Can anyone please share their favorite AP interior fish recipe with me? I am a week away from heading into the park and I would like to eat fish one night. What do I need to bring with me in order to make a great fish meal?? Something tells me that with all of the experience on the forums you guys have something better then just a plain store bough fish batter.

Thanks for your help!
Rob

Browned butter, Fried onion, fresh lemon & cracked black pepper...nuff said

What Cookslav said....mmmm

My favorites in no particular order:

1) Fried Trout. Fry bacon in pan at med-low heat, remove and reserve fat. Cut fresh trout fillets cross-ways into 1" wide "fingers". Drop into zip-lock bag containing corn meal and equal dashes of paprika, salt, and pepper. Shake gently, remove, drop into pan - not too crowded. Turn once, cook until golden brown - takes only a couple minutes per side (assuming a smaller fish). It is my tradition that fish be cooked over a fire.

2) Baked/Steamed Trout. Clean out the cavity of a whole trout, clip pectoral fins and remove anus. Place on large piece of aluminum foil. Rub the inside with liberal amounts of salt and pepper. Smear butter into the cavity. Add onion slices, lemon slices, a bunch of fresh parsley and a few leaves of fresh tarragon (you should never be without fresh herbs, even in the back-country). Splash in some white wine. Close up the foil and bake/steam the fish over coals. Don't waste the juices.

3) Curried Trout. Cube fish into 1" pieces. Slice carrots, potatoes, and onions 1/8" thick. Layer into a pot the fish, potatoes, onions, carrots, and then sprinkle in a modest amount of yellow curry powder (I prefer a Madras style curry). Repeat until you are out of ingredients, leave room at the top. Splash in some white wine and then pour in water to just barely cover the ingredients. Let simmer over a low fire. Add Oka cheese, let melt. Serve over buttered rye toast scraped with garlic or wild rice.

Steve
Hamilton, ON

For Lakers it would be nice to have some crisco & batter, any kind of batter.
For Specks not a damn thing at all. Salt, rub it with some salt you get at the McDonald's on the way up. Don't forget to snag some salt packets at McDonalds.
Keep some tinfoil folded up in your food kit, like 6' of it.

Hey Rob,

What fish are you targeting? Bass (smallies/largies), walleye (from Laurel lake - Cedar and south east down the Petawawa), pike or charr or even perch/sunfish/rock bass? Or does it matter?

For any perch/sunfish/rockbass, walleye or pike (i let all the smallies/largies go) I keep, my fave is the following:

Fried, Shore-lunch style:
Filet, remove rib cage, remove the 'Y' bones if a pike and finally skin the fish. Rinse off any blood, slime or gut residue. Cut in meal-size portions that fit in frypan as necessary. This year I bought a small 10" GSI plastic cuting board for the cleaning/filleting jobs - beats using your paddle for it. I lay out one large SSteel flat plate for the dry coatings and a bowl for the eggwash. Try to dry off each portion (i bring paper towels for this), dip in pre-mixed seasoned (with salt/pepper) white flour (I do this on a plate, not in a plastic bag). Shake off excess flour, then dip in prepared eggwash (one egg w/ 1/2 cup pre-mixed skim or whole milk in bowl). Use a fork to move the filets from one station to another. Gently shake off excess eggwash then dip each filet in a mixture of pureed corn flakes + white flour (3:1 ratio), again on the above plate.

Use 3-4 Tblsp of whatever high-heat tolerant fat you want to fry it in (bacon fat, olive oil, peanut oil, shortening, etc. I don't use clarified butter, I find it bland and doesn't add/enhance any taste to a dish, but it's great if you like Blackening dishes). Heat the oil in fry pan (I prefer to use a 6" or 8" cast iron pan, but your fave stainless steel or aluminum/teflon coated one is fine) til sufficiently hot and place the filets in the hot oil (filets shouldn't be touching each other). 2-3 minutes per side depending on thickness of fillet, golden brown when done. Flip with your spatula. Serve with lemon wedge and your fave accompaniment(s) (e.g. fried rice, baked/fried/mashed potatoes, couscous, corn on the cob, coleslaw, beans (pre-poured into Nalgene), steamed rice, noodles, etc). Easily done over controlled campfire or stove.

Don't discount the store-bought fish fries though, likely some are decent enough. I've only tried a 2-3 of them, and I can recommend Uncle Bucks - not sure if you can pick that up in Canada though. Most of them are cornmeal based, and judging by the ingredients rather bland spice-wise.

