What? Using my microwave oven to cook my seafood dinner… can I do that? I’ve only ever used it to reheat my leftovers, plus I’ve heard of those microwave cooking disasters where the food ends up in the trash or of those packet microwave dinners which still have the packaging taste when you eat them. Well let’s forget what you may have seen or heard previously and now learn how to cook fish to perfection in a microwave oven. Fish is actually one of the greatest natural foods to cook in the microwave and when done correctly can be quite a delicacy.
The microwave oven if relating to conventional terms is not really an oven as we know it. In a conventional oven, the food you are cooking is heated starting from the outside and the heat slowly works its way inwards. With a microwave oven, electricity is converted into high frequency microwaves which excite the moisture and fat molecules within your fish. The resulting vibrations create friction hence internal heat within the fish which cooks it. The tender tissues within a fish flesh don’t require extensive heat for long periods of time to break down their fibres. The natural moisture within fish helps the microwaves to generate heat quite rapidly under these conditions within a microwave oven. The enclosed heat and moisture create steam to cook the fish very quickly.
Cooking fish fillets in the microwave is typical rather than a whole fish unless it’s a smaller sized fish; obviously we are restricted by microwave oven physical sizing as to what we can fit in to cook. If you do decide to cook a whole fish, you may be better off to remove the head and tail first. Another great way to prepare fish for microwaving is too actually butterfly your fillets. Butterflyed fillets have a more consistent or even amount of flesh which is perfect for cooking in the microwave. Pieces of fish that are uneven tend to have edges that end up dry and tough against their moist centres. If you have thinner fillets or uneven fillets, make sure to turn under the thin edges or even roll up the fillet to even out the thickness.
In preparation for cooking, your fish should be defrosted keeping in mind that fish is best cooked under high temperature so don’t ruin it in the defrost stage; just purely take the chill out of your fish. Once thawed out, place your fish on a plate or preferably a microwavable dish with the thickest portions towards the outside. Arrange your fish fillets in a single layer format. Cover the fish with some lemon or lime juice and garlic granules or just sprinkle on some light olive oil mixed with herbs and spices like thyme or coriander, create your own recipes and have fun. Make sure to cover your dish with microwave safe plastic wrap as this helps to hold in the moisture and heat during the cooking process. Turn back one of the plastic wrap corners as you must allow some steam to escape. If you decide to cook a whole fish, make a few even thin cuts in the skin to help prevent it from splitting whilst it cooks.
As wattage rates do vary from one microwave to another, there are a large scale of differing heats available and therefore the speeds at which your fish cooks is going to differ quite significantly depending on which unit you own so I’ll work with the average 600-800Watt microwave for my time guide. Microwave on the high setting and I suggest that you cook for a total of 4-5 minutes. Once this time has elapsed and that familiar beeping occurs, pop the door slightly open and let your dish stand for a further 2-3 minutes allowing it to final cook. To check doneness, ideally use a cooking thermometer and aim for 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit, or simply check with a fork making sure that the flesh is just starting to flake. If not, pop it back in for a further minute and let it stand again for another minute before serving.
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