Can I defrost fish in the microwave?

Is it OK to defrost fish in a microwave? Any particular precautions?

Generally, what is the best way to defrost fish in 15 or 30 minutes before cooking?

Sometimes it comes in plastic, sometimes not.

If problematic, why? Except some parts becoming very hot

Assume the time from defrost until eating is less than 1 hour. I am mostly thinking about quality.

Best Answer

Defrosting anything in the microwave is dodgy. They're designed for serious heating, and don't heat completely evenly, so they tend to start cooking food before it's fully defrosted, even on low power. It might not be quite as bad as "defrosting" in a pan on the stove, but it's not great either.

That's especially bad for fish, since it cooks and overcooks quickly. You can maybe get away with a quick partial thaw in the microwave if you're careful, but it wouldn't be my first choice - it's pretty risky in terms of quality.

If you're in a hurry, I'd definitely suggest thawing with running water, as described for example in this question/answer. Of the safe methods, it's the fastest one that won't also cook your food. Especially for small/thin things like filets, it's pretty fast, and on top of that you can err on the side of not fully thawing to save time, and let it finish thawing while it cooks.

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Quick Answer about "Can I defrost fish in the microwave?"

How do you defrost fish quickly? To defrost fish quickly, set it on a microwave-safe plate and nuke on the defrost setting for 2 minutes. Place your frozen fish on a microwave-safe dish and set it on defrost setting for a minute, flip the fish over and continue defrosting for one more minute.

How do you defrost fish quickly?

Friday, July 29, 2016 : 12:33 PM

To quickly thaw fish, first place the fish in a seal-able plastic bag and push all of the air out of it before sealing. If you've kept your fish portions in the vacuum-sealed bag then you can leave it in its packaging.

Fill a bowl with cold water and immerse the sealed fish in this.

Can you defrost cod fillets in the microwave?

2) Microwave it for around three minutes using the 'Defrost' function (it may need slightly longer if it's a thick fillet \u2013 check that it's properly thawed by seeing if it's pliable but make sure you don't start to cook it in the microwave either).

How To Defrost Fish in Microwave Oven | Defrosting Fish - Fresh from Freezer | Quickly defrost fish

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