How to Tell When Your Seafood Is Cooked

Perfectly cooked seafood balances three things: texture, flavor, and food safety. Mastering all three is easier than you’d think once you know what to look for. 

“Cooking fish may seem intimidating at first,” shares chef and Homemade cooking class instructor Joel Gamoran. “After one or two tries, you start to get a feel for when a piece of fish is perfectly cooked.”

We've cooked a lot of seafood in our over 200 years at Fulton Fish Market, and we’re showing you the exact temperatures and visual signs for each type of seafood so you can cook with confidence.

• Quick Reference: When Is Seafood Done Cooking?
• Ways To Tell When Seafood Is Cooked
• Understanding Carryover Cooking
• How To Tell When Each Type of Seafood Is Done

Quick Reference: When Is Seafood Done Cooking?

Ways To Tell When Seafood Is Cooked

Using a Meat Thermometer for fish is the most consistent way to know when it’s done cooking, especially when you're just learning. Simply insert the thermometer probe into the thickest part of the fish at an angle, avoiding the pan and any bones, to get an accurate temperature reading. Instant-read thermometers work best since they give you an accurate reading in just a few seconds.

Visual cues can help you know when seafood is done cooking if you don’t have a thermometer. Each type of seafood has specific color changes and texture indicators that signal when it's ready. We'll break down the exact visual signs for each species below. With practice, you'll start recognizing these cues instinctively and may not even need your thermometer anymore.

Understanding Carryover Cooking

It's important to understand carryover cooking, which occurs when food continues cooking after you remove it from the heat source. The residual heat inside the seafood continues to raise its internal temperature by 5-10°F over a few minutes. Thicker cuts experience more carryover than thin fillets because they retain more heat.

According to Chef Gamoran, “As chefs, we try to take carryover cooking into account. We pull the fish off right before it’s done, knowing it will continue to cook as it rests.”

To adjust for carryover cooking, we recommend pulling seafood off the heat 5°F before your target temperature. Let the fish rest for 2-3 minutes after cooking to finish with carryover cooking and allow the meat to reabsorb its juices, resulting in moist and flavorful seafood.

How To Tell When Each Type of Seafood Is Done

White Fish (Cod, Halibut, Bass, Snapper)

• White fish internal temp: 145°F
• Visual cues: Look for flesh that has changed from translucent to opaque white throughout. The meat flakes easily when pressed with a fork and separates cleanly along the natural muscle lines.

Tuna Steaks

• Tuna internal temp:
  • Rare: 110°F, our preference at Fulton Fish Market
  • Medium-Rare: 120°F
  • Medium: 130°F
  • Well-Done: 145°F
• Visual cues: Rare tuna will have a deep red center, a seared exterior, and a soft texture when sliced. Medium-rare tuna will show a pink center with opaque edges and be slightly firmer when slicing. Well-done tuna will be fully opaque, ranging in color from light pink to tan, and will be especially firm when slicing.

Salmon

• Salmon internal temp:
  • Rare: 110°F
  • Medium-Rare: 125°F, our preference at Fulton Fish Market
  • Medium: 135°F
  • Well-Done: 145°F
• Visual cues: Rare salmon will have a translucent center with opaque edges and be very soft when pressed. Medium-rare salmon will show opaque edges with a slightly translucent center, light pink throughout, and flake when pressed. Salmon cooked medium will be mostly opaque with just a hint of translucency in the very center. Well-done salmon will be completely opaque throughout and flake easily, though we find this results in dry fish. You may see some white protein (albumin) on the surface of the salmon flesh at any doneness level.

Shrimp

• Shrimp internal temp: 140°F

• Visual cues: Shrimp will transform from gray and translucent to bright pink and completely opaque when done. The most important visual cue, however,  is the shape. Perfectly cooked shrimp curl into a C shape, while overcooked shrimp form a tight O shape. The texture should be firm but not rubbery, with no translucent areas remaining.

Lobster (Tails & Whole)

• Lobster internal temp: 140°F
  • Pro Tip: For the more accurate reading, insert your thermometer into the thickest part of the tail meat, being careful not to touch the shell as it may be hot.
• Visual cues: The lobster's shell will turn bright red when cooked if boiling or steaming. The meat inside will change from translucent to opaque white throughout, and it will pull slightly away from the shell. The texture should be firm but tender, not rubbery.
  

Whole Fish (Branzino, Snapper, etc.)

• Whole fish internal temp: 145°F
  • Pro Tip: Insert your thermometer into the thickest part of the fish near the backbone, being careful not to touch the bones for the most accurate reading.
    
• Visual cues: The flesh will appear opaque throughout with no translucency remaining. The meat will separate easily from the bones when tested with a fork. If the fish is head-on, the eyes will turn opaque white. The skin may pull away slightly from the flesh.
  • Timing Note: Whole fish take longer to cook than fillets and portions, so plan on cooking for about 10-12 minutes per inch of thickness at 400°F.

Octopus (Pre-Cooked)

Our octopus arrives already fully cooked, so you'll just want to warm it and add a char on the grill for flavor (optional).

• Method: Grill or use a grill pan over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side to warm through and develop char marks. Focus on developing flavor through char rather than reaching a specific internal temperature since the octopus is already cooked.

FAQs

What is carryover cooking?
Carryover cooking is when food continues cooking after you remove it from the heat, as residual heat raises its internal temperature by 5-10°F. This is why we recommend pulling your seafood 5°F below your target temperature and letting it rest for 2-3 minutes.

What should I do with overcooked fish?
We’ve all overcooked seafood before, and there’s usually a way to salvage it. 

“It blows me away how many people don’t cook fish because they’re scared to screw it up,” says Chef Gamoran. “It’s actually impossible to screw up. You can always cook it more if it’s under, or repurpose it if it’s over. The real bummer would be missing out on something incredibly healthy, quick-cooking, and insanely versatile.”

The key to overcoming overcooked fish is incorporating it into dishes with moisture-rich ingredients. You can break up overcooked fish into pieces and fold it into a cream-based soup or chowder, where the moisture from the broth rehydrates it. You can also mix it into fish cakes, tacos, or pasta with a butter or cream sauce to add moisture back. Another option is to make a fish salad with mayonnaise or a vinaigrette, which helps mask the dry texture from overcooking.

How do I know if my thermometer is accurate?
Having a meat thermometer is great, but only if it's truly accurate. Here's how to test it using an ice bath:

1. Fill a glass or bowl with ice.
2. Add water just below the ice level.
3. Stir for about 15 seconds.
4. Insert the thermometer probe 2 inches into the center of the ice bath.
5. Keep the probe surrounded by ice cubes, moving it constantly.
6. It should read 32°F (+/- 0.1°F), the freezing temperature of water.

If your thermometer is off, either replace it or note the difference so you can adjust your readings accordingly.

Is undercooked seafood still safe to eat?
It depends on the type of seafood and its quality. Selecting high-quality seafood from reputable sources, like Fulton Fish Market, can be safely enjoyed undercooked or even raw because they've been properly handled and frozen to kill parasites. If you’re unsure whether your seafood has been properly handled, cook it to the FDA-recommended temperatures, especially if you're serving children, pregnant women, or anyone with a compromised immune system.

Why is seafood cooked to a lower temperature than beef or chicken?
Seafood has a more delicate protein structure than that of most land animals, so it firms up and cooks through at lower temperatures. Fish proteins start to dry out and become tough if cooked much beyond 145°F, while chicken needs to reach 165°F and can handle the higher heat without drying out as quickly.