Rushed the fish inside and kept it from drying out (7)
I believe the answer is:
sprayed
'kept it from drying out' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'rushed the fish inside' is the wordplay.
'rushed' becomes 'sped' ('speed' can be a synonym of 'rush').
'the fish' becomes 'ray' (ray is a kind of fish).
'inside' indicates putting letters inside.
'sped' enclosing 'ray' is 'SPRAYED'.
'and' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sprayed that I've seen before include "Sprinkled" , "Sent out liquid in very small drops" , "showered" .)