Haddock Cooking Time Calculator
Haddock is a thinner, softer-flaking white fillet than cod. Choose the thickness and method for the time, the temperature and how to check it.
The time is per piece. This only affects how you space them out.
Answer
9–12 minutes
The details
How to tell it is done
Haddock is done when it is opaque and flakes apart at the thickest point. It is a softer flake than cod, so handle it gently.
Times are a guide. Thickness, how cold the food was and how full the oven is all change the answer, so check before you serve.
Next step
Worth knowing
- Thin: Up to 2cm.
- Smoked haddock is cured but still raw. Cook it for the same time as unsmoked, usually poached in milk.
- Haddock fillets are thinner than cod loins, so they need a couple of minutes less than the same weight of cod.
Food safety
- Official UK guidance checks fish by sight rather than by a single temperature: the flesh should turn opaque and flake apart easily with a fork. Prawns, scallops, crab and lobster should be firm and opaque, and mussels, clams and oysters should have opened, throw away any that stay shut.
- Cooking times are a guide only. Ovens, joints and starting temperatures vary, so always check the food is cooked before serving rather than relying on the clock.
Source: Food Standards Agency, Cooking your food: cooking fish and seafood (GOV.UK) · Reviewed 2026-09-11 · Guidance version 2.0.0
Source: Food Standards Agency, Cooking your food: cooking fish and seafood (GOV.UK) · Reviewed 2026-09-11 · Guidance version 2.0.0
Reference and detail
Softer and thinner than cod
Haddock fillets tend to run thinner than cod loins and the flesh flakes more easily, so thin fillets need watching closely. It is done when it turns opaque and flakes cleanly at the thickest point. Check a couple of minutes earlier than you would for cod of a similar-looking thickness.
Poaching suits smoked haddock
Smoked haddock is best barely simmered in milk or water. Keep the liquid trembling rather than bubbling and the fillet stays whole. This is far gentler than the baking or pan-frying most people use for cod.
Breadcrumbed and baked or pan-fried
Haddock's flatter, even shape takes a breadcrumb or batter coating well for fish goujons or a baked fish supper. Dry the fillet with kitchen paper first, surface moisture steams the coating instead of letting it crisp.
Questions and answers
Questions about cooking haddock
How is cooking smoked haddock different from fresh haddock?
Smoked haddock is almost always poached rather than fried or baked, usually in milk or water kept at a bare simmer so the fillet stays whole and the smoke flavour infuses the liquid. Fresh haddock suits pan-frying, baking or grilling in the same way as cod.
What temperature should I poach smoked haddock at?
Keep the liquid trembling, not bubbling, a rolling boil will break the fillet apart and toughen the edges. Choose the poaching method above for a guide time and check the thickest part flakes cleanly before serving.
Do I need to soak smoked haddock before cooking?
Most smoked haddock sold in the UK is lightly cured and does not need soaking; a quick rinse under cold water is enough if you want to reduce saltiness. Undyed and dyed smoked haddock cook in the same way.
Safety guidance reviewed against Food Standards Agency sources on 11 September 2026. How we calculate cooking times and safety guidance.