Anyone try frying trout in a pie tin??

[Dominic Camarda]

Quick question… Looking for an ultralight way to fry trout. I could do it in my pot but its only 4.5 inches wide. Suppose I could do it by cutting up the trout but looking for an ultralight alternative. So, anyone ever try using a pie tin to fry trout over an alcohol stove? I'm thinking of using a Simmer Cat stove and some rocks to help stabilize the pie tin. Its probably going to heat very unevenly but work… Thoughts?

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Use enough oil and it ought to work fine, a lot being like 1/4" deep or so.

[Dominic Camarda]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. The oil would make heat transfer more even. I could end up carrying a lot of oil though. Not really a problem if I consume it all. Add the excess after frying to my instant mash potatoes or my harmony house stews and chilis maybe…

[Dominic Camarda]

Just checked how much oil it would take to have a 1/4 inch depth… its quite a lot. About 3/4 of a cup, so 6 ounces… yikes. If I'm frying fish every night for a week that can add up. How would reusing the oil work? In practice, the oil should be pretty stable and be fine for multipe fryings/days. Just not sure if it would get all stanky from the trout's own oils mixing in.

[Kevin Babione]

Happily this is one of those things you can try out at home before you go – we'd love to know how it works for you. Also – since you're using an alcohol stove – would it make sense to use two at the same time? My 12/10 stove weighs about an ounce and it seems like it would be a small weight penalty to pay to haul a second one along if it cooked the fish more evenly and quickly. It might, because of better heat distribution, also allow you to carry less oil.

[Ben H.]

I wouldn't think the fish oils would go rancid in that short of time. It's the little bits and pieces floating in the oil that would concern me. I think you would want to be able to filter the oil as you pour it back. Cheese cloth would work well. You would also need a fairly wide mouth container for the oil so that you didn't make a mess. The large amounts of oil, the large wide mouth container, and the oily cheese cloth, you might as well carry a heavier duty pan. Though I guess the oil is high density calories you would not otherwise have to carry.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

You might try this. Brush the fish with oil (all surfaces) and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Then use the pie pan as a heat diffuser. With some luck, the small amount of oil will be trapped between the fish and the foil. It will also tend to fry/steam the fish. It might be worth trying at home in your backyard.

[Dominic Camarda]

Leaving tomorrow early. No time to really home test the idea. Might bring the pie tin to give it a shot but most likely I'm thinking I'll just use my hard anodized pot. Its only 4.5 inches in diameter so the trout will have to be cut up small and there will be more rounds of frying but less oil required to get enough depth. Thanks to everyone that responded!

[Dale Wambaugh]

Buy a couple trout at the grocery store and experiment at home. Cutting the fish into smaller pieces would make things much easier, regardless of the cooking method. If I were going to fry anything on a hiking heat source I would want a way to move it around; that's the only way you can heat it evenly. A SnowPeak titanium plate and a pot grabber would work as well or better than a pie tin and you can use it as a plate :) Not too expensive at $16.95 and 2oz. Poaching would be a safer bet, adding some good herbs. Cleanup would be reduced, although I still wouldn't cook anywhere near camp and dispose of bones and any poaching liquid far off the trail. There are all kinds of poached trout recipes on the Web. A little aluminum foil or another pie tin for a lid and a couple spring paper clamps to hold them together would make a good poacher/steamer.

[eric schultz]

I use lemon pepper and a touch of oil on the fish. I then wrap the fish in tin foil and place it in the pie tin. Wrapping the fish in foil will keep the tin from getting dirty. I place the tin on my jetboil on the lowest setting for about 8 minutes each side. The key is to buy a heavy duty pie on line. The standard ones do not hold up well over time. The ones from Marie Callenders do not hold up. Look at these http://www.kitchendance.com/heavypiepan.html item number #510 look for 120 gauge. Some of these companies will send you samples, so ask. I have used one on many trips. Eric

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