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Wow. You're supposed to cook fish at 130F? That's 54C! You could practically achieve that by leaving it on the dashboard of a parked car in summer. Not only won

Wow. You're supposed to cook fish at 130F? That's 54C! You could practically achieve that by leaving it on the dashboard of a parked car in summer. Not only won't it kill worms but it won't kill bacteria either. I would call it raw fish at that temperature.

ionised 9y ago
Raw fish is eaten in many countries.
dTal 9y ago
According to the USDA, not only won't it kill bacteria, it'll incubate them. Anything less that 140F is in the "danger zone" for rapid bacterial growth and food poisoning, and recommend a cooking temp of 145F for fish. I initially suspected some Celsius-Fahrenheit confusion, but other sources corroborate these temperatures. Color me perplexed. For what it's worth, I had fish last night. Cooked it 20 minutes at 180C. Was not shrunken or dry. Guess I'm doing it wrong?
- seanp2k2 9y ago
  What temperature did the coldest part inside reach and for how long?
- aznumeric 9y ago
  You're not alone. I bake fish in the oven at 180C for at least 20 minutes.
- peterwwillis 9y ago
  If your fish was commercially frozen, you don't need to cook it at all, much less to that high a degree. And if you thaw, prepare and serve it properly, potentially harmful bacterial growth is minimal and safe. The FDA even has guidelines to follow in the preparation of sushi which results in a fairly safe dish. In one study it was shown that refrigerated or frozen sushi had less aerobic mesophilic bacteria than freshly prepared sushi, and that the preparation varies between restaurants/chefs. But more people get bacterial infections from produce and rice than from fish. On the culinary side of things, it can be easy to overcook certain fish, and other fish are much more lenient. Some of the most delicious tasting fish should be served raw or in-between raw and fully cooked. This way both delicate flavors and firm tissues don't break down completely. For a typical salmon steak, 145C for 20 minutes is about right. The idea is to get it up to temperature, then remove it and cover it and let the residual heat keep cooking the fish for 10 minutes, allowing juices to settle back in (much like other meats). Alternately you can cook at a higher temperature for shorter time and apply a sear after. But in general, once the meat turns opaque all the way through, it's at the perfect state just a couple minutes later.
fulafel 9y ago
Even that temperature will make salmon somewhat over cooked.
douche 9y ago
I've cooked brook trout by cleaning them, putting them in a plastic bag, and accidentally leaving that ziplock bag in the sun for a couple hours on an August afternoon.

ionised 9y ago

Raw fish is eaten in many countries.

dTal 9y ago

According to the USDA, not only won't it kill bacteria, it'll incubate them. Anything less that 140F is in the "danger zone" for rapid bacterial growth and food poisoning, and recommend a cooking temp of 145F for fish. I initially suspected some Celsius-Fahrenheit confusion, but other sources corroborate these temperatures. Color me perplexed. For what it's worth, I had fish last night. Cooked it 20 minutes at 180C. Was not shrunken or dry. Guess I'm doing it wrong?

seanp2k2 9y ago
What temperature did the coldest part inside reach and for how long?
aznumeric 9y ago
You're not alone. I bake fish in the oven at 180C for at least 20 minutes.
peterwwillis 9y ago
If your fish was commercially frozen, you don't need to cook it at all, much less to that high a degree. And if you thaw, prepare and serve it properly, potentially harmful bacterial growth is minimal and safe. The FDA even has guidelines to follow in the preparation of sushi which results in a fairly safe dish. In one study it was shown that refrigerated or frozen sushi had less aerobic mesophilic bacteria than freshly prepared sushi, and that the preparation varies between restaurants/chefs. But more people get bacterial infections from produce and rice than from fish. On the culinary side of things, it can be easy to overcook certain fish, and other fish are much more lenient. Some of the most delicious tasting fish should be served raw or in-between raw and fully cooked. This way both delicate flavors and firm tissues don't break down completely. For a typical salmon steak, 145C for 20 minutes is about right. The idea is to get it up to temperature, then remove it and cover it and let the residual heat keep cooking the fish for 10 minutes, allowing juices to settle back in (much like other meats). Alternately you can cook at a higher temperature for shorter time and apply a sear after. But in general, once the meat turns opaque all the way through, it's at the perfect state just a couple minutes later.

fulafel 9y ago

Even that temperature will make salmon somewhat over cooked.

douche 9y ago

I've cooked brook trout by cleaning them, putting them in a plastic bag, and accidentally leaving that ziplock bag in the sun for a couple hours on an August afternoon.