I absolutely adore my old-fashioned cast iron pans. Why? Becuase they transfer heat incredibly well, they have slicker non-stick than the best Teflon and you can take them from stove top to oven without even blinking. Just be sure to wear an oven-mitt when you grab that iron pan off of the stove top – it’s hot! The only down side is that acidic foods such as tomoatos will remove the seasoning from the pan and you have to re-season the pan after cooking. That’s a small price to pay as far as I’m concerned.

Pan roasted fish was the first stove-to-oven recipe I learned using cast iron cookware and it opened up a whole new world for me. You quickly sear the outside of the fish in the pan on the stove top, then move the pan into the oven for final cooking. The result is flakey, moist fish with a crunchy exterior. Tres bon!

1 lb Tilapia or other mild white fish
1 tbs sweet cream butter
2 tbs lemon juice
Sweet Paprika
Ground Pepper
Salt

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Pat the fish dry with a paper towel, cut into 2 portions and sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika over the fish. Pat the spices into the fish to assure adhesion. Place a seasoned cast iron (or other oven-proof) fry pan on the stove and heat to medium high. Pan should be hot but not smoking. Add
butter to fry pan and let it melt quickly. Add fish to pan, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and sear the outside of the fish for about 1 minute. Flip the fish over to the other side, add remaining lemon juice and sear for another minute. Immediatley transfer the fry pan into your pre-heated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish is cooked but not dry. Remove from the oven and serve. If you can not serve this immediatley, be sure to cover the pan with a tight fitting lid so that the fish does not dry out.

Serves 2