So, I've not caught and cooked a fish in 20 years. My experience is, to say the least, lacking when it comes to fish. However, I do have a reputation as a back country chef. After all, life is too short for eating boiling water mixed with freeze dried heartburn to make a tasteless mush.

So this summer is my chance to do it right. There will be fish on this trip. I need to know the three simplest ways to make FANTASTIC fish packing light and moving on this trip.

My home experience cooking fish is frying sunny's in a beer batter (not carrying beer 50 miles) or frozen salmon in the oven or George Foreman.

My biggest fear is undercooking, my biggest weakness overcooking...

1. Fillets covered with salsa and shredded cheese.
The moisture from the salsa steams the fish. Very tasty, easy and healthy.

2. Fillets with a thin chunk of butter on top covered in blackening/Cajun seasoning.
Another fast, easy method.

3. Chunks of fillets dropped into soup/chowder the last 10 minutes of cooking.

We use these cooking techniques while winter camping. They are also my wife and daughters favorite meals at home. No mess and minimal supplies needed.

I like mine fried. I bring the sticks of Crisco. 1 stick in my fry pan is enough for a meal. Take your fish, fillet them, cut into bite size chunks. Pat dry and drop into a small ziplock with breading. Then take out of the breading and add to fry pan. Cook roughly 2 minutes on 1 side, then flip to the other side, cooking another 1 to 2 minutes. Take one piece, and try and flake it apart with a fork. If it flakes it is done.

A second method, take aluminum foil, place fillet (Skin side down if you leave it on -- you can fillet skin off also). Put some butter or margarine on the fish, top with some sliced onions and whatever spices you want (I use lemon pepper). The wrap foil around fish, and place on fire grate, let cook for several minutes, then unwrap and see if fish is flaky. If not, cook until it is ready.

Another method that I like is to make fish taco's. I sauté an onion in butter, then add the fish to the onion (not seasoning or breading), and cook until fish is flakes apart. Then I add a block of cream cheese and some re-hydrated green chili's (or add a small can of green chili's that was removed from can and placed in small ziplock). Season with some chili powder and add to tortilla shells!

quote CrookedPaddler1: A second method, take aluminum foil, place fillet (Skin side down if you leave it on -- you can fillet skin off also). Put some butter or margarine on the fish, top with some sliced onions and whatever spices you want (I use lemon pepper). The wrap foil around fish, and place on fire grate, let cook for several minutes, then unwrap and see if fish is flaky. If not, cook until it is ready. "

A truly simple take on this one is just gut the fish (remove the head is optional), no filleting skills required, and then season it to taste. I like lemon pepper too or Mrs. Dash. Then wrap entirely in aluminum foil and place directly over coals on the grate. You will hear the fish cooking. Turn often. After no ore than 10 minutes you can carefully un-wrap a delightful, fully cooked fish. The skin and scales and fins will pull easily off. Bone removal is simple too. You can use a fork or your fingers. Wrap up the mess and pack out with your garbage.

However, there is nothing like fresh fish fried over a camp fire in the BWCA.

quote BigZig: "

quote CrookedPaddler1: A second method, take aluminum foil, place fillet (Skin side down if you leave it on -- you can fillet skin off also). Put some butter or margarine on the fish, top with some sliced onions and whatever spices you want (I use lemon pepper). The wrap foil around fish, and place on fire grate, let cook for several minutes, then unwrap and see if fish is flaky. If not, cook until it is ready. "

A truly simple take on this one is just gut the fish (remove the head is optional), no filleting skills required, and then season it to taste. I like lemon pepper too or Mrs. Dash. Then wrap entirely in aluminum foil and place directly over coals on the grate. You will hear the fish cooking. Turn often. After no ore than 10 minutes you can carefully un-wrap a delightful, fully cooked fish. The skin and scales and fins will pull easily off. Bone removal is simple too. You can use a fork or your fingers. Wrap up the mess and pack out with your garbage.

However, there is nothing like fresh fish fried over a camp fire in the BWCA."

