BWCA Unique Fish Recipes Boundary Waters BWCA Food and Recipes
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   BWCA Food and Recipes
      Unique Fish Recipes     
 Forum Sponsor

Author

Text

Vikinfan
distinguished member (312)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
12/29/2009 08:37PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I think everyone is pretty familiar to the standard breaded and fried Walleye. Do any of you have some unique interesting ideas regarding preparation of fish when camping?

I for one think Northern is pretty good if you take the time to get those pesky Y bones out. We usually bread and fry those up as well but I know my grandmother used to grind northern up with potatoes and onion to make fish patties (obviosly not something you would do up north.

I figured someone out there would have some creative fish chowder or something.
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next
12/30/2009 06:50AM  
We bake a lot of fish, usually using a little olive oil, seasoning can be whatever you want. I tried some Mrs. Dash chipolte, hot sauce or even hickory flavored salt. Very tasty and really easy.
 
12/30/2009 08:20AM  
mcsw,

Looks great, however, that open bottle of campsuds is a little too close to the food for comfort, lol. No campsud sauce for me thank you.
 
brerud
distinguished member(607)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
12/30/2009 09:05AM  
1. Ramen noodles - add baked fish
2. Bear Creek Soup mix - clam chowder - add baked fish
3. Fish tacos
4. Fish sandwiches
5. Fish omelettes
6. Fish on noodles
7. Fish on rice
8. Hobo meal with fish

I can't think of anymore right now - Forrest Gump is going through my head and I need to stop.
 
12/30/2009 09:21AM  
Oddly enough we hardly ever bread and fry fish because of the amount of cooking oil we carry… I do love shore lunch though.

Our spice bag always includes a variety of seasonings that we coat the fish with and pan-fry in a lightly oiled pan. Some times when our eye’s have been bigger than out stomachs we have mixed it up to try and “choke it all down” in one sitting so each round will be a different flavor. The spice bag typically includes… seafood seasoning (dried dill, sesame, lemon zests, ?), Lemon pepper, Greek Seasoning, Spike, Cajun Seasoning, Jamaican Jerk seasoning, salt and pepper, old bay seasoning, taco seasoning, Mexican seasoning, Chinese 5 spice, hot pepper, and so on. For this it’s basically chef’s choice on what seasoning(s) is/are used.

Otherwise, fish tacos are a must on our trip as long as it isn’t lake trout. Pan fry fish in a lightly oiled pan and break apart the meat and season with some of the contents of a standard taco seasoning packet. In another pot have rice cooking or warm. In yet another pot, have instant refried beans cooking or warm. Put all the above ingredients into a flour tortilla and top with hot sauce and enjoy.

Last year on a cold rainy day I had a vision and it was good. I needed some fat to warm me up and improve my spirits. I had prepared a dehydrated meal of Caldo Verde soup which is basically mashed potato and kale soup. I added a good chunk of Ghee (clarified butter) and chunks of lake trout to the soup and then rehydrated/cooked it. It was delicious and very much like chowder. I plan to investigate some additional chowder options this winter.

Last year we also did something a little out there with fish preparation. “Reelhappy” (who’s brother is an actual chef) had packed soysauce and limes into one of the food bags. On the last night he took one of the lake trout filets and cut it into thin chunks and soaked it in the lime juice and soy sauce and allowed it to cure. It was kind of a mix of sushi and ceviche. I really enjoyed that but consider it a work in progress. More lime next time with maybe some ginger and wasabi.

We eat a lot of fish.

Hex
 
12/30/2009 12:15PM  
Fish tacos are awesome!!! Red Beans 'n Rice plus fish. Add a little taco sauce. Roll it up in a tortilla. Enjoy!
 
12/30/2009 08:20PM  
A Canadian outfiitter once told me about "poor mans lobster" using northern chunks boiled in suger water for 2 minutes. Dip in melted butter? never tried it though.
 
Old Hoosier
distinguished member(636)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
12/30/2009 09:47PM  
Since I tend to travel deeply into the Q for 8 to 10 day trips, I have become more weight sensitive in recent years. Oil to fry fish comes under great scrutiny.

