Cooking fish is not difficult. There are 3 basic rules that you need to keep in mind:

1) Recipe Cooking Time.

Although you don't want your fish to be undercooked, the most common error is over-cooking the fish. Over-cooked fish may look much the same as correctly cooked fish (unlike meat, the colour does not change during cooking). However, over-cooking makes the fish slightly tougher, the texture less pleasing and robs it of much of the flavour.

It is difficult to tell when a fish is cooked by looking at it. One method is to check with a fork if the flesh is still solid or if it will break apart under light pressure from a fork (the point at which the fish is cooked).

The easiest method is simply to follow the recipe cooking time very closely. When cooking a roast of meat, one can wander away, confident that if one comes back 5-10 minutes late, the meat will still be fine. With fish, either make sure you are there or use a timer bell to let you know when the time is up.

Although this exact precision in terms of cooking duration may seem a nuissance, people who know their fish will appreciate it. When you get the fish just right, experience fish eaters will compliment you both on the meal and on your skill as a cook.

2) Avoid drying out

The second common problem with cooking fish is that it tends to dry out. This can be caused by over-cooking, but it can also be related to the way in which it is cooked.

In particular, grilled or barbequed fish can easily be dry. If using these cooking methods, either use a very fatty fish (the fat helps prevent drying) or protect the fish. The fish can be protected by wrapping it in foil or sandwiching pieces of fish between vegetables.

Baking can also easily dry fish out. In this case, there are a number of ways to avoid this. Some recipes have the fish in a sauce, or with a sauce coating. Others bake in a covered dish or have the fish wrapped in foil. Some have the fish cooked in a bread crust. In each case, the moisture is kept in by some type of covering. Unless you are an experienced cook, be careful of recipes that bake fish without such protection.

Frying fish tends to cook the fish faster, so there is less chance of drying out (unless one over-cooks). If one fries in butter or oil, this also helps prevent drying of the fish. Likewise, cooking on the stovetop in a covered frying pan.

3) Avoid heavy spices and tastes

Unlike meat, most types of fish have a light and delicate taste. Consequently, the use strong tasting spices when cooking will completely dominate the fish taste. Likewise, serving the fish with strong tasting side dishes or drinks will result in them masking the taste of the fish (which is the main reason that one normally serves a light white wine with fish rather than a heavy red wine).

Of course, there are certain cuisines (such as those of south-east Asia) where heavy spices are traditionally used in many dishes, including with fish. While such recipes may be very tasty, what one is tasting is the spices and rarely will the taste of the fish be noticeable. Such recipes are fine in themselves, but fish lovers will tend to be disappointed by them.

4) Summary

To cook fish well, all one needs is a good recipe, and to avoid the three common errors: over-cooking, drying out, over-spicing.

Aside from this, cooking fish is not difficult. In fact, with a little practice, you should find it quick and easy. In addition, you will benefit from the healthy aspects of fish, which is generally much better than meat in this regard.

This article is provide as part of our How to Cook series, written to provide basic cooking skills.