How to avoid overbaking a whole fish?

Try to aim to slightly undercook let it rest for ten minutes and then when you do serve it up if
still underdone .....nuke it for 30 secs or so until at doneness required . It really is an
excellent medium for cooking fish . Merry xmas TTFN Andy

"Irving Kimura" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have no problem deciding when to pull fish fillets out of the oven so as not to overcook
them, but I have a *much* harder time getting it right with whole fish. This is largely because
I want to be able to carve and serve nice fillets from the fish (so I don't want to hack too
much into it).

Now, I absolutely *hate* overcooked fish, but I'm not wild about undercooked fish either (with the
exception of sushi/sashimi, of course). How can I tell when I have reached that magical point in
which the whole fish is cooked all the way to the backbone, but not overcooked? Is it even
*possible* to bake a large whole fish (say, 3 in [7.5 cm] thick) so that all of it is cooked, and
no part of it is overcooked?

My book ("Fish & Shellfish" by Peterson) instructs to "[c]heck for doneness by carefully sliding a
paring knife into the back at the thickest part, gently lifting the top fillet, and peeking inside
to make sure the fish pulls away from the bone and the flesh is opaque (but still moist) rather
than tranlucent and raw."

Well, the other night I did just that with a 4.5 lb (2 kg), 3 in.
(7.5 cm)-thick red snapper, which I baked at 400* F (200 C) for about 40 minutes. When I peeked
inside, the little I could see (opaque flesh) suggested that the fish was ready for carving.
This is a nearly irreversible decision in the case of a big whole fish, especially if you want
to serve nice fillets (it so happens I had guests over at the time); it entails transferring a
big fish from roasting pan to cutting board, and removing the hot stuffing (lemon slices and
herbs in my case), not maneuvers one wants to undo, and of course, making deep cuts into the
side of the fish. Unfortunately, my judgment was off. When I served it, the meat was rather
soggy, especially near the fish's backbone; it did not separate cleanly from the backbone, i.e.
it was somewhat undercooked.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Irv

Irving Kimura said:

I have no problem deciding when to pull fish fillets out of the oven so as not to overcook them,
but I have a *much* harder time getting it right with whole fish.

Bake whole fish wrapped in banana leaves.

---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =--- ---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =--- Sheldon
```````````` "Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

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If you're going to bake, the thickness differential will always be a problem. One way to get around
that is to bake in parchment with some other (moist) ingredients so the thin parts will at least
remain moist.

Naomi D.

Cook on lower heat so it cooks through evenly. Poach it, if feasible. Or try a salt-crust baking
method. It's always impressive when they crack that dome of salt and wipe the skin off the meat and
carve the filets with a spoon.

Get a probe thermometer to tell you when it's done.

Fish are medium-rare with moist, separable flakes at 130-135F, so I set my probe for 129 and expect
a little carryover. All the safety-heads will tell you to cook fish to 145F. Try it and see if you
like it; I know I prefer the center of the fish, at least, to be moist. The thinner edges probably
reach well above the center.

I leave the probe in thick fish, but for thinner filets I use my eyes and one of these:

goldaskitchen.commerchant.ihtmlOpen ↗

And it works great.

--Blair "We should be evolved to be born with probe thermometers."

That was very helpful. Thanks!

Irv