Cooking fish over the campfire a lesson in experimentation
So you’ve caught the big one. You spent all morning on the water and now it’s time to gut and cook your catch. ere are many ways to cook sh over the camp re, and it really just depends on what you have available and the nal taste you’re going for.
One common way to cook a sh over a camp re is to fry it. It’s quite simple, as you only need some cooking oil, a cooking grate, a spatula, a pan, and some breading or seasoning if so desired.
Clean your sh and cut it into llets. en dip both sides of each one into the breading until they are completely covered. Now it’s time to prepare the cooking surface. Pour some of the oil into your pan, and set it on a grate that you’ve placed over the camp re. Once the oil is well heated, place the llets in the pan. Flip them relatively o en, as it can be hard to tell how hot the camp re is. As the breading turns golden brown, it’s a good idea to check one of the llets. When the meat inside is a shiny white colour and readily akes, your pan-fried sh is ready to eat.
For some sh purists, boiling your catch may be the favourite choice. Start by placing a pot of clean water on a grate over the re. When the water comes to a boil, throw in the gutted sh. ough it has to be cleaned, many prefer to leave the skin on the sh when using this method, as it preserves the naturally occurring oil within the sh’s body. e easiest way to tell if it’s done is to just test one of them with a fork or knife. When the meat akes, it’s ready. If your camp re is dead and you’re still looking to cook, you can cook sh over embers. Prepare the sh by gutting it, but again leave the skin on to protect the meat. Poke a skewer through the sh lengthwise, and place it directly on top of the hot coals le in the re pit. Turn them o en to ensure that both sides cook evenly. With this method, it won’t be more than a few minutes before your sh is aky and ready to enjoy. You can also choose some non-toxic wood (such as willow), that should be approximately the thickness of your middle nger. Cut it to a length of one metre and use a knife to remove the bark from the thinnest end for a distance of about 30 cm. Sharpen both ends of the stick. Next select two 20 cm long, 5mm thick sections of wood. Remove the bark from both and these will be the skewers that prevent the sh from turning on the spit. Now, press onto a rm surface and using the tip of a knife split the thickest piece of wood down the centre, but not all the way to the end of the sha . Twisting slightly will open up the cut. If you do accidentally split the wood all the way to the end, this can be tied up using string or a piece of bark later. Ensure that the skewers will t by inserting them into the spit, they should be rm but not too di cult to insert. If the skewers are di cult to insert open the split up slightly using the tip of a knife. Push the spit into the body cavity of the sh and push it out through the mouth of the sh. Next, line up the split with the sides of the sh and insert the rst skewer through the side of the sh, it then goes through the split and out through the other side of the sh. Try to get it through the meatiest parts of the body or it may start to rip as the sh cooks. Insert the second skewer further towards the tail of the sh. With both skewers in place the sh should be well secured to the spit. You can also tie the tail to the spit using strips of bark or string. Cook the sh over the embers of a re, and keep turning it to prevent burning. By inserting the thick end of the spit into the ground you don’t have to hold it constantly. You can also impress your friends by wrapping sh in leaves. Cattail leaves or corn husks, for example, can be wrapped about your sh and it imparts its earthy avor as it cooks. Overlap the leaves around the sh and tie with some wet, natural twine if necessary. Put the sh above the coals or next to the re and ensure the sh still has its skin on. Add a squeeze of fresh citrus at the end or on the side for those who want to dilute the sh taste a little bit.