Seafood Internal Temp (doneness)?

[mugsy27]

hey guys...over the weekend i went to cosco and bought some pre-assembled Talipia stuffed with cosco's generic seafood stuffing (some kinda breaded shrimp-crab meat concoction).

I put them in zip lock bags and froze them. Genius that i am, i threw away the cooking instructions in the process.

i have defrosted them, and i figure that 45-55 mins at 350 degrees should do it, but am wondering what the internal temp should be when i check it?

the filets are pretty thin (1/4 in) so assume i will be checking the temp of the stuffing??

any ideas on what i should be looking for??

TIA!!!

[amber]

I would put a piece of foil over the top to let the stuffing bake, and then at the last ten minutes (according to your time, 45-55 minutes) , left the fish flake and become white.

In other words, dont let your fish dry out, because your stuffing will take alot longer to cook, and your fish will only take a short time.

[ironchef]

Are you cooking the fish frozen or thawed? If it's completely thawed, then 15-17 minutes at 450 should be ok. Internal temp. should hit 140-145 for at least 30 seconds.

[urmaniac13]

Was the stuffing precooked or requires full cooking? It would largely depend on this factor. If the stuffing was cooked it would require very short cooking time, the fillet of fish cook quickly in the oven, especially if it is sliced thin, and the stuffing inside only needed to be heated through.
If it was uncooked it would be more tricky, probably needed to be wrapped in foil, but if it was a ready made product from a supermarket, I am pretty sure they were precooked... is there anyway you can check on that to make sure?

[GB]

My guess is that the stuffing is already cooked and just needs to be heated through. Can you go back to the store and look at the packaging to see what it says?

[mugsy27]

the fish and stuffing were NOT frozen at time of purchase. i then froze them for storage. i the DE-Frosted them.

i will wrap them in foil as suggested. i have no idea if the stuffing is pre cooked.

im gonna play this one by looks - feel i guess...and will check for internal temp of about 140-145.

thank you all for your advice!!

[mugsy27]

GB...no way im going back to cosco for at least a few weeks...they already get enough of my $$ and im a compulsive spender!! lol

[urmaniac13]

Mugsy, is the stuffing visible in any way? If it contains shrimp/crab mixture, and if it shows bright red/orangy colour you can bet it is precooked...

Then don't cook too much, if the oven is well preheated, no longer than 20minutes, covered.

Good luck and let us know how it turned out!!

[ironchef]

Because it was frozen (actually, even if it wasn't), it should be cooked until the internal temp. reaches at least 140-145 to prevent any food borne illness, regardless of if the stuffing was cooked or not. One could take a chance and just cook it until the stuffing is heated through, but it would be better if it hit the 140-145 mark. This is how a lot of people get sick in places where food is normally cooked beforehand, and then reheated for service (i.e. buffets). Often times food is thrown directly into a warmer and then into a holding container heated by hot water, a sterno, or an induction burner, and it never reaches the temperature that it needs to be.

[Aurora]

According to the FDA:

Seafood should be thoroughly cooked to an internal temperature of at least 145 F (63 C). Fish that's ground or flaked, such as a fish cake, should be cooked to at least 155 F (68 C), and stuffed fish to at least 165 F (74 C).
If you don't have a meat thermometer, there are other ways to determine whether seafood is done:

• For fish, slip the point of a sharp knife into the flesh and pull aside. The edges should be opaque and the center slightly translucent with flakes beginning to separate. Let the fish stand three to four minutes to finish cooking.
• For shrimp, lobster and scallops, check color. Shrimp and lobster turn red and the flesh becomes pearly opaque. Scallops turn milky white or opaque and firm.
• For clams, mussels and oysters, watch for the point at which their shells open. Boil three to five minutes longer. Throw out those that stay closed.

When using the microwave, rotate the dish several times to ensure even cooking. Follow recommended standing times. After the standing time is completed, check the seafood in several spots with a meat thermometer to be sure the product has reached the proper temperature.

Source: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/895_kitchen.html

Note that there are different and higher temperature guidelines for stuffed fish (actually any stuffed meat or fish) due to the possible introduction of external microorganisms not naturally found in the meat or fish.