30 cast iron recipes

Mesquite-smoked salmon fajitas with a fresh mango-cantaloupe salsa and sauteed poblano peppers. The salmon is smoked indoors on the stovetop using mesquite wood chunks and a cast-iron skillet.

One-skillet Basque vegetable rice with tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, Spanish paprika, and thyme cooked in broth until tender. A healthy, hearty vegetarian main served straight from the cast-iron pan.

Tex-Mex skillet cornbread with a spiced black bean, pepper, and tomato filling topped with homemade cornbread batter baked golden in a cast iron skillet. A one-pan vegetarian dinner.

Bold, smoky homemade BBQ sauce with a whole head of garlic, brown sugar, orange juice, and cayenne heat. Simmers for 2 hours in a cast-iron Dutch oven.

Pan-fried bass coated in cornmeal and cooked in bacon drippings in a cast iron skillet. A classic Southern fish fry technique with a crispy golden crust and just three main ingredients.

Rustic Southern fresh peach skillet pie baked in cast iron with a biscuit-style crust, cinnamon sugar topping, and butter. Serve warm with ice cream for a summertime showstopper.

Sauteed shredded zucchini tossed with dry-browned onions in cast iron for a fast, light vegetable side dish with caramelized flavor and tender bite.

Country ham fried in a cast iron skillet with redeye gravy made from boiling water and coffee. The classic Southern Appalachian breakfast that turns dry-cured ham into a salty, savory plate.

French-Canadian veal pot roast braised in a cast iron pot with whole potatoes and onions, no added liquid. The veal creates its own rich gravy as it slowly cooks.

Pepper-crusted fresh tuna loin seared in a screaming hot cast iron pan, sliced thin, and served with a soy-sesame-ginger dipping sauce spiked with five spice. This Japanese-inspired tataki appetizer is ready in 20 minutes.

Southern skillet fried green tomatoes cooked slow in cast iron until dark, caramelized, and olive-brown. Flour-dusted, garlic-kissed, and worried around the pan the old-fashioned way.

Real butterscotch pie made the old-fashioned way with brown sugar and butter melted in a cast iron skillet, topped with golden meringue. No pudding mix, no shortcuts, just pure caramelized flavor in every slice.

Cajun-style blackened burgers crusted with cayenne, fennel, white pepper, and garlic. Cooked in a screaming-hot cast iron skillet for a charred peppered crust and finished with a Worcestershire pan sauce.

Steakhouse pan-broiled steak done right in a cast iron skillet, salted ahead and seared in its own beef fat for a deep crust, then finished with a quick red wine and brandy pan sauce mounted with butter.