Last trip in 2009 I experimented with various ways to broil (pike and walleye) over a camp fire. We settled in on using Zataran's Southern coating and then used squeeze butter as a release oil on the "burger basket" we used to hold the fillets. It is a tasty approach that saves lots of weight. All the crew agreed it was actually better than frying.

See photos.
 
Vikinfan
distinguished member (312)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
12/30/2009 09:48PM  
I have tried the poor man's lobster as you describe it with the exception that we did not boil it in sugar water, it was pretty tasty (what fish isn't when covered in butter?).

The idea for it was from a member on this site ..jdrocks.

Also thanks for the ideas, I never, ever would have thought of fish tacos but it is now something I will have to try.
 
BearDown
distinguished member(754)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/01/2010 03:44PM  
One of my favorites is a play on a dish that Red Lobster used to make like five years ago when I worked there. There's was Tilapia in a bag. It had Tilapia that was steamed in a parchment paper bag on top of carrots, onions, and peppers and seasoned with a grill seasoning.

When I do it, I lay down a layer of foil, put down butter, onions, and peppers, sprinkle with Liptons grilled vegetable seasoning, put down a Lake Trout fillet, sprinkle fish with seasoning, lay foil on top and then roll the edges to seal airtight. We really like this recipe because it gives you a very differant texture of fish (steamed) and some different flavors of grilled seasoning with peppers and onions.
 
mr.barley
distinguished member(7231)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
01/01/2010 11:05PM  
Walleyes on the half shell....leave the skin on the fillets and throw them on the fire grate. Squirt some squeeze butter on them and shake some lemon pepper on them. When translucent, take them off and scrape the meat off the skin. Throw the skin in the fire and eat up. No oil required.
 
01/02/2010 08:17AM  
I have tried Mr. Barley's recipe. It works very well. I forgot foil one year and we made fish this way. No cleanup, easy to make and tasty. You can season it anyway you like.
 
Jackfish
Moderator
  
01/02/2010 08:51AM  
Hey Old Hoosier,

How long did it take to bake the fillets that way? Looks like an interesting (and yummy) way to cook walleye fillets.
 
Buffy
distinguished member (259)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/02/2010 09:52AM  
I like to poach fish. It's healthier, it doesn't require hauling along a bottle of oil, and clean-up is a snap.

Add ingredients from the list below--whatever appeals to you--to one cup water. (You need enough water/ingredients to cover the fish. You do the multiplication.) Bring to boil. Reduce heat, and add fish. Simmer until fish flakes easily--about ten minutes for each inch of thickness (at thickest part of filet).

1 t. chicken bouillon
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. dill seed
1/2 t. lemon peel
1/2 t. minced onion
1/8 t. ground thyme 2 t. dried parsley 1 bay leaf
 
01/02/2010 04:46PM  
I'm with Sankecharmer om the fish tacos recipe. It was our favorite meal last June.
 
Bearfoot
distinguished member (192)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/03/2010 12:09AM  
I will be trying a few of these recipes this year. Thanks for sharing everyone.

C
 
Old Hoosier
distinguished member(636)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/03/2010 06:32PM  
Jackfish,

They broil up in about the same time as deep frying - maybe 4-6 minutes. Like frying, we try to cook them fast as possible without burning them (cook until flaky). A good coal bed helps, but we also tried flames (but not direct flames) and it worked well also. All this really points to good radiant heat source, whether flames or coals.

I estimated we saved 9-10 lbs in pack weight (almost no oil) on a party of 6 base camping for 8 days. It also gets you into more possibility of "one pan meals" when you use the screen to cook fish. However, since we now take the Jello Mold Oven, we still frequently use at least 2 pans per (evening) meal.

One key is to be sure to oil the screen so the fillets don't stick. It makes cleaning easier also. We used squeeze butter for this.

The seasonings can be very individual taste oriented. One guy in my party liked lemon pepper, another liked the Zataran's, yet another liked plain fish with tartar sauce (from no frig packets)

Give it a try.

Good fishing!

