Fish Cooking Temperature: Safe Temps for Every Kind of Seafood

The safe fish cooking temperature is 145°F (63°C), measured in the thickest part of the fish and held for 15 seconds. That one number covers most fillets, steaks and whole fish. The exceptions matter, though: ground fish, stuffed fish, fish cooked to order rare, and shellfish all have their own rules, and some fish hazards are not affected by cooking at all.

This guide answers them for both home cooks and restaurant kitchens, with a chart, the science behind each number, and how to log it. The numbers come from the FDA Food Code 2022, section 3-401.11, and the FDA guidance on buying and serving seafood safely.

Fish cooking temperature chart

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Why 145°F is the fish cooking temperature

Fish can carry bacteria like Salmonella, Vibrio and Listeria from water or handling, and viruses like norovirus, especially in shellfish. It can also carry parasites such as Anisakis worms and tapeworms. At 145°F for 15 seconds, the vegetative bacteria and parasites in a whole fillet are destroyed with a wide safety margin. Fish muscle is more delicate than beef or pork, so the 145°F standard matches the point where fish turns opaque and flakes.

Ground fish is different for the same reason ground beef is. Grinding spreads surface bacteria through the whole product, so the center has to be cooked harder: 155°F for 17 seconds, the same as ground beef. Stuffed fish needs 165°F, because stuffing can include poultry, eggs or other ingredients with their own risk and is slow to heat.

For the science of how time and temperature combine, see our guide to the temperature to kill bacteria.

Fish temperature cooked to order: rare tuna and medium salmon

Restaurants regularly serve fish below 145°F: seared ahi with a raw center, salmon at 120 to 125°F, crudo, ceviche, sushi and sashimi. The Food Code allows it, with two conditions.

1. Parasite destruction. Fish served raw or undercooked must be frozen first, unless it is an exempt species. Food Code 3-402.11 requires freezing and storing at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days, or at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and then at -31°F for 15 hours, or at -31°F until solid then at -4°F for 24 hours. Exemptions include certain tuna species and aquacultured fish like farmed salmon raised on pellet feed, with written supplier documentation. Keep freezing records or supplier letters for 90 days.
2. Consumer advisory. The menu must disclose that the item is served raw or undercooked and remind customers that eating undercooked seafood may increase the risk of foodborne illness (Food Code 3-603.11).

Ceviche is not cooked by lime juice in a safety sense. Acid changes the texture but does not reliably kill bacteria or parasites, so treat ceviche as raw fish.

Fish hazards that cooking does not fix

Two seafood hazards survive any fish cooking temperature.

• Histamine (scombrotoxin). Tuna, mackerel, mahi-mahi, bluefish, sardines and similar fish form histamine when they warm up after catch. It is heat stable, so cooking does nothing. Control it at receiving: reject fish above 41°F, or above 45°F with conditions, and keep it cold. Symptoms come within minutes to hours: flushing, headache, a peppery taste, rash.
• Ciguatoxin. Reef fish like barracuda, grouper and snapper from certain tropical waters can carry ciguatera toxin. Cooking and freezing do not destroy it. The control is buying from approved sources that avoid high-risk areas.

Our seafood food safety standards guide covers receiving, shellfish tags and supplier rules in more depth.

How to check fish cooking temperature

• Use a thin-tip digital thermometer. Thick probes leave a hole and read slowly in thin fillets.
• Insert from the side into the thickest part, away from bones and the pan surface.
• For whole fish, check behind the head at the thickest point of the back.
• Check more than one piece in a batch.
• Calibrate the thermometer daily in ice water.
• Remember carryover cooking: a fillet pulled at 140°F may rise to 145°F as it rests. In a restaurant, the reading that counts is the final one you record.

Shellfish cooking temperature

Shrimp, lobster, crab and scallops follow the 145°F rule. For clams, mussels and oysters, the FDA consumer guidance uses visual cues: cook until the shells open, and throw out any that stay closed. For shucked oysters, cook until plump and the edges curl. Raw oysters are a known source of Vibrio vulnificus, which can be fatal for people with liver disease or weakened immunity, so they always need a consumer advisory and approved-source tags kept for 90 days.

Fish cooking temperature by method

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Sous vide fish

Sous vide salmon at 115 to 125°F is popular, but it is not a cook step that kills parasites or most bacteria. In a restaurant, treat it as undercooked fish: freeze for parasites, serve immediately, post a consumer advisory, and do not cook-chill and store it. Reduced oxygen packaging of fish also creates a Clostridium botulinum risk, which is why the Food Code requires a HACCP plan and often a variance for vacuum packing. Our sous vide HACCP plan page covers the requirements.

Example 5: tuna sashimi

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See the seafood HACCP plan for more on histamine and parasites.

Fish cooking temperature corrective actions

Critical limit: Food Code 3-401.11, such as 165°F for poultry, 155°F for 17 seconds for ground meat, 145°F for 15 seconds for whole-muscle meat and fish.

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The most common cooking corrective action is simply "keep cooking." It still needs to be recorded, because a pattern of low readings points to an equipment or training problem.

A sample flow for cold smoked salmon

Cold smoked fish is one of the higher risk processes a restaurant can take on. FDA's seafood guidance treats it carefully because of Listeria and Clostridium botulinum risks. If you vacuum pack it, reduced oxygen packaging rules also apply. Work with a process authority and your health department. See the seafood HACCP plan and the reduced oxygen packaging HACCP plan.

