How to use the online timer
Twenty minutes suits a whole fish or a thick fillet baked in a moderate oven, wrapped in foil or baking paper to hold the moisture in. Thin fillets under a grill or in a pan are done in a fraction of that, sometimes in four or five minutes a side, so this figure belongs to the oven rather than the hob. Fish is among the least forgiving things to time, since the gap between just right and dry is often a minute wide.
The old measure still works: about ten minutes per two and a half centimetres of thickness at the thickest point, whatever the method. A slim plaice fillet and a thick piece of salmon behave nothing alike in the same oven, and the difference is thickness rather than species. Taking the fish out of the fridge twenty minutes beforehand narrows the gap between the outside and the centre.
Ignore the clock at the end and look at the flesh. It should have turned from translucent to opaque and should part into flakes along its natural seams under gentle pressure from a fork, without collapsing into mush. On a whole fish, look at the flesh nearest the backbone, which finishes last and will tell you whether another minute or two is needed.
Common questions
How do I adapt the time to a different fillet?
Measure the thickest point and allow about ten minutes per two and a half centimetres, whatever the method. A thin plaice fillet needs a fraction of the time a thick salmon steak does.
How can I tell it is cooked without cutting it open?
The flesh turns from translucent to opaque and separates into flakes under gentle pressure from a fork. On a whole fish, check next to the backbone, which cooks last.
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