OH
 
01/03/2010 06:51PM  
Read this story.

The link is here
Click on the link and scroll down the left-side menu to find the story called "A Special Wilderness Feast by Mark Sakry

It was another one of those wilderness trips you just can't wait to tell everyone about back home. Superb weather, great campsites and … well, we ate fish every day. That would mean every breakfast and every dinner for TEN days. No, we weren't landing them by the second. They weren't just jumping into the canoe. We were simply getting reasonably good—and consistent—walleye and small-mouth fishing on one lake in Quetico where you might very well expect it: Lake Kawnipi.
Besides, there were just two of us—Bob and me. And even though our appetites may have suggested otherwise, it didn't really take much more than three or four fish per day to feed us. We were very content to simply paddle about at a leisurely pace and catch what we may, releasing the big ones and keeping only what we could eat. This left us with plenty of time to explore Kawnipi—a primary aim of our trip—and we were thus able to reach deep into nearly every extremity of the big, sprawling lake before trip's end.
With ample measures of Shore Lunch, cracker meal, lemon juice and paprika, we were well-provisioned for our fishing boon. We ate well. Of course, we had prepared ourselves for poor fishing, as well, with a full supply of dried-food staples. This, we figured, would also allow us to cut fish from the menu on occasion, should we ever get sick of eating it (which we didn't). What Bob didn't know is that, as designated cook, I had secretly smuggled in an extra pound of bacon and a big, yellow hamburger onion for what I had learned from previous experience could prove to be the gustatory highlight of the trip: Layered fish dinner.
But I wanted to catch Bob off guard and surprise him with this very special treat. Timing, afterall (as any veteran camp cook will tell you if asked the TRUE secret of satisfying the ranks), is crucial. I would lay my trap accordingly.
There is this disquieting moment on every canoe trip when suddenly you realize the first half is over and you are slipping unwittingly into the second. It is the fulcrum point upon which, sooner or later, almost everyone is caught blinking dumbfoundedly at opposite ends of their adventure, and the time eternal of the wilderness is temporarily lost.
So it happened almost simultaneously to Bob and me one afternoon while anchored off a rock in McKenzie Bay fishing for walleyes. Bob's voice suddenly broke the hypnotic lull of waves slapping against the canoe, "What day of the trip is this?"
"I don't know," I muttered, somewhat startled. "Day five. Day six."
"Day six," said Bob.
"Day six," I ponderously concurred. And the somber realization struck. Neither balmy breezes nor sunshine could alleviate the ensuing mood. At least … for about five wave beats. That's when Bob's rod suddenly bent toward the surface and—with the liberation of a thrashing three-pound walleye from Kawnipi's crystal depths—time eternal was restored once again.
"I'll fix 'er up special tonight, Bob," I announced. "A bit of a feast for the half-way point of our trip. Something different."
Yep, perfect time to spring the trap.
When we returned to camp, Bob attended to his self-prescribed daily routine of cleaning fish, while I made ready my hidden booty of victuals.
"What the heck are you making?" Bob asked minutes later as he set a fully laden tin plate of fresh walleye fillets on a rock where I was slicing onions. "Onions—what are they for?"
"Wait and see."
"I thought we were out of bacon. What're you using bacon for?"
"We need more fish. Clean me one more fish, eh?"
"More fish? What for?"
"Wait and see."
