Refrigerate Cod After Cooking

Question

Is it okay to refrigerate Cod (and other kinds of fish) once cooked and eat the next day?

If so, can you reheat it before eating?

Asked by Chris Diver

Answer

Yes, it's fine to refrigerate cooked fish. Many types of fish are excellent (better, even) served cold -- shrimp and salmon are good examples. If you can eat it cold, it's hard to see how reheating would pose any additional risk.

There are some other considerations, though. It's easy to overcook fish, which leaves it dry and less than tender, and that goes double if you're reheating. Use low heat (or low power in a microwave) and be careful not to cook too long. Some sauce will help keep the fish reheat, but avoid storing the fish in a strongly acidic sauce (like lemon juice) as acid will change the fish over time even in the fridge. And avoid reheating fishy things in the microwave at work if you value your relationship with your coworkers -- the smell often lingers.

Answered by Caleb

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How to cook cod?

Question

I'm laughing. I've been looking at codfish recipes for about five minutes now and I can make heads nor tails from it.

Some recipes claim you should cook for 5 minutes, other for one hour... Most agree on 15 minutes. Some give thickness in inches as a measure for determining the time. Others say you have to look for the flakes.

Oven temperatures range from 160ºC to 205ºC (320F - 400F)...

Others say poach...

What's the real story here? Anybody expert in Cod out there?

Answer

Cooking time will vary greatly depending not only on the cut of fish but also the cooking method. In general, your cod will be done when it reaches an internal temperature of 54°C (130°F), regardless of cooking method. Here are some times/temperatures that work for me:

• Sous Vide: 10 minutes or more at 56°C, followed by a quick broiling/grilling/blow torch.
• Baking (thick fillets): 15–20 minutes at 218°C (425°F).
• Baking en papillote: 15 minutes at 232°C (450°F).
• Deep Frying: 7–8 minutes at 190°C (375°F).
• Steaming: 6 minutes.
• Poaching: I like to add the fish to the cooking liquid while the liquid is room temperature. I bring it to a simmer, and then turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes.
• Pan Frying: This isn't quite as popular a method as the above for cooking cod, however, if you want to do it, I would recommend cooking it on high heat, flipping once the opaqueness has reached about halfway up the side of the fillet.

Basically, it doesn't matter which method you use as long as your cod ends up with an even internal temperature of around 54°C (130°F).

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