Always bring your meat to room temperature before cooking. This helps it to cook quickly and evenly. This only applies to steaks though, not ground meat. Fish needs to remain chilled right up until it touches the heat. The connective tissue in meat is more resistant to heat than fish is, so it benefits from warming up before cooking. Fish proteins are highly sensitive to heat, which is why fish usually cooks so quickly. Size also plays a role in this: the average fish fillet is thinner than the average steak or chop, so it requires less cooking time.