We analyzed heavy metal concentrations (Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd) in five species of finfish (Polynemus paradiseus, Tenualosa ilisha, Liza parsia, Liza tade and Stolephorus commersonii) and two species of shrimps (Penaeus monodon and Penaeus indicus) commonly consumed in the Indian sub-continent. For each species, two composite samples were prepared for metal analyses, whose levels in raw and cooked (boiled, steamed, fried and curry) samples were determined by Perkin-Elmer Sciex ELAN 5000 ICP mass spectrometer and expressed as ppm dry weight. The heavy metal content in all fish species decreased on cooking (except for lead in fish curry). In fish curry the concentration of Pb increased significantly. The reduction in metal content on steaming was much greater than on boiling and frying. In summary, the results of the present study show that, the cooking process greatly influences the quality of fish and plays a major role in altering metal concentrations.