Cooking Tips

The 10 – Minute Rule

I’m really exited with all the interest you customers have been showing in the past several weeks! Whether it’s a compliment on one of my recipes or questions about certain fish or cooking techniques, the feed back has been great!

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish (especially “fatty” fish at least two times a week. Fish is an excellent source of protein and doesn’t have the higher saturated fat that fatty meats do.
The Omega-3 fatty acids found in all fish benefit your heart, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, help lower bad cholesterol levels and even help lower blood pressure slightly. People mainly are hesitant to cook fish because the think it difficult. Here’s a rule to go by that’s sure to help. The “10-Minute Rule” is a theory that applies to all cuts – whole, fillets and steaks – and to all methods of cooking.

Here’s how it works: Simply measure the fish at its thickest point and cook it 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Cooking a fish steak that is ¾ inch thick, the total cooking time is 7 ½ minutes. Turn the fish (except very thin fillets) halfway through the cooking time.

Measure a stuffed fish after it’s stuffed. For frozen fish (no need to thaw) double the cooking time. Add 5 minutes if the fish is cooked in a sauce. *The rule does not apply to microwave cooking which is much faster than conventional methods. This is a great “rule of thumb” to go by. Here are some hints on how to tell when your fish is “done”.

Knowing what your fish looks like when it’s cooked properly is more important than blindly trusting cooking times. The pan you use, or the grill temperature and a host of other factors can make the fish behave differently than the general rule. So here are some visual clues to help you out:

When fish is done, the flesh should be just barely opaque – not translucent, but also not chalky. The flesh will be firm, but moist. If you take a fork to pull the flesh of the fish apart, it should just barely flake apart. If it flakes too easily, and seems somewhat dry, the fish is already overcooked. So don’t overcook your fish! Good Luck and Good Fishing!

Bon Appetit! Chef Joe.