Do I need to thaw fish before steaming it?

Question

Can I thaw fish during steam cooking or is it better to leave the fish the night before in the fridge?

Normally (in fact, all the time), I microwave the frozen fish to thaw it, without cooking it - because, the fish would start to smell during the hours it took to thaw it at room temps. — Cynthia, Mar 23 '14 at 06:22

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 22 '14 at 13:05

Thawing as part of the cooking process is safe.

If your fish is very thin, you may get good results. The risk is that the outside will overcook before the inside is thawed and cooked through.

You will probably get better results thawing the fish in the refrigerator before steaming it.

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 01 '16 at 01:06

Yes you can steam fish from frozen, it makes the timing a bit harder to judge without experience (obviously a defrosted fish is easier to control the timing). Also there will be more moisture released from the fish which may be a problem depending what you are steaming the fish in.

Do I need to thaw fish before steaming it?

2 Answers2