Cooking Fish

Use a grilling basket. The one that came with our rotisserie machine weighs less than a pound. But I’d go with something heavier, and maybe you’d want one with a handle, which adds a pound or more. With a larger and heavier basket, you could use the basket for a fire grate when cooking other things, so eliminate the weight of the fire grill/grate you have been packing.

I worked on the commercial fishing fleet in Seattle at Fishermen's Terminal in Seattle while attending the U of Washington back in the 1970s. The majority of the people working there were Norwegian. They ate Dungeness crab, salmon and halibut for a living. They ate a few other things like lutefisk and pickled herring but little if any beef, chicken or pork. That was something new to me. I had friends that took me to the Swedish American Club. Great times in those days.

I have mentioned before I travel solo so I have no worry of what the rest may think as I am alone. As long as my dog Jake is ok with it, we are good.

I seldom fry my fish and never grill it. Like scratchypants mentioned several posts ago, I boil my fish. Walleye boil well, and Jake loves the fish water .

But I boil not just because I like it. Not carrying oil or batter, no fish smells that carry far, and ease of clean up are my main reasons. Often Jake and I day trip when base camped. We hike and explore neighboring lakes. It is easy to portage some fishing gear, canoe, coffee and a pot for a shore lunch fish boil. We both enjoy it and this activity is a big part of why we explore the back country.

Well a curry, chowder, or soup would eliminate the oil. When I cook fish in a pan, is seat the flesh side with very minor oil, a Tbs butter or other fat, flip after 2-4 minutes depending on thickness, and finish on the skin side about the same or less. Not much oil. Then make a sauce in the pan, mm mm good!

I made this the other night:


Served on grits with roasted asparagus.

That looks good enough that I've bookmarked the recipe. Did you actually use salmon, or some other species?

sailsman63 said:

That looks good enough that I've bookmarked the recipe. Did you actually use salmon, or some other species?

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Yes, salmon steaks, skin on. The recipe would work with anything you like. Just adjust your cooking times accordingly.

When I have had to minimize weight, as someone previously mentioned, I leave the fishing equipment home.

I also have boiled fish, in addition to the other methods mentioned. It is good, but be careful not to overcook it.

Regarding the weight of the oil: as I am sure you all know, oil has twice the calories per unit weight than protein or carbs. It is the most efficient way to carry calories.

Black_Fly said:

I’ve got this LW voyager grill that I got years ago with the intention of cutting down the amount of oil needed for extended trips. However, the first trout I tried to roast on it ended up in the dirt. I really haven’t had much better luck since that trip. Anyone know the secret to cooking tasty fish on a grill? I can do it with foil, but that means packing out messy, stinky foil.

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Lemon pepper and a little butter. Can't be beat.

The Boy Scouts, taught me to cook egg and bacon, in a paper sack ( Lunch size bag ).
Place the bacon in the bottom of the bag ( two strips ) and then the egg.
Roll up the top of the bag, and poke a green stick into the fold, and suspend, over coals, not flame.

So long as the paper was coated in oil, or in this case bacon grease, the bag doesn't burn.

Wonder if it would work with fish, instead of the egg?

Food for thought.

Jim

There are roll up mats you can use on a BBQ for frying ..... if you have a grill for the fire, it goes right on, minimum oil and seems to work fairly well for frying.

Something like this: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/co...HFFOQhosLLqQnsrBVzgaAjAPEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

The magic thing about salmon is the fat content. It makes a good grilling fish. Walleye and smallmouth bass are good cooked in a pan with some fat. Northerns are fine once you get your outdoor appetite back. Fish is good food.

Don't overthink it. Like Odyssey said, burn the cooking residue off the foil and pack it out. Some of my most memorable fish meals were done with foil. Besides being a good cooking method, there is no clean up and weighs very little. I typically have some foil folded up and stashed in my food pack.

Black_Fly said:

That’s a lot of oil to pack.

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We use freeze dried butter, rather than oil. Just add a tiny bit of water.

I quit packing oil or butter a long time ago. I had an aluminum cook set that included a shallow bowl that nested inside the pot. I would cut the fish into pan sized chunks, and put them in that bowl with the bowl floating on an inch of water. Apply heat and lid, and..... steamed fish. Unfortunately, I gave that set away and haven't found another one exactly like it.

I have also boiled, and that's almost as good. In a pinch, a willow stick skewer through the mouth and tail also works.

I actually prefer the results of any of these methods over frying.

I like frying filets in Korean frying batter. But that's not my wife's favourite way, so I grew to really like this other way, too:

Whole fish, especially good with 1-2 pound scales-on fish like bass and walleye, but any size or species of fish will work. Bones in, only gutted and rid of its gills. 2 keys for success:
1) don't scale the fish as the scales and skin make a firm barrier and will be easily peeled back at serving time. The firm charred skin keeps the flesh inside nice and moist.
2) Build a fire, feed the fire well with medium-thickness wood (1-2" thickness) and allow the fire to settle down into non-flaming coals. Don't rush the start of cooking. Not easy when you're starving! Install the grill extremely close to the hot coals, within an inch above the coals. Lay the fish out on the grill. Gently douse any flare-ups, though with this method, occasional small flames don't destroy the product. Bake for 5-10 minutes on each side, depending on fish size till done.

Test with a fork for ease of entry through the skin and flesh to the backbone. Err on the side of undercooking as the fish will continue cooking in its juice for 2-3 minutes after you take it off the grill. No need whatsoever to oil, marinate, coat the fish or anything else. Heat and timing are everything.

With the help of a fork and knife, serve by gently peeling back the charred skin (some blackness will not kill the result), and add salt and pepper to your taste. Fresh lemon can be nice.

Some people prefer to pull morsels off the bones with their fingers and eat it that way. My wife loves fish prepared this way as it brings back beautiful memories of her childhood.

We used to head and gut mullet, then split them open and lay them directly on the coals. Salt, pepper, & lemon as desired. Mmm, MMM! I guarantee!