plate — uncooked fish is translucent and may have uneven coloring. A prod from your finger is telling, too: cooked fish should feel springy, not soggy and possible to dent.

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'Gentle' is the keyword when testing your fish for doneness; you don't want a collapsed centerpiece. The meat has incredibly short muscle fibers, which is why it's important to be delicate when cooking fish. What about the elephant in the room, though? What if you've left the fish too long? Not every dish is salvageable, but there could be a solution. Incorporating a sauce or soup is what to do with overcooked salmon instead of throwing it out. Depending on the severity of the overcooking, reintroducing moisture might bring back some positive qualities. 

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