How long to cook fish: useful tips and secrets for preparing delicious fish dishes

Principles of cooking fish

Almost all types of fish can be boiled. At the same time, it is still better to cook very small varieties in another way.

Let's look at how to cook fish correctly:

Aquatic life cooked whole tends to be especially juicy. Gutted or filleted fish is cut at an angle of 90° into portioned pieces. To prevent the pieces from falling apart during cooking, a small transverse cut is made on the skin. You need to cook the fish in a small amount of liquid. The best option is when it lightly covers the product. How long to cook fish is described below.
When cooking large fish, pour cold, slightly salted water over it so that it warms up at the same time as the liquid. Small or portioned fish are dipped in hot water to prevent them from boiling.
During the cooking process of the sea creature, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, herbs and vegetables are added to the water. The onion must be cut into small cubes. The fish will acquire a special taste and aroma and will not become overcooked if you add a little lemon juice or table vinegar to the broth during cooking.
Fresh mushrooms, wine or lemon juice added during the cooking process perfectly enhance the taste. Do not allow the liquid to boil intensely. It is recommended to remove the fish only before serving. The remaining broth is not poured out; it is used to prepare various sauces. You can also boil fish by steaming, in a slow cooker or double boiler.

How to cut fish for cooking

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The fish is cooked whole, in pieces or links.

You can cook any fish in pieces. Only sturgeon is cooked in sections. Large and small fish are boiled whole.

In any case, the fish must first be scaled and gutted.

To do this, the head is separated, the abdomen is cut, and the entrails are removed. To remove blood clots, you need to cut through the film covering the spine and remove the blood. Then the fish is thoroughly washed in cold water. Then cut into portions or leave whole.

For the broth you can use the head, fins and tail.

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Before putting the head into the pan, be sure to remove the gills, otherwise the broth will turn out bitter and unpleasant in taste. The eyes also need to be removed.

How many minutes to cook fish?

Fish does not require long-term cooking, otherwise it becomes dry, tough, and loses its visual appeal and benefits. There is no definite answer to the question posed; it all depends on its variety and size.

Let's consider how long to cook sea and freshwater fish:

smelt – 5 min.;
mackerel and pollock – 10 minutes;
whole carp – 45 minutes, in portions – 30 minutes;
capelin and catfish – 10 min.;
perch – 17 min.;
pangasius – 12 min.;
stellate sturgeon, sturgeon up to 0.5 kg – 60-70 min., cut into portions – 30 min.;
hake – 35 minutes;
trout, pink salmon, pike perch – 15 minutes;
salmon – 30 min.;
herring, sterlet, cod, flounder – 20 min.;
pike – 25 min.

⏱ Cooking time for fish broth

Compared to meat broth, fish broth takes very little time to prepare. How long this will take depends on which method you choose. The fastest is in the microwave, but it is also the most unpredictable, because... You can ruin a dish in an instant if you have no experience.

In a saucepan	Small fire	30-45 minutes after boiling
In a slow cooker	Soup mode	1 hour – 1 hour. 20 minutes.
In the microwave	1st stage: maximum mode	4-5 minutes (until boiling)
Stage 2: medium mode	5-7 minutes

Subtleties of preparing fish broth:

If fish heads are used to cook the broth, be sure to cut out the gills from them. Otherwise, the cooked dish may have a bitter taste.
To make the broth transparent, you can add two or three slightly salted egg whites to it.
Before cooking, fish should be washed in cold water.

Some tricks for boiling fish

To get a tasty dish, it is not enough to know how long to cook the fish. It is necessary to pay attention to some features of this process.

You need to salt the fish at the end of cooking to preserve its taste.
To prepare the main dish, the fish is poured with hot water at the rate of two liters per kilogram of product.
To ensure that large fish cooks evenly, it is recommended to cut it into pieces. And small carcasses are cooked whole.
Excess water degrades the taste of fish, as does intense boiling. The rule here is: the less, the better.
It is advisable to boil catfish and sturgeon fish in large pieces and cut into portions immediately before serving. These types are distinguished by the tenderness of their meat, so you don’t need to add a lot of spices and seasonings during the cooking process to preserve the natural taste.
Small fish should not be placed in boiling water. A sharp temperature change will cause the delicate skin to burst, resulting in the dish losing its appearance. Among other things, the broth will become cloudy. The carcass, cut into pieces, is dipped into hot water, and small fish - into boiling water, but the heat is immediately turned down.

How to choose fish for boiling

The fish must be fresh. If during frying a weak specific smell, for example, silt, can be somehow veiled with spices, then cooking will only intensify this smell.

Seasonings for cooking

If you have decided how many minutes to cook the fish, but don’t know what to add to the broth, read the information about seasonings:

If a dish is prepared from delicate fish with a weakly expressed taste, then a minimal set of seasonings is used. White roots and salt are best.
If, on the contrary, the fish has a rich taste (carp, silver carp), carrots, onions, bay leaves and black peppercorns are added during cooking.
If the fish is river and has a pungent odor, cucumber pickle will help eliminate it. It is poured into the broth.