I enjoyed keeping him guessing, because I knew exactly what he was in for. Besides, I was giving it to him in much the same manner as it had been given to me when I learned this method of preparing fish nearly twenty years ago; I had learned it from Gene Tomlinson, an old family friend and canoe-country camping partner of my father's, who is to be credited as the originator of this simple—but incredibly delicious—wilderness dinner.
By the time Bob returned with the fillets, I was ready to spring it on him. "Alright, Bob," I announced a bit swaggeringly, "I'm going to show you the BEST method of cooking fish I know." Bob peered over my shoulder, his curiosity mounting. "Watch me now. You've gotta learn this."
"I'm watching."
"First you take a large dutch oven," I said, demonstrating as I spoke, "and you cover the bottom with slices of bacon, like so. Then you lay down one layer of fish fillets, like so. Now you put down a layer of onion slices to cover the fish, then another layer of bacon on top of that."
"Looks good."
"Yeah," I said, hiding a smirk but continuing to demonstrate, "now sprinkle it all real good with salt, pepper … and paprika. Then you layer it all over again. Fish. Onions. Bacon. And seasonings."
"Looks simple enough," Bob agreeably noted as he seated himself on a nearby log. "How do you cook it then?"
"Right on the fire, over a steady flame. But first you've gotta seal the top with aluminum foil—all the way around the edge—leaving enough slack to let it bulge in the middle as it picks up steam."
"It'll burst."
"Naw," I said, hoisting the pot confidently onto the fire grate under which a split-cedar fire was already rolling. After a few minutes the foil started to rise. Before long it expanded into a tight bubble.
"It'll burst," Bob insisted. "Quick to the rescue!" I yelled suddenly, snatching up a fork … then carefully pricked a tiny hole, about the size of a minnow's eye, right in the center. Just a dab.
Steam escaped instantly, venting in a steady stream from the hole until its vapor wafted exquisitely by our noses. That was the moment—the one I'd been waiting for—when Bob would succumb to the essences of my concoction and melt into a complete state of euphoria, the same way I had done when Gene Tomlinson first expelled the vapors of his artful wiles through our Quetico camp many years earlier.
"Oh, jeez, does that smell good." It was working. "BOY, does that smell good!" Melting right into his log. "When do we EAT?"
"Give it about thirty or forty minutes," I said, "but first we have to put a pressure cap on the cooker." Bob looked on with great interest as I placed a very tiny flat stone over the vent hole to suppress the steam. "There, just small enough to allow a little steam to escape. Tomlinson-style."
The vapors hissed. "Who's he?" Bob drawled.
Here, in a fashion peculiar to many sojourners of the north country, I took advantage of his simple question to spin yet one more elaborate yarn about some past canoe trip, which (in a fashion peculiar to many camp cooks) must have verged dangerously on babbling. But it did manage to fill the time before dinner.
As I talked, I cooked some carrots and mashed potatoes to have with the layered dinner. Bob appeared to be listening intently as he gazed at the tiny stone skittering at the peak of the foil. He really was enjoying all this.
At last, stripping the foil from the top of the Dutch oven, a final intoxicating plume of vapor was exhausted into the evening air. It was ready.
"Oh, let's eat!" I exclaimed, then quickly divided the layered dinner into quarters and served-up one each with some vegetables on tin plates. Seated on a log near the fire, I hoisted a heap of steaming fish with my fork in the manner of making a toast. Savoringly I proclaimed, "Here, Bob, is to Kawnipi, great weather, and good fishing—may the second half of our trip be as rewarding as the first!"
With a gulp, Bob recovered from a momentary gustatory lapse, let out a broad smile, and rejoined in similar fashion with, "Here's to you and Gene Tomlinson. This is great fish!"
 
