I have trouble frying fish streamside because they won’t lie flat in the pan until the following day. Doggone things seem to buckle up and make me feel sorry for them!
How long after catching can I cook them without their doing these contortions?
Is there witch doctor way to prevent this while fish are still extremely fresh?
Do I have to cook them immediately.
Ol’ Bill
1932
Bill, …
The very best way I found to prepare the fresh trout so they don’t “curl” is to fillet them, de-bone, … squeeze of lemon juice.
In a bowl, … add 1 part double black soya sauce to 1 part rice vinegar.
Cut the fillet into chunks big as 4 sugar cubes … dip 'em in the soya/vinegar mix and enjoy raw.
A SMALL glass of Vodka or JD goes very well with this preparation.
Christopher Chin, Jonquiere Quebec
[url=http://pages.videotron.com/fcch/:15eb2]Fishing the Ste-Marguerite[/url:15eb2]
[This message has been edited by fcch (edited 05 December 2005).]
My only experience is with salmon. Where I guided, we had these neat little grills called Pyromids. they held 9 charcoal briquettes in the bottom, and were just the right size for a sinle salmon. I would have a client catch a fish, I would bonk it, bleed it, fillet it, cook it, and serve it in less than 30 minutes. Cant get much fresher, and as a result, I am a spoiled brat when it come to the flavor of salmon.
It sounds like you are cooking your fish whole. I would suggest filleting the fish, and cooking it with whatever seasonings, spices, sauces that you prefer. There are few things I find better than enjoying a fresh fish on the streamside, chatting about the great day of fishing.
Filleting should keep the fish from contorting under the heat and allow you to cook them as soon as you can or want.
Enjoy, Jeff
Tis my time on the water, in the mountains, and in my driftboat where I can see things as they really are.
snipe;
Dicing the fish as suggested works. For shore lunches if you want a quick hot fire build a 3 sided “Fire Pit” out of rocks or logs just the right size to set the pan on. Gather a nice pile of twigs, nothing bigger than your little finger. When you get the fire started feed the twigs in and control the heat by the number and how fast you feed them in.
Good Cookin’!
Snipe,
For my shore lunches, I simply pack a grill and build a fire like Jack Hise explains so that the grill can fit between the rocks. I clean the fish (grayling) add some spices and wrap them in foil and cook them on the grill (grate, rack, whatevery you want to call it) without a pan. I haven’t experienced any curling problems. Clean up is a cinch and I am not packing a pan in or out.
When the fish is cooked, it will practically fall off of the bone! Most excellent.
Jeff, your suggestion for the Pyromids is very intriguing. Certainly wood is becoming more and more scarce for campfires at one of my spots… Are you a hike in guide or boat guide? I have several associates that guide and do shore lunches out of a boat and take a rather large grill (usually propane fired). But for hike outs, another 10 pounds is a bit too much!!! (Maybe in my younger days???). Do you have a recommendation for a source of information or vendor that sells this grill?
I don’t know how much time you spend cooking lunch, but you might just try carrying a little backpacking stove to cook the fish in a small frying pan instead of building a fire and grilling them… I love fires and have gotten pretty good a cooking over them, but this requires gathering kindling and wood, sometimes making a rock ring, waiting for the fire to build up some coals, then cooking and finally putting out the fire and scattering the ashes. Can be time consuming when I’d rather be fishing. Especially on a day trip.
A little stove lets you fire it up and cook the fish immediately. While you eat the stove cools down and you can stow it when you’re done. Also great for making coffee quickly.
The Optimus Nova backpacking stove is great… and can be found for under $100 if you do some web searches. There are also a bunch of lightweight stoves sold by EMS and the like.
Good luck,
rjj
Chris,
Trout sushi, now I have to find a place to carry wasabi in my vest!
Fish more, work less!
Wash a flat rock off and lay it on top of the fish. It will not curl up that way. Take it off and turn the fish over and you should be fine. Flat rocks can be used for more things than just skipping. 
Ron
Love the flat rock! Another goodie from Montana, thanks Ron 
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
Excellent suggestions all right!
Chris, I havn’t tried fish without cooking with heat first! It’ll be a first for me but I think I’ll make it this season. My daughter has tried it and says its delicious.
Jeff,
Yep, was planning a meal with whole fish. Ours are so small as to disappear altogether when I try to fillet them. Another method I will try is boiling with butter and lemon, Black Forrest style.
I’ve had good fortune every time I’ve poached trout and salmon but like to try something new.
