Cooking trout over a wood fire?

[Kevin Burton]

I have a tiny emberlit wood stove that I use for cooking.

The one issue is that it's highly variable. Some times it will flare up and then I will barely have any fire at all. That and it puts off some ash.

I want to migrate to frying trout. Boiled trout isn't to… appetizing. What I normally do is have a dehydrated and spiced mean and then mix in the trout with the meal for added protein.

But fried trout sounds way more yummy.

Has anyone tried to pan fry trout like this on a wood fire?

I note the more conventional manner is to have a fire pit and build up coals but I'm a hammock camper and rarely have that option.

[Charles Grier]

Well, basically,, you clean the trout, put them in a lightweight frying pan and hold it over a small wood fire until they are cooked. Of course, fire regulations may interfere with your plans but that is a problem with cooking with wood. You can substitute foil for the fry pan or try to cook the fish on the bottom of a cook pot if you wish. I guess I don't see how hammock camping has anything to do with cooking trout though.

[Justin Baker]

I have been pan frying trout over campfires for years on fishing trips with my dad. It works great. Very easy and can be done over a wood stove.
I've heard that boiled trout isn't too bad, never tried it my self and I agree that it doesn't sound good. I imagine mushy and tasteless. You will never know until you try.

I know you camp in Yosemite and can't have open fires outside of fire pits, but it's real easy to cook a fish over an open fire. You want to gut the fish, put a stick through it's mouth, and lay the belly over the stick. Then you want to lay the stick down on a rock/log so it has the correct height over the flames and then place a rock/log on the back of the stick to anchor it.
If you fillet the fish you can simply skewer the fillet with a stick.

[Greg Mihalik]

By Daniel Galhardo from an article on Tenkara-Fisher

[David Chenault]

How does hammock camping impinge on building a proper fire?

I must confess, I sold my bushbuddy because it's a pain to use. Pan frying with a canister stove is a lot more efficient. But cooking trout as per the above article is by far the best way. Even without salt a nice slow roasting over direct flame is very tasty. Cook until the fat drips and the skin flakes off with a light touch. Use a green stick so it won't break and dump your fish in the fire.

[Bob Gross]

I do trout on a stick just about the same way that I do monkey on a stick.

–B.G.–

[USA Duane Hall]

But Bob, it is more comfy from a hammock, unless you loose your balance and fall in the fire. I'm guessing since a hammock can be set up about anywhere where trees are close enough together, that it may not be condusive (sp?) to a wood fire.
Duane

[Bob Gross]

Duane, a hammock might be better, except that I am often camped far above timberline, so a self-levitating hammock would be necessary. Maybe they have hammocks that are helium-filled.

–B.G.–

[Anonymous]

"I have been pan frying trout over campfires for years on fishing trips with my dad. It works great."

I did the same for many years, but quit for a variety of reasons. It is easy to do, but requires a lot of wood to fry up a decent mess of trout. I carried a paper bag of flour seasoned with salt and pepper and shook the trout(whole if small, or pieces if from larger fish) in it to coat them, then fried them until the skin was crispy brown. Ummmm, good, skin, tail, head and all. As a second course, I added rehydrated mashed potatoes seasoned with garlic and spices to the pan drippings, spread it out to make a pancake, and fried until brown on both sides(flipped once, just like a regular pancake). You could also do this with a canister stove, but it would also take a lot of fuel. As for boiling, not so much, if all you do is boil the fish in plain water. A better method is to use any of a number of Asian noodle soups, add pieces of fish 3-4 minutes before adding the noodles, dependiong on the size of the pieces(just enough time to poach them and not until they turn to mush). The fish makes a great addition to the noodle soup and also provides extra protein for your meal. You could do this wwith straight Miso, too, if you wanted a simpler soup. Or chicken bouillon.

[Kevin Burton]

The problem with this strategy is that as the trout are near to being done they start to fall off the stick as the meat gets soft.

[Kevin Burton]

The cool thing about a hammock is that you can camp ANYWHERE… on the side of a mountain on an incline or even VERY dense forest locations. These places don't have fire pits usually and making new pits is usually illegal. So that means a wood stove.

[Justin Baker]

I've never had a fish fall off of a stick, but that might mean than I tend to under cook my fish.

[David Chenault]

Use a green stick. Cutting from a willow or alder is ideal. Whittle a sharp point, and strip the bark from the initial 16 inches or so. Heat it a decent bit before use to wring any sap out. Fir can be made useable with more extensive pre-heating.

[Dan Yeruski]

I must confess, I sold my bushbuddy because it's a pain to use.

David,
What kinds of problems were you having with the bushbuddy?

[Michael Sagehorn]

In the Sierra’s when I catch trout, I gut them, leave the scales on, season them with salt, pepper, Old Bay, and put lemon slices in the cavity. I build a small fire, get some coals, and lay the trout right on them.  Flip them in five minutes and another three or five they are ready. Ash doesn’t really stick and they are perfectly cooked. They usually flop over in my Sierra Cup, but taste real good. My fire is always real small and after it’s put out you would never suspect someone enjoyed a trout dinner or breakfast.

[bradmacmt]

Where I backpack is grizzly country… I’d never cook trout any other way than wrapped in foil over a bed of coals. After consumption, everything goes back into the fire to be destroyed. Far too much odor and grease any other way,..

[Michael Sagehorn]

Makes sense. My biggest threat are black bears- actually they make me laugh. I sometimes now go John Muir on the food thing- French bread- baguettes, salami, tea, hard cheese, dried fruit, and cold Sierra water. Eat when hungry and sometimes just hike. When I catch fish, I cook it promptly and move on. No bears

[Jerry Adams]

If you put foil in a fire, when the fire is out the foil will still be there but easy enough to pack out

It’s annoying to see fire pits with “burned” foil in it

[Michael Sagehorn]

I don’t use foil-right on the coals or over a green wood rack. Never litter, ever.

[Kevin Burton]

I find it hilarious that I created this thread 5 years ago, just randomly come back to the site after not using it for like 3-6 months, and it’s trending ;)

[Michael Sagehorn]

Kevin- blame me for taking the prompt. I had just returned from a camping trip with teacher colleagues. Good guys, but we argued over cooking our sirloins “caveman” style. Some were afraid. I convinced them it would be ok. Your post about trout warmed up that memory. Thanks.

[Kevin Burton]

Not complaining.  I just find it funny and its hard to imagine I’ve been on the site for 5 years

[David Noll]

I have the Streamside.  Just  gut the trout and coat with sea salt.

http://www.purcelltrench.com/grills.htm

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