This Grilled Brown Butter Rockfish is jam packed with flavors. The fresh herbs, lemon juice and the amazing browned butter all come together for this fast (under 15 minutes) cast iron skillet recipe that will impress the family!
This is another Pikes Place Market find we snagged in our Goldbelly order. There are local fish markets here in DC that we could drive to pick it out but this was great to have it delivered to my doorstep and start grilling the next day.
🍽️ Why This Works
Super Fast: I spent more time heating up the grill and letting the cast iron come up to temperature than the actual cooking. This is one of those recipes that you need to have the side dishes ready before you pop this on the grill as it cooks that fast. So depending on if it’s the heat of summer, try out the Grilled Beer Corn or if you are like us and like to grill all year, try out the Grilled Carrots with Balsamic Glaze as they are wonderful during the colder months.
Large Serving: I cut the fillet to fit the skillet. It was more than enough food for three of us, plus leftovers.
Four Ingredients: Just 4 simple ingredients is all it takes to make this main dish the star of the show. You are going to love truly powerful simple ingredients can come together and make a show stopper main dish.
🐟 Ingredients
Pacific Rockfish | This is a firm white fish with a sweet flavor. I chose the tail end of the fillet where the fish was thinner as it lends itself to the cast iron skillet just perfectly.
Brown Butter | Melting butter turns to brown butter as the fish cooks. The grill and the cast iron skillet heat evenly and allows the butter to darken and gain that complex nutty flavor that complements the fish.
Fresh Herbs | I had some fresh thyme and rosemary in the herb garden and grabbed a few sprigs of each. Chop these very fine.
🔥 Instructions
Step One: Bring the grill up to 375 degrees on direct heat. As we’ll be using the cast iron skillet, it will create an evenly heated surface to cook the fish on.
Step Two: Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet.
Note: The grill is ready for the fish when you drop a couple of drops of water in the skillet and it sizzles. You want to see it quickly start bubbling.
Step Three: Sprinkle a little bit of salt on the fillet and lay it in the cast iron. Let it cook for three minutes and turn it over.
Step Four: Pour melted butter into the skillet. It will quickly start to bubble. Use a tablespoon to scoop the butter over the fish. You will see the butter start to brown and take on a nutty flavor.
Step Five: After another three to four minutes, the fish will be thoroughly cooked and the butter will be browned. Sprinkle the fresh herbs on the fillet and drizzle it with lemon juice.
Make sure the internal temperature has reached 145 degrees. I used a wireless meat thermometer to verify.
❗ Expert Tips
Don’t rush the heating process. The skillet must come fully up to temperature before you add the fish. I always add a drop of water to make sure it is sizzling right away.
Be careful with cast iron on the grill. While the benefit is that it retains heat well, which makes it perfect for grilling the fish, it also means that it stays hot a long time after you remove it. Trust me, it can burn your hands easily. We give you a ton of extra tips here!
Keep ladling the butter over the fish. It will separate and within about three minutes, you’ll see the butter darken substantially. That will create an intense flavor.
Fish cooks so fast that I decided to pre-melt the butter but allow it to “brown” in the cast iron. If you’ve ever made brown butter, you know that you melt and heat up butter until it starts to smell a little nutty. It is right before it smells like it does for caramel corn. Stir and scoop butter over the fish, allow it to drizzle off and do that 10-15 times. You can smell the spoon to check the butter if you aren’t smelling much. It’s a good way to test it.
Use the herbed brown butter on any of your other fish like the Grilled Steelhead or Lingcod.
Alternatively, you could grill it like the Branzino and make the Caribbean Salsa on top since this is such a versatile fish.
Recipe FAQ
It is a firm white fish with a very low oil content. It has a slightly sweet flavor and is not overly “fishy.”
It has firm, white and fairly large fillets that lend it well to grilling. It is similar in size and texture to Striped Sea Bass or Cod.
Brown butter is also known as beurre noisette. This is created through a process to heat the butter until any water in the butter evaporates and the solids darken into a brownish color. This creates an intense flavor that is reminiscent of nuts.
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Grilled Brown Butter Pacific Rockfish {15 Minutes}
Equipment
- Grill
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pacific Rockfish
- ¼ cup Butter melted
- 1 tbsp Fresh Herbs finely chopped
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Bring the grill up to 375 degrees on direct heat. As we'll be using the cast iron skillet, it will create an evenly heated surface to cook the fish on.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet.
- Sprinkle a little bit of salt on the fillet and lay it in the cast iron. Let it cook for three minutes and turn it over.
- Pour melted butter into the skillet. It will quickly start to bubble. Use a tablespoon to scoop the butter over the fish. You will see the butter start to brown and take on a nutty flavor.
- After another three to four minutes, the fish will be thoroughly cooked and the butter will be browned. Sprinkle the fresh herbs on the fillet and drizzle it with lemon juice.
- Make sure the internal temperature has reached 145 degrees. I used a wireless meat thermometer to verify.
Notes
Nutrition
