Being out camping is a great way to relax and get some fresh air and physical activity all of us lack in the cities. However, camping can become quite a challenge for the pampered citizens since there are no fridges and restaurants out there in the wild! Of course, there is always an option to bring all the foods with you, but then you will probably have to hire a person (or a carriage) that would carry all the groceries for you.
Or you can go authentic and go fishing! But then it will be handy to know how this raw fish can be turned into a delicious dinner. Are you with us?
Top Ways to Cook Fish When Camping
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If you are planning to go camping to a spot with the pond or a river nearby, and you know there is fish there, we would recommend you grab that chance and catch a meal fresh out of water. Nothing can compare to the aromatic and delicious hot fried or grilled fish that you caught yourself!
Of course, the choice of what can be caught will be way smaller compared to the open-sea fishing, but you can always taste an exotic marine dish (f.e. swordfish or a shark) in a restaurant back home.
Check the nuances: https://beezzly.com/what-does-swordfish-taste-like
As for the cooking method, it will hang upon whether you are at the comfortable campground that provides all the necessary supplies (e.g. grills, skillets, etc.) or you will be fishing and thus cooking in the wild. However, still, take into account the following options. Who knows, maybe one of them will become handy? We will also provide you with the most fitting kind of fish for each method so that you will be able to enjoy it fully.
1. Fried Crappie
As it comes from the title name, the fish that is better to be cooked this way is crappie, but of course, it doesn’t mean that no other kind of it can be used! Feel free to fry any fish you will manage to catch, only make sure all the instructions are followed.
Also, this recipe will be suitable for the comfy campgrounds since you will need several specific ingredients, besides, the cooking will take some time.
To begin with, combine eggs, buttermilk, and some hot sauce in a bowl. Soak the crappie fillets for two to four hours in this blend, and meanwhile prepare the coating mixture by combining salt, black pepper, flour, cornmeal, and garlic or onion powder (or both). Put this seasoned powder into a plastic storage packet.
When the time comes, take the fillets out of their marinade and coat with the mixture you have prepared before. The good thing is that you just need to drop them into the bag, close it, and shake to make the fish bits cover with that coat. Fry crappie bits in a 425 F pre-heated peanut oil over the grill or a campfire until the fish is golden-brown. Dry on oil-absorbing paper and enjoy it!
2. Fish steak in the herbed marinade
For this dish, you’d better opt for striped bass but again, any fish will basically do as long as it is meaty as the nutrition coach says. You would also need a grill to cook this fish, so if you don’t have one yet, sites like Outdoor Cooking Pros offers tons of portable models you can bring to your campsite.
Start with combining garlic, oregano, thyme, lemon juice, and pepper in a bowl. Add fish fillets, and leave them to rest for half an hour – Elisa Chan from Beezzly mentioned. Meanwhile, start heating the grill and bring the fish grill basket. Pulverize it with the non-stick spray, and load with marinated fillets.
Place the basket on a medium pre-heated grill skin side down and salt. The fillets must be grilled until the skin is light-brown and starts getting crispy. When it happens, flip the basket over and keep on grilling until the fish is opaque. This dish is perfectly combined with the roasted root veggies just off the coals!
3. Fish in a blanket
To cook this, rainbow trout will be the best, but this fish is rather delicate and can easily be overcooked, so if you are not sure whether you’ll manage to keep an eye on it, feel free to substitute for any other catch.
If you do cook trout, it can be protected from burns by being wrapped in bacon or pancetta. Add any seasonings to your preferences, and cook it over the campfire in a cast-iron skillet. When the fish is brown and crisp, turn it over to let the other side of the fish be fried thoroughly, and remember to sprinkle your meal with lemon juice to enhance the flavor.
4. Blackened catfish
You will need a skillet and a campfire again. Start with preparing the blend of spices by mixing oregano, cayenne, and black pepper, and salt with some thyme and onion powder.
Then melt some unsalted butter, dip the fillets in it, and coat them with the spicy mix from both sides. Fry your delicious yummies in a very hot skillet for two minutes on each side, and serve. If you don’t have catfish, feel free to substitute it for any other flaky and thin fillet like snapper or perch.
5. Cavemen-style fried fish
If you don’t feel like dragging kitchen utensils with you to the mountains or wherever you go, opt for this super simple way of frying your daily catch.
Basically, it is very simple: just stick the fish onto blazing hot coals or flames. But in fact, you will need some skills to succeed. The first method is to burn the flame down to red hot coal and make the area flat so that all the catch can be placed on top. Then score the fish crosswise to create diamond shapes and place it onto the coals. Flip your catch only once since the coals must have enough time to create that charred skin that can be easily peeled off later.
The second approach requires sticks. Take the cleaned and gutted fish, slide sturdy and sharpened sticks through its mouth, and poke the stick into the flesh at the rear of the rib cage. We would advise you to thrust smaller sticks through the fish belly perpendicular to the main vertical stack. Like that, the meat will not slide down or fall apart.
Done. Slowly roast your fish on sticks near the fire until it’s cooked through (just like you would do with marshmallows). These were the simplest ways of cooking fresh fish out of a home that can be used either in a campground or in the wild when you have nothing but your hands and the minimum of supplies.
