This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
Fish is such a nice healthy dinner. And, really easy to do on a weeknight. But one of the things I always hated was the fishy smell in the house after frying it in a pan or even baking it in the oven. So now, we make Grilled Fish all the time! It keeps the smell and any clean up outside.
But, isn’t it a pain to grill the fish and have it flake off into the grill, losing half of it as you go? We figured out that you can grill the fish right in the cast iron skillet. Easy. No fishy smell in the house. No waste. And you don’t even have to defrost the fish before hand if it’s frozen. Want to learn more about cast iron skillets? Read more here.
The picture above shows one of our favorite side dishes to grill as well, Grilled Garlicky Broccoli. Find the recipe here. You’ll also see in the picture above that the fillets are still frozen.
This recipe is more of a general guide than a specific recipe. The times will vary based on the thickness of the cut as well as the temperature of the grill. Some grills just get hotter than others. Ours is a bit older, so I’m sure that ours is not the hottest one out there. It’s more important to know that you can use this method for grilling all kinds of fish, from fillets of tilapia to thicker pieces of cod or halibut. If you have a really hearty steak, like a swordfish or tuna, you might be able to put it directly on the grill grates, but this skillet method will work for those thick steaks as well.
Grilled Fish Recipe
Grilled Fish
Ingredients
- 2 fish fillets
- Spices we like a sprinkling of cumin, black pepper, and chili powder
- Oil with a high smoke point like grapeseed oil or light olive oil not extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the grill with the cast iron skillet on the grill grates. Get it nice and hot! Patience is a virtue here.
- We use medium-high heat, the same type of setting we use for searing steak.
- While the grill and the pan preheat, sprinkle the fish with the spices.
- Once the pan is nice and hot, add the oil. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet. Wait for the oil to get nice and hot, just like frying fish on the stove you want the oil to flow and shimmer, but not smoke.
- Gently place the fish fillets skin side down in the skillet. Close the top of the grill and let the fish get a nice crust on it. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the fillets and the type of the fish. Gently flip the fish over to get a nice crust on the other side, closing the lid to cook.
- Test for doneness using two forks to gently look between the flakes. The flakes should be cooked all the way through, even in the thickest part of the fish.
- Remove the fish from the pan, and serve hot.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
CulinaryGinger (@culinaryginger)
The smell is the reason I don’t cook fish at home, but I’m loving the use of the skillet on the grill. Going to be trying this.
yourcooktoria
Simple and yummy! My kind of recipe! 🙂
MyYellowApron
Saved the recipe as well. I’m trying to incorporate more fish into my diet. This recipe looks delicious.
Bintu (@recipespantry)
A simple way of cooking fish on a skillet but a most delicious way too and love the spices you have used
peter @feedyoursoultoo
I always use my cast iron skillet to make my fish. I have not tried it though, as you have, on the outdoor grill. Really good idea. Note to self, try this sometime.