What Is the Right Internal Temperature of Swordfish?

When it comes to cooking, there is more to it than meets the eye. What we mean is more is involved than just preparing and cooking it.

You need to make sure that your food is cooked thoroughly… which is especially true for meat. If it isn’t cooked through completely, then you put yourself at risk of illness.

You can figure out the internal temperature on this by using a meat thermometer. One food people may check the internal temperature of is swordfish.

In this article, we will go into what the internal temperature of a swordfish is, how to check it, the risks of eating undercooked meat, and finally, how to cook it safely.

Contents

What Is a Swordfish’s Internal Temperature?
How Do You Check a Swordfish’s Temperature?
What Happens if You Eat Undercooked Swordfish?
Ways to Safely Cook Swordfish
Final Thoughts

What Is a Swordfish’s Internal Temperature?

Fish is no exception to the internal temperature rule. Like other meats out there, fish needs to be cooked to a certain temperature to be considered cooked.

However, not all fish are created equal, and depending on the type of fish, the internal temperature is going to change.

Whitefish is usually around 130 degrees Fahrenheit, while fatty fish will have an internal temperature of 135 degrees.

However, it’s recommended that swordfish be cooked to a temperature of 145 Fahrenheit.

It’s especially important to cook fish completely because there are parasites that can live inside the fish. The only way to get rid of them is usually by heat.

We will touch on some of these issues later on in the article.

How Do You Check a Swordfish’s Temperature?

So now you need to know how to check the internal temperature of a swordfish. Luckily for you, we have a pretty easy and simple guide below!

The first thing to do is take out the fish and let it rest for three minutes. It’s important to keep resting time in mind because it gets you an accurate temperature.
Once the three minutes have passed, you need to reach for the food thermometer and put it into the thickest part of the fish.
Finally, all you have to do is wash off the thermometer!

Yes, this is all you have to do to check the temperature. Now let’s move on to the next section, where we tell you what happens when you eat undercooked swordfish!

What Happens if You Eat Undercooked Swordfish?

If you do happen to eat swordfish undercooked, then you should be aware of some of the issues that can come out if you do engage in this behavior. These risks include:

One of the biggest issues with eating undercooked swordfish is that you can end up with something called Anisakiasis. It’s caused by a bacteria known as anisakis, and symptoms include diarrhea, cramping, and vomiting. Most of the time, this isn’t fatal, but the larva from this bacteria can cause your organs to become inflamed or irritated, which you want to avoid. The last thing anyone wants is for their poor organs to face one of these issues!
Another issue with eating undercooked swordfish or just eating too much of it is the fact that you could end up with mercury poisoning. This isn’t the most common type of illness, but the more fish you eat, the greater your risk can be. Common symptoms include impairment, headaches, shakes, emotional changes, kidney damage, trouble breathing, muscle weakness, and trouble sleeping. If left untreated, this can cause a lot of issues for someone’s body. The best way to avoid this is to not consume fish all the time and make sure it is cooked thoroughly.

There are a lot of issues with eating fish undercooked, but we felt that these are the two biggest issues that can arise.

In the next section, we’ll cover the best ways to cook swordfish. Just make sure that once you are done, you check the internal temperature!

Ways to Safely Cook Swordfish

We narrowed down the best ways to cook swordfish, which include:

One great way to cook swordfish is to grill it on a grill of some kind. This does entirely depend on if you even have a grill, and we know not everyone does have a grill on hand. However, if you do happen to have a grill, consider cooking swordfish on it—especially if the weather is nice outside. Just make sure to follow the instructions that came along with whatever grill you happen to buy.
Now for those that don’t have a grill, you’ll end up using the stove, which lets you use two methods. The first method is on the stovetop. Cooking swordfish on the stovetop is pretty easy. Pour some oil into a pan, heat it, and then put the swordfish in it. You’ll know when the fish is done when it’s firm and easily flakes. This can easily be checked with a fork.
Finally, the last way to cook swordfish requires you to put it in the oven. It’s easy enough to do this. First, preheat the oven, and once it is preheated to 450 degrees, you can put the swordfish inside. You need to put it in for about 7 to 10 minutes, and the best part is that you don’t even need to flip it at all! Once that period has passed, you can take it out of the oven.

These are the top three ways to cook your swordfish. All of them are effective in their way!

Final Thoughts

And there you go, all you swordfish lovers out there! Now you know exactly what the internal temperature of a swordfish is, how to check for it, the risks of eating undercooked steak, and finally, ways to cook it properly.

It doesn’t matter if it’s fish, white meat, or red meat. All of them need to be cooked to their proper internal temperature because if they aren’t, then you are at risk of any of the illnesses that we listed above.

Once you start using a meat thermometer, then it will become second nature to you. We promise you this!

You might also be interested in the following:

William Thomas

I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.