You guys nailed it! We used to try breading and frying and all that business, way too much effort and cleanup. We fillet and skin them, then onto the fire grate on tin foil with a small chunk of crisco and lemon pepper. Cover or wrap with foil and cook and flip until there white and flaky. Cleanup consist of waiting for foil to cool then crumpling it up to the size of a golf ball.

It is still hard to beat fried fish! Will always be my favorite way to have them. But one can only eat so much fried fish during a canoe trip.

We pan fry them. About 1-2 TBLSP of oil (I use a mix of veggie and sesame oil) heated in a frying pan. Bread the fillets with your choice of stuff and seasoning, and place in the pan. Fry until crispy, then flip. There is very little mess to clean up with so little oil, and you could always allow it to cool and the pour back in with the rest of your oil (strain with a coffee filter to remove the bits).

We use butter flavored Crisco to fry our fish. First rolled in Shore Lunch then put the fillets in a pan with about a 1/4 cup Crisco that is very hot. That is the secret to great tasting fish, hot oil. Then turn when one side is golden brown and brown the other side.

Pike (whole, head on, gutted- no scaling) glazed with any one of the
Jack Daniels EZ Marinades wrapped in parchment (keeps moisture in better- not sticking to foil!), then foil and baked on the grate. Served with wild rice wild mushrooms, leaks, red peppers, yellow squash and garlic previously dehydrated- now rehydrated. Pinot noir is nice with this.


Walleye (fillets) dredged in egg and milk, coated in shore lunch with added spices, fried to crispy perfection, served with jalapeno corn bread cooking (previosly mixed at home, egg and milk added) in the oven and sweet glass of Jameson.



Walleye caught 5 min ago, still twitching from the filet- flash poached in white wine, herbs- dipped in lemon butter.

I'm greedy. Any more?

I take the head off, gut & scale, then roll in some garlic cheddar biscuit mix from Pillsbury. Sprinkle with Red Monkey steak seasoning or italian seasonings then seal in non-stick Reynolds aluminium foil. Right on the fire grate, flip every so often until the fish flakes easily.

Or

Cut into chunks and add to Cache Lake Creamy fish chowder


cache lake soups

red monkey foods

Found them at the Kansas City bbq royal, their spice blends are great.

Ok- if you are getting greedy- you will have to work a bit harder. This is a single pot meal and can be made in less than 30 min. You really look like a gourmet chef with this one!

Provençal Ragoût de Poisson (French Fisherman's Stew)

6 Ounces Multicolored Fingerling Potatoes
4 Cloves Garlic
3 Tablespoons Kalamata Olives
1 Bunch Parsley
1 Small Red Onion
chunks of fresh caught fish- filets with no bones
1 14.5-Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes (dehydrate/rehydrated if you can)

Thinly slice the potatoes into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Boil the potato rounds until fork tender and put aside. Mince the garlic and small dice the onion and soften in some olive oil in the pot. Add the tomatoes and the potatoes, toss together- then add the chunks of fish. Cook, covered until the fish is done. Toss in the olives and parsley as garnish before serving.
Add a crusty chunk of french bread- AMAZINGLY good!

Ripple, that's not my idea of 'simple', but it got my mouth watering.

What's the simplest batter for on the trail. Flour, powder egg, powder milk and sugar are staples in my food pack. (Gotta have it for blueberries!)

The boys love fried fish. We use Shore Lunch cooked in Ghee. The ghee is much better than crisco and can be used like butter.

My favorite is simply fillets sprinkled with salt and pepper and then just dusted with shore lunch, fried in a small amount of vegetable oil. It doesn't make that big of a mess if you go easy on the oil and shore lunch. Just had this last night with walleye I got from the meat market!

quote ECpizza: "Ripple, that's not my idea of 'simple', but it got my mouth watering.

What's the simplest batter for on the trail. Flour, powder egg, powder milk and sugar are staples in my food pack. (Gotta have it for blueberries!) "

I know it looks intimidating- but believe me it isn't! Try it once at home- it actually is a reasonable meal to do out there. One pot and if you prep the potatoes and onions - you are just throwing it together over the fire.

Another idea for you, minimus.biz has individual packs of condiments & seasonings. They carry Paul Prudehommes whole line of seasonings/magic spices, lemon pepper, lemon juice, hot sauce, malt vinegar, tartar sauce.

