On Aug 21, 5:18?pm, Joe > wrote:
> I like to cook salmon to perfection and that means just a scintilla
> above raw in the middle. Sometimes I get it perfect other times I
> don't. If I really want to make sure it's the way I like it I end up
> having to cut into it to check. Are there any thermometers out there
> sensitive enough to give me the temp reading when I stick it into a
> very shallow piece of fish?

With practice you will be able to tell intuitively when a piece of
fish is done perfectly to your liking every time. I think cooking
fish by temperature is the silliest concept I've heard this year...
I've never even once seen a seafood restaurant cook poking fish with
any stinkin' thermometer. In fact I've never seen any steakhouse cook
poking his meat either, not for steaks, not for large roasts either...
with practice they just know, and once they get it they never forget,
like riding a bike.

If you attempt to cook fish by poking with a thermometer it just means
yer asacred to cook... the thermometer will lull you into a false
sense of security but nine times out of ten you'll screw up... you'll
never learn, you'll need that silly crutch forever, training wheels
actually. Just practice by cooking a lot of fish.. don't try to get
every piece perfect from the get go, the mistakes are what will teach
you, if you're paying attention. By the hundreth slab of salmon
you'll be able to cook it perfectly even dead drunk. In fact you can
probably use a few stiff belts to loosen up... I can tell from your
question that you have a case of nerves... not to worry, you can't
fail, a little over cooked is no mortal sin what can't be covered up
with a blob of lemony mayo or creamy horseradish sauce.

A little trick that helps the newbies learn to grill fish is to cut
off a small chunk the same thickness of the large piece and cook both
together... when you think you're almost there try flaking off a bit
of the small piece with a fork, you'll know when it's poifect for
you... same works with beef steak, toss a couple cubes of steak on the
grill with the steaks. Probably the most difficult meat to grill
accurately with consistancy is pork chops... everyone blames the pig
farmers, but truth is they just don't know to cook pork... but there
are methods for that too. Fish is the easiest... chicken is more
difficult, a burger is yet more difficult, even sausage is more
difficult than fish.. in fact tube steak is more difficult to grill
just right... why do you think few restaurants that specialize in
grilling meat serve tubesteak, their grill men simply ain't good
enough... that's why most tubesteak emporiums boil, steam, and
rotogriddle.

Sheldon Lambskin