#7636 - 06/17/0411:25 AMAny tips for cooking trout without a campfire?
Anonymous
Unregistered
I'd like to take along an ultralight fishing pole on some of my trips here in Colorado, for freshwater trout. Though, with our drought and associated campfire bans, I'm not sure how to cook 'em up. Any suggestions/recipes for cooking fish with a backpacking stove? Any help and/or insights on this would be much appreciated.
#7637 - 06/17/0401:27 PMRe: Any tips for cooking trout without a campfire?
Anonymous
Unregistered
Bring a little peanut oil and corn meal for pan frying assuming you have a lightweight pan. I have a pan from MSR that is real light weight and non stick.
I take a 60ml nalgene jar with olive oil (60g). Enough to fry a couple of fish. If I'm lucky enough to catch more than that, well, its their lucky day, back to the creek they go. Dehead and gut your fish and dispose of it in the creek. I assume I don't need to tell you why to do it this way. I do not fillet the fish, but butterfly them in the pan. Cook on low heat, covered. Dispose of the bones and skin in the same place, well away from your campsite. Another method of cooking, although I have not tried this, is to place some stones in the bottom of your pan, with the fish on top, cover and cook on low heat - almost like baking it. Put a little water in the pan so you don't scorch the bottom of the pan. A little bit of foil between the fish and the stones is ideal. If your stove won't simmer, well that's another issue.
In light of the following post by billk the method I've suggested of disposing of entrails may not be an accepted or appropriate in some areas. You should first check with local govenment agencies for restriction that may apply to the disposal of entrails in the area you are fishing.
And in bear country, which seems to be everywhere these days....DO NOT WEAR THE SAME CLOTHES TO COOK IN THAT YOU WILL BE SLEEPING IN....unless you want to awaken to a bear licking you!
The BakePacker (www.bakepacker.com) claims you can poach game fish in it, and if you remove the outer metal rim (I emailed them and they said it was okay to do so), it only adds 3 oz. to your setup. I have never cooked fish in it (I just bought it a few weeks ago), but I can tell you I've made great pancakes and biscuits, so I imagine the same principal would apply to the fish (i.e. you're not just steaming the fish). Best of all the cooking is done in a plastic bag, so the aroma issue is minimized. It fits in my Evernew Titanium 1.3L pot, so my total cooking setup, with the ability to bake and poach, still weighs 4 oz. less than the Jetboil! If you don't normally bring a frying pan (I'm a one-pot backpacker), this migt be your best and most versatile solution.
#7641 - 06/18/0411:00 AMRe: Any tips for cooking trout without a campfire?
Anonymous
Unregistered
Thanks for all the tips! I know it seems like a stupid question, but I've never used a backpacking stove to cook fish before, while at the same time reducing as much weight as possible as far as supplies go...
One more quick question: I use an MSR stove and burn white gas. Will I have enough control over the heat at 12000+ feet elevation, or should I try switching fuels?
I was under the impression that disposing of fish entrails in a body of water was a no-no, especially due to whirling disease. Do you have new information on this?
No I do not. In fact, I've have never heard of this disease. Fortunately, our fishery here in Ontario has not been subjected to this infestation (that's not say we don't have our share of problems - Zebra mussels, gobbies, carp, etc.) In light of you bringing this to my attention, I would not suggest to do anything that is going to harm the environment or a local fishery. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have edited my original post to reflect the possibility of the restrictions that may be imposed in different areas. Do you have any suggestions for the safe disposal of entrails?
I usually bury the stuff about 8 inches down, unseen future fertilizer. As for the cooking without a campfire, can't help you there. But bakeing or steaming sounds worth trying out...
Registered: 12/18/03
Posts: 707
Loc: Lufkin TX, USA
Re: fish guts, is there any chance that you can save the stuff and use it for bait for the next round of fishing? I suppose depending on what you are after, it may work.
