Campfire Fish Cooking - How to Make Shore Lunches

Fishing endeavors produce endless moments and memories to savor.

Few can match shore lunches of freshly caught fish though!

In the above picture, crappie fillets - battered in panko bread crumbs and old bay - are cooked in hot oil along a Minnesotan lake while on a canoe camping adventure!

HOW TO: Shore Lunches

Before a successful day of fishing, make sure you have a fillet knife packed. Fillet your catch on the shoreline of your fishing destination.

After filleting, make a fire! Make sure to collect deadwood, instead of cutting down still live trees and brush. Deadwood will burn better in most cases, and cutting live trees is unlawful in most areas.

I like to pack a portable fire grate in my canoe or boat. This gives you an even surface to place a small 8-12" frying pan upon.

You can cook the fish in any manner you choose. I personally prefer the good ol' oil fry using canola or vegetable oil. Wait until the oil is plenty hot before dropping in the fish, and keep your tongs handy!

Another killer method is cooking fish whole! Gut and descale your catch, and pack the body cavity with butter and seasoning. Cook each side evenly and whabam! Whole fish on the barbie.

As pictured, sides add even more flavor to your shore lunch. Boiled rice with cilantro & lime, fried potatoes & peppers, hush puppies, the possibilities are limitless!

On your next fishing outing, pack the following gear to pull off a tasty shore lunch of your own!

Gear List;

8-12" Frying Pan

Fillet Knife

Fire grate (optional)

Tongs or Spatula

Frying oil or Butter

Seasoning! (old bay, salt, pepper, etc.)

Sides (potato, rice, peppers, etc.)

Small handsaw for collecting firewood

Lighter and ignition material (I use dryer lint, super flammable!)

And there you have it! Shore lunches are mega delicious and when done with others, can provide memories to ponder upon for years to come! Epic fishing locations and successful days on the water deserve shore lunches.

Get catching, get eating!

- Nathan W.