This chef is adamant: To keep baked fish juicy, you must never exceed this temperature
Baked fish can quickly lose its tenderness if it's cooked for too long. We sometimes think it's enough to simply follow the cooking time indicated in the recipe, but the internal temperature also plays a crucial role. Chef José Fuentes shares the temperature you absolutely must not exceed.
Oven cooking fish can sometimes be a matter of just a few degrees. But what precise temperature should you really aim for? In the pages of Directo al Paladar, chef José Fuentes shares his guide to keeping the flesh juicy. And as surprising as it may seem, the fish should never exceed 55°C at its core.
According to him, a temperature of around 50°C even allows for a particularly tender result. And to give yourself the best chance of success, the chef also advises keeping a part of the fish that is often removed before putting it in the oven.
What is the one thing to keep in mind when baking fish in the oven?
This is simply the central bone. Once the fish is cleaned and gutted, José Fuentes recommends keeping it, even when the fish is prepared split in half. He advises leaving it on one of the fillets before putting everything in the oven.
“The bone acts as a barrier, protecting part of the fish and keeping it juicier,” explains the expert. This way, the fish retains more moisture and juices during cooking.
The cooking time then depends on how the fish is prepared. “You should allow about 20 minutes per kilo of fish when it's cooked in salt. Add another 10 minutes if the fish weighs two kilos,” explains the culinary expert. However, this final step should be shorter when the fish is directly exposed to the oven's heat.
In this case, José Fuentes recommends allowing approximately 15 minutes per kilogram. For a two-kilo fish, cooking time should therefore be sufficient for about 22 minutes. The chef also advises starting to check the fish halfway through the cooking time.
This allows you to monitor its progress and avoid leaving it in the oven too long. With an internal temperature that remains around 50°C and does not exceed 55°C, the meat retains all its tenderness. Taste it, you'll love it!
