A few years ago, Bon Appétit ran a story on “plancha”-style cooking| New Window featuring chef Eric Ripert and a slate-grilled summer menu. The photos of steak searing, sourdough bread charring, and all the summer vegetables caramelizing on a smoking-hot slab nearly had me running to Home Depot to buy untreated slate (as Ripert reportedly does), but as I read on, a more appealing idea caught my attention: I could use my cast-iron skillet instead. BA noted that a griddle| New Window or cast-iron pan| New Window set on a grill like a plancha allows “food to pick up smoky grill flavors without the risk of flareups” and is “particularly suited to delicate foods like fish and small vegetables that would otherwise fall through or be shredded by a grill grate.”

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (heaping) cilantro (about 1 ounce)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
  • 1 pound fillet of haddock, cod, or grouper, 1/2 to 1 inch thick
  • kosher salt
  • cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon (or more) grapeseed or other neutral oil
  • 2 to 4 tortillas (i like whole foods' soft corn tortillas)
  • slaw, see above
  • lime wedges, for serving

Directions

  1. Set a cast-iron skillet on a grill. Close the grill, set it to high, and let it heat up to 550°F or 600°F.
  2. In a food processor, pulse the cilantro and 2 tablespoons of the lime juice until finely chopped. Add the sour cream, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and purée until smooth. Taste, adjusting the seasoning with more salt or lime juice. Alternatively, finely chop the cilantro by hand, then add the lime juice, sour cream, sugar, and salt and whisk until smooth.
  3. Skillet-Grilled Fish Tacos
  4. If the fillet of fish is long, cut it in half so it will fit in your skillet. Season the fish generously with the salt on both sides. Season with the cayenne according to your heat tolerance—go light if you are sensitive to heat. Gather your tools for the grill: a reliable potholder, a spatula, a platter for the cooked fish, the oil, and the tortillas.
  5. Lift the lid of the grill. Pour the oil into the hot skillet—enough to coat the bottom in a thin layer. Using the potholder if necessary to bring the skillet closer to you, carefully lower the fish into the skillet. If you are slow and controlled, the oil won’t splatter.
  6. Close the lid. Set a timer for 3 minutes. Check the fish by prodding it with a spatula—it should flake fairly easily. If it doesn’t, close the lid and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the fish with a spatula, using the potholder as needed, and transfer to the platter.
  7. Turn off the grill. Throw the tortillas on the grill, leaving it open. Check after 20 seconds or so, flip, and cook for another 20 seconds, until the tortillas are soft and have nice grill marks on each side. Transfer to the platter.
  8. To serve: Spoon the slaw into the tortillas. Break the fish into pieces over the top. Drizzle with the crema. Squeeze lime wedges over top and serve with more wedges on the side.