How to bake trout in camp

The wonderful aroma and taste of good baked trout is hard to beat. When done out in camp, it becomes a special treat. How do you bake trout out in camp? It is actually far simpler than most people might think.

Camp stove accessories such as camp ovens can great at increasing the possibilities, but trout can be baked in the campfire, too. The results can be far better than trout baked at home, though a few items are needed for a truly exquisite meal.

First, of course, you need the fish. The best trout for campfire baking are those less than 12 inches long. Larger fish can be cooked this way in camp, but the effort is greater and the results aren't quite as good.

The trout need to be cleaned and scaled. In addition, the fresher they are, the better the meal will be.

Must items for the best results are aluminum foil and lemon juice. Many other items and ingredients make it easier to have a terrific dinner, and long handled tongs definitely make it easer to turn and remove the fish from the coals, but strictly speaking, they aren't totally necessary.

A good bed of coals is also needed. However, the coals shouldn't be extremely hot as this can burn the fish and dry out the meat. Allow the coals to cool before adding the trout.

Place the fish on a large piece of foil. If you are going to be baking small trout, several can be cooked together, but the foil needs to be big enough to thoroughly cover the fish. Having enough foil for a double layer around the fish is even better.

In the body cavity of the trout, squirt a small amount of lemon juice. This keeps the fish juicy and adds flavor as it cooks. A small pat of butter or margarine in the fish also helps with both juiciness and flavor. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a small amount of dill can be added, if they are among the camping supplies. Also, for a fantastic trout meal, add a few wedges of tomato inside each trout. Onion slices are also great for additions to the body of the fish, to increase flavor.

Fold the foil over and around the trout so it is snug and as sealed as possible, then place the trout in the coals. Small trout cook faster than larger trout, so with pan-sized trout, figure on turning them over after about 10 minutes, and cook an additional 10 minutes. This gives you enough time to prepare a bed of rice, which goes well with trout, or a watercress salad, which is also a great complimentary side dish.

When the trout is done, remove it from the coals and allow it to cool for several minutes. There will be hot steam in the foil packet around the fish, so this time allows it to cool a little, while also giving you time to finish the side dishes. Even with the cool-off period, take your time when removing the foil from the trout, as the fish should still be hot and steamy.

If properly baked, the skin of the trout should either come off with the foil or practically fall off, and the meat should easily flake off the bones. The baked fish will have a wonderful aroma and a fantastic taste, without a great number of bones to contend with.

It is incredibly easy to bake trout in camp, and with a little imagination and pre-planning, the above can be turned into an even better feast. Even with the basic recipe, even people who normally don't like fish will often gorge themselves on this baked trout. This tasty and healthy meal just can't quite be duplicated at home.

Ah, camp cooking. It just can't be topped.