Ot: Dry, Rubbery Fish?

[bfit]

I am so tired of spending a lot of money on fish (mostly salmon, but sometimes other fish too) and having it turn out like dry, chewy cardboard. I've tried baking, broiling, grilling, frying, steaming, you name it, and it's never good. I've tried fresh fish, frozen fish, and fresh fish that I freeze at home. Every single time my husband says "This is OK, but why is it so rubbery?". Does anyone have any ideas? It's enough to make me give up on fish for meals.

[bzar]

I understand what you mean because I went through the same experience.

I use the toaster oven. i use the "toast" mode, and select between "light" and "medium". i press the toggle or lever as if I'm toasting bread. after it ends, i check for doneness. if it needs a little more, i press the lever again. it may require pressing the lever/toggle again until the desired doneness. you can even lower the level of heat, like moving the dial toward the "light" end to prevent overcooking.

you almost want to "undercook" it because the fish will keep "cooking". overcooking will cause that rubbery texture.

this works with frozen filets that we buy in costco. i don't need to defrost the fish.

[Vantreesta]

I haven't had this problem. I thaw frozen fish, cover it in seasoned bread crumbs and add another seasoning we like, place on a foil-covered sprayed baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. It's tasted great every time.

[summer breeze]

I was going to say it sounds like it's over cooked. I do the same as Vantreesta and bake it for about 20 minutes. If it's a real thin piece of flounder or something like that I'll bake it even less.

[kittybug]

I agree with everyone else, it has just probably cooked too long. I get a piece of fresh salmon (5 ounces) about once a week, squeeze some kind of citrus on it along with some lemon pepper and bake uncovered in a glass Pyrex at 400 degrees for about 17 minutes. Turns out perfect every time! If it's something even thinner like Tilapia, it goes in for much less time.

[Leonana]

I grill or fry the Costco frozen fish, and it hasn't been rubbery. I've even grilled it frozen, and it's fine.

[ChelePA]

Love my air fryer for everything. Ha ha. I usually season with an olive oil mixture. Put in air fryer at 400° for 7-9 minutes. Depends on thickness. Always comes out perfect.

[jusca]

It sounds like the cooking technique needs to be adjusted. A kitchen thermometer can help with getting the fish to a safe temp before it crosses the overcooked line. The margin of total dryness with very lean meats like fish is very small.

[cataddict]

Originally Posted by jusca

It sounds like the cooking technique needs to be adjusted. A kitchen thermometer can help with getting the fish to a safe temp before it crosses the overcooked line. The margin of total dryness with very lean meats like fish is very small.

Yes! People do have a tendency to overcook fish. Since we live on the coast, we eat fresh tuna or salmon several times a week. DH is the “expert” on fish cookery and he doesn’t do much to it—some seasoning and he pan “fries.” It definitely takes some experimenting, but less is definitely more in how long it cooks—so different than red meat or chicken!