Fish temperature cooked by species

The safe minimum is the same for every fin fish, but the temperature where each species tastes best varies. In a restaurant, anything below 145°F needs the freezing and advisory controls above. At home, cooking below 145°F is a personal risk choice, and it is not recommended for anyone in a high-risk group.

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Fish cooking temperature in Celsius

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Receiving and storing fish before you cook it

The cook step only works on fish that arrived safe. Good receiving does most of the work:

• Temperature. Probe fresh fish at the door. Reject fish above 41°F. Frozen fish should be frozen solid, without signs of thawing and refreezing like ice crystals or liquid in the box.
• Smell and look. Fresh fish smells like the sea, not fishy or ammonia-like. Eyes should be clear and gills red. Flesh springs back when pressed.
• Approved source. Buy from licensed dealers. Molluscan shellfish must carry a tag with the certified dealer number; keep it 90 days after the last shellfish from that container is sold.
• Storage. Store fish on ice or at 41°F or below, below ready-to-eat foods and above raw poultry. Use within two days for fresh fish.
• Thawing. Thaw in the refrigerator, under cold running water, or as part of cooking. FDA guidance warns that fish in reduced oxygen packaging should be taken out of the package before thawing, or thawed in the fridge, to prevent botulism risk.

A receiving log with the temperature of each delivery gives you a record if an inspector or customer asks.

Holding, cooling and reheating cooked fish

Reaching the right fish cooking temperature is only the first step if the fish is not served right away. Cooked fish on a steam table or in a chafing dish must stay at 135°F or above. Check it with a probe every two hours, so that if it has dropped you still have time to reheat it to 165°F before it has spent four hours in the danger zone. Fish dries out quickly when held hot, which tempts cooks to turn the heat down. A better fix is to cook in smaller batches more often.

If you cook fish ahead, for fish tacos, salads or fish cakes the next day, cool it fast. The Food Code requires cooling from 135°F to 70°F within two hours and to 41°F within a total of six hours. Spread cooked fish in a shallow pan, leave it uncovered until cold, then cover, label and date it. Ready-to-eat cooked fish held more than 24 hours must be date marked and used within seven days, counting the day it was cooked.

When you reheat cooked fish for hot holding, bring every part of it to 165°F within two hours. Fish that will be served right away, such as a single portion warmed to order, can be served at any temperature, because it is not going into a hot holding unit.

Fish cooking temperature for kids, older adults and pregnant guests

The people most at risk from undercooked fish are young children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system. Listeria in refrigerated smoked fish, Vibrio in raw oysters and parasites in raw fish all cause more severe illness in these groups. Many restaurants on hospital campuses, in senior living and in schools serve only fully cooked fish for that reason, and the Food Code bans some raw animal foods outright where a highly susceptible population is served. If you run a kitchen in one of those settings, cook all fish to 145°F, keep stuffed and ground fish at their higher targets, and do not serve raw shellfish at all.

Logging fish cooking temperature in a restaurant

Most kitchens do not log every fillet, but a cooking log is required when cooking is a critical control point in your HACCP plan, and inspectors like to see spot checks. A simple log works:

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For the full record system, use the restaurant temperature log and the food safety plan page.

Common mistakes with fish cooking temperature

• Judging doneness by time alone. Fillet thickness varies a lot.
• Probing through to the pan, which reads high.
• Cooking fish cakes to 145°F instead of 155°F.
• Serving rare tuna or medium salmon with no freezing record or consumer advisory.
• Thinking cooking will save fish that arrived warm. Histamine will still be there.
• Holding cooked fish below 135°F on a buffet line.
• Cooling cooked fish slowly for next-day fish tacos; follow the two-stage cooling rule in can you put hot food in the fridge.

Resting and carryover heat for fish

Fish keeps cooking for a minute or two after it leaves the pan, especially thick fillets and whole fish. A fillet pulled at 140°F will often climb a few degrees as it rests. That carryover is useful for texture, but it does not replace the check: in a restaurant, the reading that counts is the one you take at the thickest part before the plate leaves the line, and it should be written down for any batch you cook ahead.

Fish cooking temperature at home

At home the numbers are the same, without the paperwork. Cook fillets to 145°F or until the flesh is opaque and flakes. Buy fish that smells fresh and is kept on ice, refrigerate it within two hours (one hour above 90°F), and cook or freeze it within two days. Thaw in the fridge or under cold running water, never on the counter. People who are pregnant, older, very young or immunocompromised should avoid raw and undercooked fish and shellfish, and refrigerated smoked fish unless cooked.

Put fish cooking temperatures into your plan

If your menu includes raw fish, sushi, cold smoked fish or vacuum packed seafood, your health department may require a written HACCP plan. The HACCP plan builder creates the hazard analysis, critical limits like 145°F and 155°F, freezing records and corrective actions for a seafood process. The first process is free. Have your health department review it before you rely on it.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature should fish be cooked to?

145°F (63°C) in the thickest part, for at least 15 seconds, for whole fillets and steaks.

Is salmon safe at 125°F?

Many chefs serve salmon at 120 to 125°F for texture. That is below the 145°F standard, so in a restaurant it counts as undercooked: the fish should be frozen for parasite destruction or come from a farmed source that qualifies, and the menu needs a consumer advisory.

What temperature should shrimp be cooked to?

145°F, or until the flesh is pearly and opaque. Lobster and crab follow the same rule.

Does cooking fish destroy histamine?

No. Histamine from scombroid fish like tuna and mackerel is heat stable, so the only control is keeping the fish cold from catch to kitchen.

How do I check fish temperature?

Insert a calibrated thin probe thermometer into the thickest part of the fillet from the side, away from bone.