Chefs of MeFi - Why are our fish dishes coming out dry?

My father was a commercial fisherman and I pretty much grew up between his boat and my mom's kitchen. I think pan roasting is the easiest method for consistently cooking the types of fish you mentioned [salmon, wahoo (ono), halibut, mahi]. Here's what I would suggest trying: First, temper your product by letting the fish come to room temperature. This usually takes anywhere from 15-45 minutes depending on the size and density of the fish. During this time, preheat your oven to 275F. When the fish is tempered, put a good non-stick pan (I have a well seasoned cast iron pan that I only use for fish) on the stove top over medium heat with a bit of olive oil or clarified butter. Season the fish to your preference. I'm usually just using kosher salt and fresh pepper. When the oil or butter is hot (but not smoking), cook the fish with the "presentation side" down. Cook for just a minute or two. You really only want to give it some color and texture. After it has some color on it and it releases from the pan, flip it and place the pan in the preheated oven. Now cook it until the internal temp of the fish reaches 125F. I'm not going to tell you how long this takes because it is HIGHLY dependent on the density and thickness of the fish. Just take your time and keep a close eye on it. You're cooking it slowly at 275F so you'll have plenty of time to "catch it" at the temp you like. After you get accustomed to cooking fish via pan roasting, you can raise the oven temp to 350F or so for a much faster cook time. But for now, just go slow and get it right. After the fish reaches 125F internally, remove the pan (remember, the handle of the pan is now HOT) from the oven, then move the fish to a lined plate. Let it rest for 2-4 minutes, then plate it. I personally like salmon at 115-117F, halibut at 125F and mahi mahi at 130F. If you're unsure of your preferences, pull a small piece from the oven at a lower temp and see if you like it. If you don't, put it back in and cook it 5°F more. Repeat until you're happy with the texture and level of doneness. Also, as others mentioned, please test your thermometer before relying on it. And if you can get your hands on Thermapen, you'll never use another thermometer. They're the best, and worth every dollar.

Generally dry fish = overcooked. You need to start using your eyes and fingers, not a thermometer (or at least what appears to be an inaccurate one - a perfect probe thermometer is a different story!). Most fish flakes when properly cooked. You can actually see it relax. You should also feel the middle and it should be firm, not wobbly. It's not that different than other meat: feel your cheek=undercooked, feel your chin=about cooked, feel your forehead=overcooked. I know you don't eat meat so that may be new to you. And my primary rule is that if I take it out too soon, I can always cook it some more. You can't cook it any less.

Hmmm. This is an unorthodox answer, but --maybe the problem is actually your thermometer. I'm not kidding -- I had a similar problem, where I was cooking something to a certain temperature, the way I was supposed to, but it was coming out over-done. I also started noticing that it was hovering at a lower temperature for a long period, and even LOOKED done at that point, but it still wasn't at the proper temperature so I let it keep cooking. Finally I checked the thermometer -- and learned my thermometer itself was about four degrees off. It's easy to check a thermometer too - just bring a pot of water to a full boil, and then take the temperature. If your thermometer says ANYTHING other than 212 degrees, then that means the problem's been your thermometer all along. (It's fine to keep using it, though -- just make a note that your thermometer is however many degrees off, so that you're waiting for the internal temperature to only get to 141 rather than 145, or however many degrees off it is.)

I usually sear it quickly in olive oil and salt (literally 30 seconds per side on high heat), add a splash of tasty liquid to quickly cool the pan and make it moist, put a lid on it, turn the heat WAY down and let it hit 125-130. Flip it once. Move the fish to a warm plate, cover with foil (or your saute pan's lid), reduce the liquid, whisk in some butter and pour it over the fish. 145F is too hot, IMO. Unless you're using a thermapen or other high end thermometer, you really need to go on how it feels or looks when cut. The tips on most probes are neither small nor quick reacting enough. Almost guaranteed that you're cooking to more like 160F.

You should always stop cooking a good 5 degrees lower, as the food will continue to cook after it comes out of the pan (some of that 165 degree heat on the outer edges of the fish is going to continue to penetrate inwards). In addition, you should remember that FDA-recommended internal temperatures prioritize safety over edibility. I would recommend cooking to 135 and resting off-heat to 140 and see if that's better.

just bring a pot of water to a full boil, and then take the temperature. If your thermometer says ANYTHING other than 212 degrees, then that means the problem's been your thermometer all along. This is a great point, but keep in mind that you may have to http://www.csgnetwork.com/h2oboilcalc.html when calibrating your thermometer.

Frying? Nooooooo! Lightly rub in olive oil and rub in some high quality salt (I'm currently on a smoked pink salt kick) and pepper (curently on black urfa kick) and let it come to room temp. Place on tin foil in a pyrex pan and wrap the top and sides shut but keep it loose. Toss in oven for 10 minutes at 350F. Check to see if baked to your liking (10 minutes at 350F will bake it rare) - it will come out super moist. Personally, I love doing this with salmon but just use regular sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, mince fresh garlic, fresh dill and place on top of the fish once it's on the tin foil and in the pan, add a squirt of some fresh lemon, bake it and enter deliciousness.

I agree with bcwinters. The fish you are eating in a restaurant probably hasn't been brought up to the temp you are aiming for. Julia Child said if the fish flakes easily, it's overdone. In my experience, fish that flakes easily will be dry. With long-cooking foods, a thermometer is a godsend but fish cooks so quickly that judging by sight is a must. You want any juices to be clear, a sign that the protein has denatured, but avoid cooking to the point where the fish easily comes apart in stringy flakes. The texture I seek is even a little bit gelatinous in the center, just turning opaque. If you are having a hard time hitting your ideal texture, let the fish come to room temperature before you cook it and sacrifice a crusty exterior to a lovely interior by lowering the cooking temp. This will slow things down and give you a bigger window of success. And sacrifice beauty for a while - don't be afraid to put some peep holes in a fillet while you cook it. What you learn in technique will be worth a few ugly pieces of cooked fish. Other fish tips: Pat dry before it hits the pan for decent searing on the outside. If you need to flip it, only flip it once. If the fish you prefer is firm and you can't seem to get a sear on it, try putting a very small amount of white sugar on the first side down in the pan. It's a cheater trick but, if done with a light hand, no one will ever know. My favorite way to cook a fish fillet is to heat up something that can go in the oven, like my cast iron grille pan. Slap in a fish fillet then shove it under the broiler. Cooks from both sides, doesn't need to be flipped, and done in a flash.

Tray http://www.finecooking.com/item/30443/video-recipe-salt-crusted-fish the fish