This post will teach you How to Defrost Frozen Fish quickly & safely, so you can cook delicious fish recipes of your choosing. With minimal prep time and a few quick steps, you’ll have your fish thawed in no time.
This post is a great reference point for those interested in learning how to defrost fish safely. This method for defrosting frozen fish is so quick and easy that it makes cooking with fish a breeze. Follow the steps below to thaw your frozen fish, season it to your liking, and cook it via your desired method.
Here are a few other how-to’s you can use to expand your culinary skills: How to Bake Butternut Squash in the Oven, How to Cut Romaine Lettuce for Salad, and How to Make Pancakes on a Cast Iron Skillet.
Table of Contents
Why You Need to Defrost Fish Properly
When learning how to defrost fish, the most important aspect is thawing the fish safely to prevent food poisoning or other foodborne illnesses. To properly thaw fish, it’s essential for it to always remain below 40°F. When items sit at 40°F+ for more than two hours, they will quickly develop harmful bacteria that can make you and others sick. Because of this, thawing fish at room temperature is not recommended, as it will need to sit out longer than two hours to fully defrost.
How to Defrost Fish Overnight (The Best Way)
- The night before cooking, remove the frozen fish fillets from their vacuum-sealed packaging and place them on a plate in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
- When ready to bake the fish, remove the thawed fillets from the refrigerator and generously sprinkle salt on both sides.
- Let them rest at room temperature while you gather the other ingredients. This step helps draw out excess moisture.
- After the fillets have rested with salt, thoroughly rinse each under cold water.
- Place them on a clean paper towel-lined plate and pat them dry with paper towels.
How to Defrost Fish in Water Quickly
If you’re in a hurry and want to learn how to thaw frozen fish quickly, there is one relatively safe method besides thawing the fish in the fridge. Thawing frozen fish in cold running water without any other packaging/plastic can make it soggy or cause it to lose its texture. As a note, I recommend this as a secondary thawing process only, as it works with vacuum-sealed fish. You can thaw fish in cold water by following the below instructions.
- Add the fillets to a shallow dish in the sink.
- Slowly run cold tap water over the fillets.
- Check them every 10 minutes until they are thawed.
- Depending on their thickness, it will take about 10-30 minutes for the fillets to thaw.
Expert Tips
- Don’t partially thaw the fish first. There’s no need to partially thaw fish when using the above method. A quick summary of how to defrost fish: remove the plastic wrapping, place the fillets on a plate, and allow them to thaw for about 10-12 hours/overnight in the fridge.
- Avoid quick methods that are not food-safe. Quicker methods, like defrosting the fish in hot water or leaving it on the counter for a few hours, are not food-safe and can lead to food poisoning.
- Always use thawed fish right away. Once your fish is thawed, use it as soon as possible as it can go bad quickly. If necessary, you can keep the thawed fish in the refrigerator for an additional day or two before cooking it. However, it is typically not good to eat after that point.
- Remove the flash-frozen fish from the packaging before thawing. Due to the lack of oxygen in this particular packaging, harmful bacteria are more likely to grow. So, it’s necessary to remove the fish from the plastic before thawing so it’s safe to eat.
- Dry the fish well after rinsing off the salt so the seasoning sticks to the fish better. If you leave the fish damp/not dried off, it’s likely the seasoning will slip off while the fish fillets are cooking.
Delicious Fish Recipes
Now that you know how to defrost fish in the fridge, it’s time to find some fish-centric recipes to make this week. Here are a few ideas:
- Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
- Baked Halibut with Lemon Parmesan Panko
- Pesto Crusted Salmon with Garlic Lemon Panko
FAQS
The safest way to thaw fish is by defrosting it in the fridge. It’s relatively quick and requires minimal prep. However, you can also thaw fish in the water if you need a quicker method, though it may affect the texture of the fish.
Yes. The above notes will teach you how to defrost fish quickly in water. Be sure to use cold (never warm/hot) water. If you’re wondering how long it takes to defrost fish in water, it will take about 10-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.
While the FDA describes how to defrost fish in the microwave on their site and notes it as safe, I do not recommend this method. Often, the microwave will defrost the fish unevenly, leaving some parts partially cooked and others frosty. For the best results, I recommend following the steps noted above under the section “How to Defrost Fish Overnight Quickly.”
I do not recommend defrosting fish (or any other frozen foods) on the counter at room temperature. Bacteria develops quickly in the first two hours of this method, and you’ll likely need longer than that to thaw the fish with this method. Leaving the fish at 40°F+ degrees for more than two hours is not safe.
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