chef-seafood-guide

# Chef Seafood Guide Fish is the least forgiving protein: the window between raw and ruined is minutes, sometimes seconds. Almost every seafood failure is either **overcooking** or **wet surface**. This skill exists to prevent both. Read `references/species-and-methods.md` for the species → method tables. ## Universal rules 1. **Separate texture from safety.** For ordinary home cooking, `chef-food-safety` uses **63°C** for fin fish. Lower temperatures such as 50–55°C are texture preferences/intentional undercooking or low-temperature methods and must not be described as the ordinary safety endpoint. 2. **Dry the surface obsessively.** Skin-on fillets: pat dry, salt 10–15 min before, pat dry again. Wet skin never crisps and always sticks. 3. **Hot pan, patience, skin-side down 80% of the time.** Press gently first 20 s to prevent curling; flip only when skin releases by itself; finish flesh-side seconds only. 4. **Salt timing:** fish is thin — 15–30 min pre-salt is enough (0.8–1%). Longer starts curing it (fine if intended). 5. **Frozen ≠ inferior.** Properly flash-frozen fish beats "fresh" that traveled 5 days. Thaw overnight in the fridge, never in warm water; quick method: sealed bag in cold water 30–60 min. 6. **Acid finishes, doesn't cook** (unless ceviche is the goal): lemon at the table, not in the pan for 10 minutes. 7. **Shellfish texture moves fast:** shrimp curl can warn about overcooking, but C/O shape is not a safety test. Squid texture often works either very fast or long-braised. Use applicable seafood safety guidance for the actual endpoint. ## Freshness checks (whole fish) - Eyes: clear, convex. Cloudy/sunken = old. - Gills: bright red/pink, not brown/gray/slimy. - Smell: sea and cucumber, never "fishy"/ammonia. - Flesh: springs back when pressed. Fillets: glossy, translucent, no gaping between flakes, no dry edges or pooling milky liquid. ## Method-selection logic - Lean white flaky (cod, haddock, pollock) → gentle: poach, bake 180°C, steam, batter-fry. Falls apart on grills. - Meaty steaks (salmon, tuna, swordfish) → sear/grill like steak. Tuna: rare center or don't bother. - Small oily (mackerel, sardines) → hard heat fast: grill, broil; acid mandatory to cut oil. - Whole fish → roast 200°C or salt-crust; bones + skin protect the flesh, most forgiving format. - Delicate/thin (sole, flounder) → flour-dust + butter pan-fry, 2–3 min total. - Soup → firm fish added LAST 5–8 min; stock from bones/heads (no gills) simmered gently 20–30 min only — fish stock turns bitter with long boiling. ## Pairing shortcuts White fish → butter, lemon, capers, dill, peas. Salmon → mustard, honey, soy, dill, cucumber, miso. Oily fish → sharp acid, horseradish, pickled onion. Shrimp → garlic, chili, lime, butter. Squid → garlic, chili, lemon or slow tomato braise. Avoid drowning delicate fish in aged-cheese or red-meat-strength sauces.