# How Long To Bake Fish



## johnnyb (May 15, 2012)

Tried baked cod last night.  Baked at 450 for about 12 minutes.  Still didn't seem long enough.  Not sure when to know if fish is done.  Any help would be great.

Thanks


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## Steve Kroll (May 15, 2012)

In general, fish is done when it turns opaque and easily flakes with a fork. While there are some fish that can be eaten (more or less) medium rare, Cod should be cooked all the way through.


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## CharlieD (May 15, 2012)

Mmm, I love baked in butter cod. Sorry do not have exact time for you. Fallow what Steve said and you will be good. It is hard to know exact time because the size difference makes the time difference. All in all it is always good idea to check the donnes rather than going by time, no matter what you bake.


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## Bacardi1 (May 15, 2012)

I bake fish ALL the time. My favorite way of preparing fish - particularly thick fish like Cod.

When I bake a thick filet like Cod (or any other thick filet like Salmon or Mahi-Mahi, etc.), I do it in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for between 30-40 minutes - depending how thick the fish is & how thick any toppings or stuffing might be.

I start checking after 25 minutes, & pull the fish out as soon as it's "just" cooked through & flaky. Never been disappointed.


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## 4meandthem (May 15, 2012)

Use your finger to poke the fish like you would a steak. If it is firm it is flaky. If you like it a little less done take it out when there is some give. You will have to practice it a couple of times to get the feel for it. You could also use a thermometer but you always have finger HANDY.


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## Uncle Bob (May 15, 2012)

johnnyb said:


> Tried baked cod last night.  Baked at 450 for about 12 minutes.  Still didn't seem long enough.  Not sure when to know if fish is done.  Any help would be great.
> 
> Thanks



*So after doing the above...Was it any good when you ate it????
*


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## MostlyWater (May 15, 2012)

Well,people eat sushi which is raw fish, right?  How bad could this be?

For the record, I'm making fish tonite and I'll be baking it longer than that, and most probably going to crisp it a little under the broiler after I'm darn sure it's been fully cooked.


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## johnnyb (May 15, 2012)

It was noy that great because it was under cooked a bit.  Next ime I will get it right!  I never get it right the first time I try anything but learn from my mistakes.  This web site will help!!

Thanks


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## spork (May 15, 2012)

To learn, always best to over-cook, and then work your way down less and under-cooked for best doneness for your particular fish species.


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## Zhizara (May 15, 2012)

johnnyb said:


> It was noy that great because it was under cooked a bit.  Next ime I will get it right!  I never get it right the first time I try anything but learn from my mistakes.  This web site will help!!
> 
> Thanks



Whenever I find I've undercooked my fish a little, I just put my plate in the microwave and nuke it for a minute or so as necessary.  Same for steak.  I like it rare, but not raw.


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## Dawgluver (May 15, 2012)

Zhizara said:
			
		

> Whenever I find I've undercooked my fish a little, I just put my plate in the microwave and nuke it for a minute or so as necessary.  Same for steak.  I like it rare, but not raw.



+1

And you can also do the fish exclusively in the microwave.


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## GotGarlic (May 15, 2012)

Maybe it's just me, but I don't find that it's worth the time to preheat the oven and the heat generated in the kitchen to bake fish. I either grill or pan-fry them. Then I can watch the sides to see when they're cooked through, and it usually takes a lot less time.


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## spork (May 16, 2012)

I'm mostly there too, GotGarlic, but the oven does have its uses for fish, like steaming in parch/alum pouch, slow basting thick cuts, or broiling whole small fishes.  When I bake fish, it looks like I'm a bit different, usually using a lower temp and longer cooking time (which gives me a larger margin for error).


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## Bacardi1 (May 16, 2012)

Zhizara said:


> Whenever I find I've undercooked my fish a little, I just put my plate in the microwave and nuke it for a minute or so as necessary. Same for steak. I like it rare, but not raw.


 
Ditto!  While I've never had a problem when baking in the oven, I tend to be nervous when grilling fish outdoors, so sometimes remove seafood too soon.  (There's NOTHING worse than overcooked fish.  It's basically inedible, & seafood is way too expensive these days to ruin.)

So if I've been a Nervous Nellie when grilling, I'll pop the subject into the microwave a nuke a minute or two.  Doesn't dry the seafood out, but puts things hunky-dory.


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## jennyema (May 17, 2012)

spork said:


> To learn, always best to over-cook, and then work your way down less and under-cooked for best doneness for your particular fish species.


 

But you can always return undercooked fish to the oven (or the microwave, which I dont usually like to do).

You can't fix overcooked protein.


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## Bacardi1 (May 18, 2012)

jennyema said:


> But you can always return undercooked fish to the oven (or the microwave, which I dont usually like to do).
> 
> You can't fix overcooked protein.


 
Exactly!! Regardless of what protein I'm cooking, I'll always err on the side of undercooking if I must. That can be remedied. Once something is overcooked, that's it. There's no remedy. Even sloshing on more sauce/gravy isn't going to save your meal - especially where seafood is involved.


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## spork (May 18, 2012)

OP wanted advice on how to prevent undercooked fish.  

I suggested it'll take just a couple tries to learn for any particular species, if you work from over- downward toward the perfectly-cooked temp & time.


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## pmeheran (May 24, 2012)

johnnyb said:


> Tried baked cod last night.  Baked at 450 for about 12 minutes.  Still didn't seem long enough.  Not sure when to know if fish is done.  Any help would be great.
> 
> Thanks



I don't go by time as much as I do by how it is cooking.  Cod is a pretty moist fish and if you are cooking at too low a temperature, it will generate a lot of juice.  If you cook at too high a temperature it may scorch and yet leave it undercooked in the center.  If you are like my mother and paranoid about doneness [she lived in Germany in ww II]  you will overcook the fish.  Trial and error all are part of the game.


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