Before serving the fish to the table, it is better not to remove it from the broth, but you should not leave it in it for more than half an hour. If the fish was prepared for two meals, then it is better to store it in a container, lightly watering it with broth.

If you plan to use fish broth in the future to prepare sauces, you should use a minimum of salt during cooking.

Dish with added cream

The meal includes:

Carrot.
Onion (1 piece).
At least 50 g butter.
Four sprigs of fresh parsley.
Black pepper.
About 100 ml cream.
250 g salmon pulp.
Salt.

This chapter talks about how to make creamy fish soup.

To prepare the dish, you need to clean the fish. Place a liter of water in a saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil, add salt and black pepper. Place the fins, bones, skin and ridges remaining from the salmon in a bowl. Prepare a decoction. Then the broth is filtered. Remove any remaining seeds. Combine the broth with chopped potatoes. Cook the product until it is almost completely soft. Salmon is divided into small squares. Add to food. Cook for ten minutes. The onion is peeled and divided into small fragments. Grate the carrots. Fry vegetables in butter. Add half a glass of fish broth. Simmer the food covered over low heat for ten minutes. Combine with cream. Add pepper and salt. Cook for another three minutes. Mix broth and vegetables. Bring the food to a boil. Cook over low heat for five minutes. Pour the fish soup into separate bowls. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. It is recommended to serve the dish with slices of fresh white bread.

How to determine readiness?

Often the phrase “boil the fish until done” is written in recipes. How much it? Let's look at the answer to the question below.

An important point in cooking fish is to determine the readiness of the dish in time and remove it from the heat. If the carcass remains undercooked, this will not only spoil its taste, but also increase the risk of parasite infection. And, on the contrary, if the fish is overcooked, it loses its taste and acquires a loose appearance and texture.

To determine the readiness of the product, you can use a wooden stick or toothpick and make a puncture. If the skewer easily enters the flesh and a clear liquid comes out of it, then the fish is ready. When it is pierced with force, a cloudy liquid oozes out of it, which means the fish needs to be cooked.

If the fish is cooked whole, a sure way to determine its readiness is to try to separate the fin; on cooked fish it comes off easily.

Another option for determining readiness is based on external signs. For example. Experts say that the eyes of the finished fish turn white and protrude outward. The degree of readiness of the fillet during the cooking process is determined by the formation of light white flakes of coagulated protein between the muscles.

Beneficial and harmful properties of fish broth

✅ Useful

Compensates for the lack of nutrients during diets.
It has a low calorie content (on average about 50 kcal per 100 g).
Contains useful substances such as folic acid, magnesium, polyunsaturated fats, iodine.
Rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, C, D, E, PP.
Normalizes the functioning of the gallbladder and digestive system.
Speeds up metabolism.

It is recommended to include broth from cod fillet or other nutritious fish into the diet of children aged 8 months and older (in the absence of allergies) at least once a week. You should simply cook it by adding the fish to salted water.

Thanks to the rich content of vitamins and microelements that are beneficial for the child’s body, this dish will be an excellent addition to the child’s diet.

❌ Harmful

The ability to cause an allergic reaction.
The ability of fish, when exposed to unfavorable natural conditions, to accumulate salts of harmful metals and toxic substances.
Contraindications for people with liver, kidney and cardiovascular diseases.

The surest way to choose good, fresh fish is to buy live fish. If this is not possible, you should choose by smell. Freshly caught fish is distinguished by a barely perceptible sweetish smell or its complete absence.

Boiling fish: classic recipe

To prepare boiled fish according to the traditional recipe you will need:

fillet of flounder or tilapia;
salt, black pepper;
vinegar or juice of half a lemon;
garlic;
bulb;
carrot.

Fish fillets are washed in running water. Place in a saucepan. Pour in cold water so that it covers the fish, add finely chopped onion and carrots, and place on medium heat. The broth should boil moderately, then add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tbsp. spoon of lemon juice. Cooking time is calculated based on the weight of the fish, on average it is 5 minutes. for every 500 g. As soon as the fish is cooked, it is served to the table with a side dish of vegetables or rice.

To cook pollock soup, you need to take:

1 kg of fish;
6 pcs. potatoes;
2 pcs. medium sized carrots;
1 onion;
bay leaf, parsley root, allspice, herbs;
salt.

Prepare according to instructions:

The fish is cut and the giblets, fins, head and tail are removed.
Place the broth on medium heat to simmer; when boiling, add salt, onion, pepper, and bay leaf. Cook for about 15 minutes.
The potatoes are washed and cut into cubes.
Wash the carrots and parsley root and chop into strips.
Fresh greens are finely chopped.
Take the fish, onion, bay leaf out of the pan, and strain the broth.
Add potatoes and cook for seven minutes. Then add carrots, parsley root, fish, disassembled into pieces.
Cook for about 20 minutes, add salt if necessary.

