The FDA's safe minimum internal temperature for seafood is 145°F. That number applies across the board: salmon, cod, tilapia, mahi, shrimp, scallops and shellfish in general. What changes by type isn't the safety line. It's the texture people prefer. That's why a salmon fillet and a scallop don't always get cooked to the same finishing point in practice. Salmon, shrimp and scallops are all on Red Lobster's lunch menu, and shrimp fills its seafood boils.
The useful part is knowing the difference between the safety number and the texture preference. One keeps you safe. The other is about how the fish tastes on the plate.
The baseline: 145°F applies to all seafood
FDA guidance sets 145°F, held for 15 seconds, as the safe minimum for seafood in general. That includes fish like salmon, cod, tilapia and mahi. It also includes shellfish like shrimp, scallops and lobster. No type has its own lower official number. The target is the same, even though how fast each type gets there varies a lot with thickness and fat.
This baseline exists because the same risk applies to seafood broadly, not just one kind. That risk is mainly Vibrio and related bacteria found naturally in seawater. Cooking to temperature deals with it, whatever seafood is on your cutting board.
Where texture preferences diverge from the safety number
Once you're past the safety line, texture is where seafood types start to differ. That's where much of the confusion about "what temperature" comes from.
Salmon and other fatty fish. Many cooks take salmon off at 125 to 130°F, well under 145°F. They want a moister, medium result instead of the firmer, more well-done texture of 145°F. That's a texture choice, not food-safety advice. It assumes fresh, properly handled fish. Cooking salmon fully to 145°F is still the safe, standard way. Stick with it unless you know exactly why you're going lower.
White, leaner fish. Cod, tilapia, flounder and mahi have less fat than salmon. They dry out faster once they pass done. So they're usually cooked closer to the full 145°F. There's less room for a lower finish before the texture gets worse instead of better.
Scallops. Scallops are often cooked to about 130°F inside. Take them off once the flesh turns milky white and opaque and feels firm but still gives a little. Past that point, scallops toughen fast, just like shrimp and lobster pushed past done.
Shrimp and lobster. Both are usually cooked to the full 145°F. The texture goal for both is firm and opaque, not moist and underdone. For the signs specific to each, see how to check shrimp for doneness and how lobster tail signals it's done. The same logic applies here. Opaque color, firm texture and a curled or tightened shape are the shared signs across most seafood.
The rare tuna exception, and why it's not a loophole
Seared rare tuna is the clearest exception to 145°F in seafood. It's worth knowing why it's treated differently, instead of assuming the general rule is optional.
Rare or seared tuna relies on sushi-grade fish. It's flash-frozen to FDA standards for killing parasites. It's also sourced and handled under conditions meant to control the risks of serving fish well under the standard temperature. Restaurants serving it this way are expected to include a consumer advisory about the risk of undercooked seafood. That mix of sourcing, freezing and disclosure makes rare tuna a controlled exception. It isn't a general rule that some fish don't need to be cooked through. It doesn't apply to an ordinary grocery store fillet with typical fresh-fish handling. And it isn't a model for cooking other seafood below temperature.
Checking temperature correctly
A calibrated instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the fish or shellfish is the most reliable check for every type here. For a fillet, that's usually the center, away from thin edges. Thin edges cook faster and give a misleadingly high reading. For shrimp or scallops, check the center of the biggest piece in the batch. Smaller pieces in the same pan finish first.
Visual and texture signs back up a thermometer reading. They're useful when you don't have one handy. Almost all seafood follows a similar pattern. See-through, slightly gray or glassy flesh turns opaque and takes on its cooked color. That might be white, pink or a mix, depending on the type. The texture firms up from soft to a slight spring, without turning tough.
A thermometer's accuracy matters more than people think. A cheap or uncalibrated one can be several degrees off. That's enough to mistake fish that's still a few degrees under for 145°F. Check yours in boiling water, which should read 212°F at sea level. It's a quick way to know whether you can trust the reading.
How thickness, not weight, determines cook time
Two fillets of the same weight can cook at very different speeds. One might be thick and compact, the other thin and wide. Cooking time depends on thickness far more than weight. So a recipe that gives a time by weight alone is only a rough guide, not a guarantee.
Some cooks start with about 10 minutes per inch of thickness at moderate heat. Check with a thermometer near the end instead of relying on the time exactly. This works fairly well for whole fish and fillets. It's less useful for shrimp and scallops, which cook so fast that a minutes-per-inch rule leaves little room for a check. For a fillet that's thick at one end and thin at the other, check the thick end. Expect the thin end to finish a little sooner. That's more useful than averaging the two.
Storage and thawing affect how evenly seafood cooks
Frozen seafood thawed unevenly, or cooked straight from frozen without adjusting, is a common reason fish or shellfish ends up overcooked outside and underdone in the center. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, not at room temperature or quickly under warm water. That gives the most even starting point and the most predictable cooking time.
Seafood that's still cold in the center when it hits the pan needs more time than seafood at room temperature. That's a common reason a fillet reads unevenly on a thermometer. The outside is already past 145°F while the colder center is still catching up. Letting fish sit out briefly before cooking closes that gap a little and gives a more even result. Stay within food-safety limits for how long raw seafood can sit at room temperature.
Carryover cooking applies to seafood too
Seafood keeps cooking for a short time after it leaves the heat. It's the same carryover effect as with meat and poultry. It's smaller for seafood, though, since most pieces are thinner and hold less leftover heat. It matters most for thicker cuts, like a full salmon fillet or a large scallop. It matters less for something thin like shrimp or a thin fillet, which holds little extra heat.
Take a thicker piece of fish off a few degrees before its target, then let it rest briefly. That often lands closer to the target than cooking it all the way on the heat and pulling it exactly at temperature. Otherwise the extra couple of degrees from carryover would push it past done. This is a texture refinement for thicker cuts. It doesn't change the safety line, and it matters less the thinner or smaller the piece.
Why this varies by menu item, even at the same restaurant
Ever notice one fish dish at a seafood restaurant comes out flakier and another firmer? That's usually the type-specific texture target at work, not a careless kitchen. Atlantic Salmon and the Wild-Caught Crunch-Fried Flounder are both real fish entrées that get handled a little differently for exactly this reason. Salmon's higher fat gives it room for a slightly lower finish. Lean white fish like flounder is usually cooked closer to done throughout. Bacon-Wrapped Sea Scallops, listed on the full dinner and starters menu, is a good example of the scallop target above: opaque, firm, and taken off before it turns rubbery.
Here's the takeaway for all of it. 145°F is the number to know for safety. It's the right default target for shrimp, lobster, scallops and lean white fish. Fattier fish like salmon has real room for a lower finish if that's the texture you want. Rare tuna is a specific, controlled exception with its own sourcing rules, not a general shortcut. When in doubt, especially for anyone at higher risk, 145°F held for 15 seconds is the number that needs no caveats.