Cooking Fish From Frozen

Don’t forget: these tips are for fish, frozen commercially, bought uncooked and frozen from the retailer, not for fish that has been home-frozen.

There are a number of ways of cooking fish from frozen, but the safest way of knowing how to prepare food best is to double check the instructions on the packaging before cooking.

cooking fish from frozen

Here are some of the most common ways of cooking fish straight from frozen:

  • Deep frying in batter – cook the fish straight from frozen using the instructions on the packaging
  • Deep frying in bread crumbs – cook from frozen, but please note that the bread-crumbing is more successful if done with defrosted fish
  • Grilling – if using thin fillets/steaks (maximum 3cm), the fish can be cooked from frozen. If thicker fillets/steaks are being used, make sure to defrost before cooking.
  • Baking – if using thin fillets/steaks (maximum 3cm), the fish can be cooked from frozen. If thicker fillets/steaks are being used, make sure to defrost before cooking.
  • Baking in tinfoil – fish can be wrapped and cooked straight from frozen
  • Making a stew – cook from frozen if you can safely cut the fillet to size
  • Frozen seafood such as prawns, scallops and mussels can also be cooked from frozen, but be sure to check the instructions on the packaging for full guidance.

Please note: when shallow frying, make sure the fish is defrosted first. This is mainly a safety issue: the water within the fillets will likely cause the fat/oil to spit out of the pan and/or sometimes the fillet can even explode in parts.

For more information on defrosting fish, check out our guide on how to defrost fish.