You can also add cereals, such as rice or wheat, to the soup.

Dish with fish balls

The recipe includes:

White bread (two slices).
Celery root in the amount of 100 g.
Onion.
A small amount of milk.
Pepper, salt.
Egg.
Fish fillet (about 1 kilogram).
Two tablespoons of butter.
Carrot.

Fish soup with meatballs is a nutritious and tasty dish.

This section describes its preparation.

First you need to cook the broth. Place the fish in a pan and add a liter of water. Place on fire and bring to a boil. Boil and remove the finished fillet from the vessel. Cool and grind. Bread should be mixed with milk. Squeeze well. Combine with fish. The onion is crushed. Fry in vegetable oil for three minutes, stirring all the time. Combine with minced fish. Add beaten egg and salt. The products are well ground. Form meatballs 2 cm in size from the mass. Peel the remaining vegetables and divide them into small square pieces. The broth is brought to a boil. Add vegetables, pepper and salt to it. Cook for ten minutes. Add meatballs. Cook the soup for another 10 minutes. Then it is removed from the fire.

Steaming fish: recipe

To prepare aromatic and juicy steamed fish you will need:

fillet of any fish - 700 g;
soy sauce - 2 tbsp. spoons;
several green onions;
ginger root;
olive oil.

Instructions:

Fish fillets are washed under running water. Blot with a paper towel. Then put it in a container in which the fish will be cooked.
Half the green onions are chopped into 3 cm pieces. The ginger root is peeled and cut into several thin slices. Onion and ginger are placed on top of the fish fillet. Place the container in a double boiler and cook the fish until done. How long does it take to cook fish? Above was information about the time, which depends on the type of fish.
The remaining half of the onion is finely chopped. Grate the ginger root on a fine grater; you will need about 1 teaspoon. Pour a little olive oil into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. fry the onion with ginger, add soy sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes over low heat.
Place the boiled fish on a plate and sprinkle with ginger dressing. Serve the dish with vegetable salad, potatoes or rice.

First course with added cream and cheese

Its composition includes:

Red fish (tail, head) - about 700 g.
Onion.
Half a carrot.
Six potato tubers.
A glass of cream.
A bunch of fresh dill.
Bay leaf.
200 g of processed cheese with creamy taste.
A few black peppercorns.
Salt.

The head and tail of the red fish are placed in a bowl of water. Place on fire and bring to a boil. Remove foam. Place a peeled onion, divided into halves, pepper, bay leaf, salt, and chopped carrots into a bowl. Cook the food for 40 minutes. Then the broth is filtered into a separate vessel. You should get at least a liter of broth. The skin is removed from the surface of the fish and the bones are removed from it. The pulp is divided into small pieces. Place the broth on the stove and bring to a boil. Peel the potatoes and divide them into small square slices. Add to the pan with the broth. Cook for ten minutes. Cream is poured in. Combine the broth with cheese and mix thoroughly. Then add slices of fish to the soup. Cook the dish until the potatoes become soft. 3 minutes before the end of cooking, sprinkle the dish with chopped dill. Fish soup with cream is removed from the heat. Pour into separate plates.

Served with white bread.

The nuances of boiling fish

Of course, when boiling bream, mackerel or some delicious type of fish, there are specific features and recommendations, but there are general nuances for preparing a boiled product:

Products with a delicate, unexpressed taste are not recommended to be richly flavored with seasonings and spices. It is enough to put white roots (parsley, celery) into the broth and add salt to the finished dish.
But bream, carp or silver carp should be seasoned with pepper, bay leaf, carrots and onions. The already rich taste of meat will become more spicy and pronounced.

Fish that initially has an unpleasant odor can be saved with cucumber brine. Just add a little liquid to the broth during the cooking process.
If for some reason the finished product does not need to be served yet, it can be left in the broth, however, no more than half an hour.

The broth remaining after cooking the products can be strained several times until transparent, frozen and later used in making sauces. Just before pouring it into molds, you should add a little salt to the liquid.

Simple pink salmon soup

pink salmon – 300 g
onion - 1 pc.
carrots - 1 pc.
potatoes - 2-3 pcs.
rice - 50 g
salt, dill, pepper - to taste

1. Place pink salmon pieces and onion in a pan with cold water. Put on the fire, once it boils, remove the foam and cook for 20 minutes.

2. Then remove the fish and strain the broth.

3. Wash the pan and pour the broth here. Look how transparent it has become.

4. Place the broth in a saucepan on the stove and, when it boils, add the carrot cubes. After 10 minutes, add chopped potatoes and washed rice to the carrots. Cook everything until the rice and potatoes are ready.

5. Remove the bones from the pink salmon and divide into pieces.

6. Place the pink salmon pieces into the pan.

7. Add chopped dill and cook for 1-2 minutes. At the end, add salt, stir, turn off and let it brew.

8. Fish soup is ready. Pour into plates and eat.