Minimus seasonings

quote Swampturtle: "Another idea for you, minimus.biz has individual packs of condiments & seasonings. They carry Paul Prudehommes whole line of seasonings/magic spices, lemon pepper, lemon juice, hot sauce, malt vinegar, tartar sauce.

Minimus seasonings "

Ripple, don't misunderstand... Simple enough to make, but a bit more than I typically carry. I've been challenging myself to adapt the recipe with lighter ingredients, right now I'm just imagining the adaptations I could make, and well... It's gonna be on the menu.

Simple is more the most basic way possible to prepare fish. I wanna know the secrets.

I've spent years perfecting my cookies. I've got a couple good candies, and my jerky rocks. I am a decent camp cook, but just no experience with fresh fish.

quote ECpizza: "

quote Swampturtle: "Another idea for you, minimus.biz has individual packs of condiments & seasonings. They carry Paul Prudehommes whole line of seasonings/magic spices, lemon pepper, lemon juice, hot sauce, malt vinegar, tartar sauce.

Minimus seasonings "

Ripple, don't misunderstand... Simple enough to make, but a bit more than I typically carry. I've been challenging myself to adapt the recipe with lighter ingredients, right now I'm just imagining the adaptations I could make, and well... It's gonna be on the menu.

Simple is more the most basic way possible to prepare fish. I wanna know the secrets.

I've spent years perfecting my cookies. I've got a couple good candies, and my jerky rocks. I am a decent camp cook, but just no experience with fresh fish."

jerky.... I need to develop my skills there! Do tell?

quote linkster: "The boys love fried fish. We use Shore Lunch cooked in Ghee. The ghee is much better than crisco and can be used like butter."

I'm intrigued by the ghee. So this doesn't have to be refrigerated, right? I've never used it before but it sounds great.

Ghee does not have to be refrigerated. It is shelf stable. I used to make my own and there are several methods and youtube videos you can check out. It is kind of messy. I have used a gravy separator and cheese cloth. It took a lot of butter. I sourced the ghee online above, but have seen it at whole foods. I did repackage into a Nalgene bottle.

quote caribouluvr: "

quote linkster: "The boys love fried fish. We use Shore Lunch cooked in Ghee. The ghee is much better than crisco and can be used like butter."

I'm intrigued by the ghee. So this doesn't have to be refrigerated, right? I've never used it before but it sounds great."

I was curious about ghee as well. We had a good conversation about it here.

I want to trip with Ripple. Those looks like some fantastic recipes!

quote okinaw55: "

quote caribouluvr: "

quote linkster: "The boys love fried fish. We use Shore Lunch cooked in Ghee. The ghee is much better than crisco and can be used like butter."

I'm intrigued by the ghee. So this doesn't have to be refrigerated, right? I've never used it before but it sounds great."

I was curious about ghee as well. We had a good conversation about it here. "

Thanks! I missed that one. Turns out I found the Trader Joe's ghee this weekend and picked some up already!

Simple method 1: Got this from the splendid table. Just coat/sprinkle damp fish with brown rice flour, and whatever spice, and fry in small amount of olive oil. You get this light crunch without any mess at all. You can just sprinkle the rice flour on the fish while it's in the frying pan, so no mixing bowl needed.

Simple method 2: poach in about 1/8" of water with some butter, "true lemon" crystals dissolved in the water, and/or that "natural seasons stuff". I like ripples white wine idea here too.

With both methods I use a frying pan instead of foil, because I can just wipe out the frying pan and re-use it. Not sure what you do with fishy foil. If you are using a small campstove and a thin frying pan, the 1/8" of water and a cover (foil) over the pan helps distribute heat if you have a lot of fish but just a small stove head.

I always use olive oil instead of butter. But there is so much salt in butter, I wonder if it really goes bad after a week if it's only in the mid-70's for daytime highs. But the gov't says butter will go bad if not refrigerated.

Keep em coming...

The reason it has to be "simple" is 2 fold... I have to cary the recipe in my head or pre mix it at home... And it has to be something that doesn't take too much extra pack space.

I've paddled a thousand miles in the BWCA and never had fish on the trail.