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What's so hard about cooking seafood? Nothing - except, maybe, narrowing down the almost limitless preparation options.
The standard rule of seafood cookery is that it takes 10 minutes per inch of thickness. This varies depending on the density of the flesh. You'll know it's done when the meat is opaque all the way through, flakes easily with a fork, and has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
Also, to ensure that cooking occurs evenly turn under the thin ends of the fillets to give a piece of fish that's uniformly thick. Keep in mind that fish will continue to cook a bit after you remove it from the heat.
BAKE
All types of fish, lean and oily: fillets, steaks, roasts, whole dressed fish.
If wrapped in foil, shellfish can also be baked.
BROIL
Fillets or steaks at least 1 inch thick. Higher-fat fish like Salmon or Sea Bass works best, as it remains more moist, but just about any fin fish or shell fish can be broiled successfully. Shellfish options include shrimp, shucked scallops, oysters, clams and mussels, stuffed or on the half shell.
FRY
Lean fish (fillets, portions, strips, nuggets, even whole dressed fish); shrimp, scallops, clams, squid rings.
GRILL
Oily fish like tuna, salmon and swordfish. Use steaks and fillets at least ½ inch thick, or whole dressed fish. Also shell-on or shucked shellfish on skewers.
POACH
Lean fish - fillets, steaks or whole - especially benefit from this moist cooking technique. Avoid poaching oily, dark-meated fish like tuna. Salmon is the exception here.
SAUTE
Small whole fish, like trout; thin, skinless fillets, like flounder; thin steaks.
Shrimp, soft shell crab; shucked scallops, squid. Oily fish like salmon don't lend themselves to this method.
STEAM
All lean fish: Fillets, Steaks, Small Whole Fish, All Shellfish.
Oily fish do not benefit from steaming.
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