Grilled:
Prepare fish as above but omit the flour/egg/corn flakes + flour stages. I simply drizzle with margarine or olive oil, shake salt/pepper/dill/onion pwrd/garlic pwdr and/or lemon pepper (or your other fave spices) and place in hand-held toaster grill. Place over coals (flameless fire), turning and watching carefully. Baste with more fat as necessary. 5 minutes per side, again depending on thickness, and she's done. Serve as above.

For any lakers, brookies I keep from the Park, my fave are the following:

Baked in foil w/ Honey/Dill/Garlic
One of the easiest and fave ways to cook trout. Gut and fillet the fish as above, but leave the skin on and cut into meal-sized portions. On a ~18" length of tin foil, lay out the fillets (skin side down) and drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil or your fave fat over fish. Mince 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic and place over trout. Place <1 tsp of dried dill over fillets then drizzle 1 tblsp of honey over the fish. Fold the tin foil over and wrap/close it up. Place over coals, turning a few times every 4-5 minutes. Fish is done in about 12-15 minutes. Serve as above with your fave accompaniment and season with salt as required. <br>
Fried in fat
Another very easy and quick method. Dress the fish as above, again leaving the skin on.In a fry pan heat your fave fat (olive/peanut oil, margarine, bacon fat, etc) til sufficiently heated. To the cleaned fillet or fish (deheaded and degutted only if small enough), lightly dust the outer skin/flesh with flour (seasoned or not). Add to fry pan and cook til done (2-3 minutes per side, depending on thickness). Stove or fire. Remove from pan and serve with fave accompaniment(s).

Jerked
Jerk (Jamaican) sauce premade before-hand, stored in nalgene will keep w/o refrigeration for upwards of 2 weeks (at least my recipe does). Adapt the recipe to your own heat-tolerant level (reduce/add scotch bonnet peppers). Fillet fish as above, place in large section of tin foil. Pour in 1/4-1/3 cup jerk sauce, spread evenly. Seal tin foil + wrap with a 2nd layer of tin foil of the same or smaller size. Cook over coals til done, turning once every 3-4 minutes. Fish is done in about 15 minutes. Serve as above. Can be done on the stove, but cook the fish in the fry pan with the jerk sauce under low heat, and cover it during cooking times.

Sushi
To me sushi is a snack, not a full-blown meal, so I make this as a dinner app or for a quick lunch meal. Preferably the rice is made the day before, or at least 3-4 hours before you need it (needs to be cool). No cooking of the fish is required, just filet, debone and julienne the meat to 1" x 3" lengths. For trout I leave the skin on. Pre-package and bring the Wasabi, Sushi Ginger, Nori (Seasoned Roasted Seaweed), cucumber + whatever else you favor for your sushi for your trip. I don't use 'sushi rice', i just use plain Chinese Rose-brand rice (20 min cook time), never that minute rice stuff. I don't roll the sushi either, just kind of 'push' it together, lol. Tastes just as good and has quickly become my fave fish 'meal' this year. No stove or fire required (assuming the rice is already done).

Steamed/Baked with Coconut Milk
Fillet and debone the fish as above, leave skin on, cut into pot-sized pieces. To a small (~1 liter) saucepan (or frypan) with a lid (my large SSteel plate is used as a cover to my frypan), add 1/3 cup dry coconut milk pwdr and 2 cups water. Mix well and add 3 quarter-sized thin sections of ginger root, 3 sundried tomatoes segments, 2 sliced/minced garlic cloves, 2-3 green cardamon pods (whole), 1 tsp chili flakes and a small sweet pepper (fresh or dehydrated). Turn on the stove, very low heat, add the fish to the pot, cover it and place on stove. Stir the coconut milk mixture gently every few minutes til done. Add more water if paste thickens or as desired. Avoid overheating and limit the amount of boiling - simmering is best. Should be done in about 20 minutes. Serve with lime or lemon wedges and seasoned rice (my fave for this meal). I've only ever made this over the camp stove (controlled heat) and it is delicious.

Pad Thai Trout
Another quickie and very tasty. Purchase Thai Kitchen's 'Original Pad Thai' product - available at most grocery stores. Follow the recipe attached to the box to prepare the noodles. Fillet, debone the trout and cut into 1" cubes (leave skin on). Fry the trout in minced garlic, ginger and 1 tblsp olive oil (or your fave fat) in a frypan. When the fish is done add the cooked noodles + spice/oil packet to the frypan. Stir a minute and remove from heat. Garnish with peanuts, lime wedges, chili flakes, dried shrimp and dried cilantro. I've only ever made this over the camp stove and takes less than 15 minutes to make once the noodle's water is boiling, start to finish.