The morphology，cooking characteristics，textural properties，sensory attributes，and microstructure of fish vermicelli （FV） and dynamic rheological properties of fish paste processed from frozen surimi under the setting time at 4 ℃，15 ℃，and 25 ℃ were determined to study the effects of setting time before molding on the quality and microstructure of FV.The results showed that the setting treatment significantly improved the cooking characteristics，textural properties，and sensory scores of FV at lower material temperatures （P<0.05）.The water-holding capacity of FV increased 20.18% and 9.94%，and the tensile strength of FV increased 28.97% and 24.11% when the material temperature was 4 ℃ and 15 ℃ and the setting time was 8 h and 4 h，respectively.There was no significant difference in the quality of FV within 0.5 h at 25 ℃ （P>0.05）.The results of analyzing the microstructure of FV and the rheological properties of fish paste showed that the appropriate setting time significantly promoted the dissolution of protein in fish paste and formed a uniform and dense gel network，with more starch encapsulated in the gel network.But the fish paste formed a weak gel after setting for a long time，and the subsequent process of squeezing destroyed the existing structure and reduced the continuity of the gel network，and eventually led to the decline of the quality of FV.It is indicated that the maximum setting time of fish paste at material temperatures of 4 ℃，15 ℃，and 25 ℃ is 8 h，4 h，and 0.5 h，respectively.The excessive setting can lead to the deterioration of the quality and microstructure of FV.