The Lorax
distinguished member(935)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/04/2010 01:26PM  
We've done the poor man's lobster boiled lightly in beer. It was then submerged in melted butter. good stuff!

Fishcakes or patties can be done. I use a lot of hash brown potatoes rehydrated with chopped onion to make potato pancakes. I'm sure you could get a version of pike fish cakes together if you got creative.
 
togue
distinguished member(722)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/04/2010 05:23PM  
I'll have to try this pike poor mans lobster.

Our version is eelpout fried in butter no breading just a little salt if you like. Its rich, closest thing to bwca lobster I've had.
 
myceliaman
distinguished member(931)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/04/2010 07:54PM  
Poor mans lobster is a childhood fav of mine. It has become a part of a lunch or snack on every trip. We also do fish tacos.
 
02/15/2010 06:23PM  
Maybe not unique as it is a copy blend of several, but I like it. Bought some cheap frozen pollack and used an iron skillet in the oven at home. I guess it could be done on fire with foil or whatever...I had a 12" skillet, so 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 stick of unsalted BUTTER :), 1 thumb-sized clove garlic, a handfull of slivered mild onion, dashes of dried parsley,almonds ...melt oil,butter,minced garlic,half the onion on low heat, coat fillets in this garlic butter, then pour off and reserve excess. Lightly salt, pepper as you wish, scatter the other half of the sliced onion, sprinkle 1/4 cup almonds( I course grind mine in coffee grinder) or use slivered almonds. Drizzle remainding garlic oil/butter. I bake at 400 or so near top of oven. You could foil pouch these with a vent or stovetop/fire in open skillet too. But it's good for a change. Sometimes I add a few drops of lemon on plate.
 
jfish
senior member (79)senior membersenior member
  
02/15/2010 08:48PM  
Like Snakecharmer, I think fish tacos are awesome too. The most requested meal in our camps:
-Fry your fish, then add a hard cheese like cheddar.
-Cook red beans and rice separately

Put the fish/cheese and rice mixture in a soft taco shell and top with 1oz of salsa (I prefer salsa to taco sauce but its more liquid to pack in)

Even if your not catching a lot of fish, you can turn the "all you can eat" light on.
 
Voyageur1
  
02/21/2010 03:05PM  
We do a lot of fish stuff, generally serve 4 people:

Northern Chowder (Y bones must be removed) Cut fillets into 3-4" chunks. I take dehydrated onions and celery; and put some in a cup with water to rehydrate. Fry the onion and celery in some oil in a soup pot until soft. Gotta keep it moving to avoid burning. Add flour (approximately the same amount as oil...1 tbs flour per 1 tbs oil) and fry the flour into the mixture for a few minutes. Add some water and mix to avoid lumps. Add milk (dehydrated to cold water - then to soup). Fluid amounts vary depending on how much you're making. If we're using 2-3 lbs of fish, I'd say about 1 quart of water and 1-1 1/2 quarts of milk. Add the scalloped potato seasoning mix (doesn't change the flavor, just makes it creamier). As you may guess, we've done it so many times...we don't measure. Add 2-3 chicken bullions (I prefer the already crushed up kind to the cubes because they dissolve easier. Salt and pepper to taste. When it comes to a boil add the dehydrated potato package from a scalloped potato mix and "turn to low heat" stirring occasionally scraping the bottom (we use a flat edged wooden spoon) because if this bad boy burns, it can get nasty. When the potatoes are almost done (still a little firm), add the fish. Takes a short time after that (maybe 10 minutes). You don't want to overcook the fish or it'll just disappear in the chowder.

It's great on a cool evening or when you don't have a lot of fish for the number of people and want to "stretch it". If needed, we'll add a second package of potatoes.


Curried Fish (if you like spicy stuff): Very easy

Need 2 packages of fish curry sauce which we find at the market (Cub, Rainbow)for 2-3 lbs fish.

Any fish fillet cut into 3-4 inch chunks(Bass or Walleye are our favorites). You can bread it if you want. Follow recipe on curry package.

Serve with any complementary rice dish.


Chinese Fish:

Soak dried chinese mushrooms for quite a while (maybe an hour or 2).
Pan fry any fish fillet cut into 3-4 inch chunks(Lake Trout is our favorite). You can bread it if you want. Add soy sauce and garlic powder. When fish is almost done, add mushrooms with some liquid it was soaking in and more soy sauce to taste.

Goes nice with teriyaki rice.


I got more if you want!!



 
keegan99usa
distinguished member (151)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/13/2010 10:56PM  
BigZig
What a story! Looking to take my two girls on a trip this summer. had them in the SR17 today fishing on a local lake, they caught 3 nice bluegills that we "had" to take home and eat. They gobbled them up for lunch. I am looking forward to some of these recipes for our trip. I told them we only eat fish for 5 days, and they thought that was great. They will be 8 and 5 for the trip. Base camp from the truck at Mcfarland, already waiting for the week!
Thanks for the story!
Keegan
 
06/14/2010 10:29AM  
I like that story too. Have a safe trip!
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next
BWCA Food and Recipes Sponsor:
Visit Cook County