I would also think that disposing of them using the same guidelines as a latrine/cathole would be ok.
_________________________
It's not the weight of the load, it's how you carry it.
#7648 - 06/22/0403:12 PMRe: Any tips for cooking trout without a campfire?
[Re: musicimprovedme]
Anonymous
Unregistered
Yeah I've thought about using the guts as bait. When I was a kid growing up in New Mexico, we used to save the fish guts until night-time, when we used them for crawfish bait. Best crawfish bait there is, in my opinion <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Registered: 06/27/04
Posts: 69
Loc: northern california
I recently found a webpage while searching for good lures and flies to use in the high sierras. The author recommended wrapping the fish in foil and cooking it directly on the simmering flame of a canister stove, no pot or pan. I don't know how well that would work for a larger trout, but I am hoping it will do the trick for small, high altitude trout. Thats what I plan on trying next week. I'll be at 11k or higher for several days so I won't be having any fires. I have forgone fishing in recent years after getting tired of poaching trout. Frying them makes too much of a stinky mess and is difficult to clean the pan without soap. Also, as far as getting rid of the guts, I have to vote for a proper burial. There are too many places in the sierras where the remains would remain in the water for a long time...yummy. I suppose a motivated type might pack out the remains. That should make for a special package after a week. I'll be using a handline. Total weight for all my fishing gear is about 5 oz.
I've had a hard time getting the trout smell off of my hands. Could be that my nose is too sensitive, but a bear would certainly smell the fish odor. Thankfully, our bears are normally well fed. What do you use to clean your hands?
this weekend... if we waited to long we would have lost the whole fish to a bird! luckily i kept a good eye out.... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
#7655 - 08/30/0412:30 PMRe: Any tips for cooking trout without a campfire?
Anonymous
Unregistered
i used a pan this weekend for 14-16' wild alpine rainbows, no camp fires allowed where we went here in the PNW. used a lot of butter spray and just cooked away. I keep a biodegradeable soap for washing my pan, although i also boil more water to clean it. it's not a good use of fuel or filtered water, but we had a short hike in (2 miles) so i was willing to pack a few extra pounds on this trip.
Seriously, just season it with what you like(inside and out) add a little oil in the pan and cook on low to med flame. If the fish is too big for your small pan, cut it up. As for disposal of the uncooked entrails, head and tail? I put them in the water the fish came from. Fish don't crawl out of the water to die of natural causes so why deprive the food chain of the nutrients. It would be awful naive to think that there isn't dead fish or other life in any body of water. In nature when a fish dies it breaks down and feeds the micro organisms that feed the bugs that feed the fish. It would be selfish and wastefull to consume the nutrients stored in the fish and bury the rest instead of giving it back.
lv2fish You better not get caught putting fish entrails back into the lake - very illegal. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
_________________________
These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.
Maybe in Oregon, not in the fish and game regs in Ca. I know it's discouraged but makes no sense not to return the nutrients. If you bury them, you run the risk of attracting animals and it's just plain unsanitary to pack them around not mention the smell. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
If you're like me and don't like cleaning a fry pan, try using the baking method. I have strips of aluminum flashing (from Home Depot) cut in 1" widths and bent. These strips are placed sideways in the pot. On top of the strips I put an aluminum disc that has a bunch of holes punched in it. Put about 1" of water in the pot. Season the fish (I use Cajun seasoning) and place it in a freezer bag. I use a mylar turkey bag (cut down a bit); it works better for me, but it's more expensive. Get the water to boil, then place the bag into the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes or so. Done.
Hope this helps!
-NS
BTW, I use rubber gloves while cleaning the fish (keeps the smell off my hands).
Quote:
I'd like to take along an ultralight fishing pole on some of my trips here in Colorado, for freshwater trout. Though, with our drought and associated campfire bans, I'm not sure how to cook 'em up. Any suggestions/recipes for cooking fish with a backpacking stove? Any help and/or insights on this would be much appreciated.
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