Temperature and Doneness when Cooking Fish - Section 4: Common Mistakes and Building Confidence

The biggest mistake home cooks make is continuing to cook fish after it's done, often from anxiety about undercooking. This leads to dry, chalky fish that falls apart and loses its delicate texture. Remember the coastal cook's wisdom: it's better to slightly undercook fish than to overcook it.

Another common error is using high heat throughout cooking, creating a tough exterior while leaving the center underdone. Cooking a fish straight from a cold fridge makes this much more likely, while starting with room-temperature fish ensures even cooking. Many cooks also rely too heavily on timing, ignoring the clear visual and tactile signals fish provides.

Here's a confidence builder: if you think you've overcooked fish, a splash of lemon juice and a pat of butter can restore moisture and flavor. Like letting a cake settle, fish benefits from a brief rest after cooking – this allows the proteins to relax and reabsorb moisture, and temperatures to equalize throughout the fillet.