The Biggest Seafood Cooking Mistakes—and How to Fix Them

When prepared properly, seafood can make for an impressive meal for guests or a surprisingly low-effort weekday dinner. But like all the simplest meals in the kitchen, some critical mistakes might be preventing your serving of salmon or shrimp from reaching its full flavor potential.

Fortunately, we spoke with Good Housekeeping food experts to learn more about the common mistakes home cooks make when preparing seafood.

Compared to other protein options, seafood is known for cooking incredibly fast, making it a favorable option when it comes to a last-minute meal. Because of its quick cook time compared to other proteins, though, many home cooks underestimate just how little time is required to keep seafood in the pan.

“Seafood generally cooks much faster than steak or chicken, often in just a few minutes,” remarks Good Housekeeping food producer Tina Martinez. “That makes it convenient, but also less forgiving: there’s a very narrow window between perfectly cooked and overdone. Once fish or shellfish is overcooked, it can dry out or become tough and rubbery quickly.”

To avoid that unsavory texture, Martinez suggests monitoring your seafood until it’s just about fully cooked, and then removing it from the heat source so the carryover cooking can finish the job. “I recommend starting to check seafood early and removing it from the heat just before it’s fully done, since it will continue cooking briefly as it rests,” she says.

While there are certain telltale signs that your fish is finished cooking—such as its color and texture—one reliable method is checking its internal temperature.

“It’s so easy to overcook seafood, and at the same time, it sometimes might be hard to know when it’s done,” explains Good Housekeeping Kitchen & Cooking Lab senior director Nicole Papantoniou. “I recommend a food thermometer to help you get to the right temp.”

“Fish is delicate and usually does not take as long to cook as one might think, so start checking the temperature earlier than you might think,” Martinez adds. “The flesh should look opaque and the temperature should be about 145°F. It should easily flake, but still feel moist.”

The “O” shape is a sign that shrimp is overcooked.

“Different types of seafood cook at different speeds, so you can’t rely on the same doneness cues for every dish,” says Susan Choung, Good Housekeeping senior food editor. “The thickness of the seafood and the cooking method also play a major role in how quickly it’s ready.”

Shrimp: “Look for the shrimp to turn pearly and opaque and curl into a loose C shape,” Choung says. “Don’t let them curl completely into an O shape—that means they’re overcooked and rubbery.”

Lobster: “The meat should look opaque and feel firm, without any translucency. Start checking it as soon as the meat turns opaque, since lobster can become tough pretty quickly.”

Clams and mussels: “They’re ready when their shells open during cooking. If any shells stay closed, discard them.”

Scallops: “If you’re searing them, look for a golden-brown crust on the outside, but the center should be opaque but still be tender when you gently prod—not firm all the way through.”

Fin fish: “The flesh should look opaque and flake easily with a fork.”

Another crucial trap most amateur chefs fall into is crowding the surface of a pan during the cooking process itself. Whether using a cast-iron pan or nonstick skillet, overcrowding a pan with too much food can result in too much moisture finding its way into the dish. By not giving your fish enough room to allow excess moisture to evaporate, you’re essentially trapping all of that liquid in the pan, making it more difficult for the fish to brown properly.

If you have a smaller pan, it’s better to cook only a few pieces of fish at a time, giving each fillet plenty of room before moving on to your next batch. “If you’re cooking fish in a pan, always make sure there is enough room around each fillet,” Martinez says.

One of the most frustrating parts of cooking fish is watching it stick to the pan when you try to flip it. Because of its extremely delicate texture and consistency, fish is notorious for sticking to the bottom of a pan if the proper precautions aren’t taken.

When searing or pan-frying seafood, preheat the pan over medium to medium-high heat before adding the oil and fish. The exact timing will depend on the pan and stovetop, so look for the pan to be hot rather than relying on a set number of minutes. If you’re using a nonstick pan, avoid heating it empty for an extended period.

When you add the seafood, you should hear an immediate sizzle. Let the fish cook undisturbed until it develops a browned crust and naturally releases from the pan, then flip it carefully.

For boiling or poaching, skip the sizzle test and focus instead on maintaining the appropriate liquid temperature and watching for the seafood-specific doneness cues.

When searing, pan-frying, or roasting seafood, it’s highly recommended that you pat your seafood dry thoroughly prior to cooking to remove excess moisture. The drier the surface, the more likely you are to develop a nice sear. This is especially the case for skin-on fish. This step isn’t necessary when cooking seafood in liquid, such as when boiling, poaching, or simmering.

“Cooking fish with skin can be challenging because achieving crisp skin requires thoroughly drying the exterior, using a hot pan, and resisting the urge to move it too soon,” Martinez says. “Delicate fillets can also be difficult because they may stick or fall apart when flipped. Whole fish, very thick fillets, and fish like tuna—which is often best served medium-rare but can become dry quickly—require a little more attention to timing and temperature.”

Keep in mind that medium-rare tuna does not reach the FDA-recommended 145°F temperature for fin fish. Anyone who is pregnant, immunocompromised, older, or otherwise at higher risk for foodborne illness should avoid undercooked seafood.

Cooking seafood takes practice, but mastering the basics will help you tackle more advanced preparations with confidence.

“Instead of avoiding certain preparations, I’d recommend focusing on mastering doneness,” Martinez says. “Learn what properly cooked fish should look and feel like before moving on to more technique-driven dishes.”