One of my favorite ways to prepare fresh trout is roasting/smoking over a small fire. This has worked well in the mid-elevation western forests during summer where oak twigs,growing (green) grass, and trout are available. I generally add salt and pepper, but otherwise you need nothing other than a fire-starter to prepare this (I think this would be the lowest weight recipe posted on this thread yet).
I start by collecting small oak twigs (thumb diameter) and make a small fire. While the fire is getting going I gut the fish, leaving the head on. Then I gather several handfuls of green grass (enough to completely cover the fire with a 2" depth of dense grass).
I wait til most of the oak twigs have burned to the point of glowing coals, then I place the grass directly over the fire. It starts to smoke heavily and I place the fish directly on the grass. The oak infuses a great taste to the fish, whether seasoned or not.
It may take some practice to get the timing right, but after a few minutes the heat from the coals has cooked the meat and the skin is starting to easily peel away on the fire-side of the fish. I try to flip the trout only once so the exposed meat doesnt pick-up bits of grass or ash. While the second side is cooking, I pick and eat the easily flaked meat from the first side with my fingers. By the time the second side is cooked, the green grass has mostly become charred. I remove the half-eaten fish and either extinguish the coals if I'm hiking on, or restoke the small fire into a bigger campfire if i'm setting camp.
Might read as complicated, but it's super quick, easy, and leaves no mess or fish residue on gear. LNT, fire restrictions, and wind all complicate or preclude this method.
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