Jack,
Sounds great…I’m a little afraid though. Years ago I made a nice little fire pit to roast potatoes and heat up a can of beans. The beans were hot but I had to wait a while for the spuds. I brewed up some tea and put my gun aside (unloaded)of course. About that time Jim,a guy I knew, came along and we shot the breeze while his stuff cooked.
Meanwhile his dog, a Llewellen male became overly interested in my female Gordon who was not in heat but not spayed either. We tied them so they couldn’t get closer than about 10 feet.
We ate our lunches and talked some more. The dogs were quiet enough.
When Jim was about to leave his dog had chewed himself to freedom and was about to mount my beautiful Gordon Setter. He picked up his gun and Ka-BOOM!
Naw, he didn’t shoot his dog or anything like that. Our local rocks get a bit nasty when they get over heated, they literally EXPLODE and rock shards fly all over the place. Came at the right time too, Scared the hell out of Jim’s horse and the dogs too. Didn’t bother me though, I was ok after I got down out of the tree and jim came back for his horse after a fashion. I don’t know how far he chased his dog. He was carrying a golden rod switch and hollering so loud he’s fortunate to get the son of a gun back at all. Poor dog didn’t do anything but what comes naturally.
Lesson:
If you are camping in this area, don’t use our local sedimentary rocks in your fire pit!
Igneous only. (We have both)
Ol’ Bill
[This message has been edited by snipe (edited 05 December 2005).]
When we were kids we used to split the fish up the back , usually trout , occasionally salmon .We would thread them on a forked stick and grill them over the open campfire . Lots of fish bit the dust as they fell into the flames but those that survived tasted so good . I have a basket that does the same job but I haven’t done that in years .
LF I wasn’t kidding on the flat rock. I have used them to cook fish on. They work well you just have to be careful on what type of rock you choose to cook on as they can blow up on you. But for laying on top of a fish in a frying pan any flat rock will work.
In years gone by we use to carry some foil when fishing in the park (Yellowstone). Use to catch a fish for lunch and wrap it in the foil in which we already had some salt pepper and a little butter. We would clean the fish put in in the foil and cook it in a hot pot or a Geyser for those that do not know what a hot pot is. Works great. Use to tie the foil to a stick and lower it into the hot water just so the water could not get into the foil package and poach the fish that way. Tasted great to. Haven’t done that in many years. Good to think about though. 
Ron
Bill,
Try it, … You’ll like it!!
Rick, …
Though the true to tradition, … for westerners, 
(‘wa-sa-bi’) is for those who don’t really care for the taste of fish.
It’s just too strong a taste for me. You can mix a tad into the soya mix though to give it that extra zing.
Christopher Chin, Jonquiere Quebec
[url=http://pages.videotron.com/fcch/:0ede8]Fishing the Ste-Marguerite[/url:0ede8]
[This message has been edited by fcch (edited 05 December 2005).]
RonMt
sounds like an excellent Idea, That flat rock! I hope that I remember it.
Gnu…
We did the same thing with Rock Bass, Yellow Perch and occasionally a Smallmouth Bass. Nothin on 'em except olive oil and lemon with a little salt, pepper and herbs. We’d leave the heads on and go through the mouth and into the flesh a ways behind the body cavity with a sharpened stick. Even then we’d drop one in the inferno once in a while.
The wire basket is great if things don’t stick! frequent basting helped and Greek olive oil will not separate from the lemon when mixed. Some Italian oils are now mixed with the Greek or North African Oils and lemon will mix pretty well with them too.
Dang! I’m getting hungry now.
Ol’ Bill
1932
AKFG,
Sorry to chop your name, but it is too long. I was a guide at a fishing camp out south of Bethel. I hate to say it, but the camp manager found them at a Sportsman show that they were also at. I dont know where they were made, but they were awesome. They weighed a couple of pounds, and folder up in to a carry case that was about 12" X 12" X 1" deep. The cooking surface was also 12" X 12", and when wrapped with foil, easy to keep clean. I found this link in about 3 seconds on the internet.
[url=http://www.pyromid.net/oldsite/c_system.html:6aa3b]http://www.pyromid.net/oldsite/c_system.html[/url:6aa3b]
Nice little diagram too. They rock, and are a lot lighter than 10 pounds. I do not guide anymore, so I am no longer in company of my little pyromid. And since my camping is usually within 50" of my truckmore, I can take the big grill if I need too!
Tis my time on the water, in the mountains, and in my driftboat where I can see things as they really are.
When I am tempted to cook up a few streamside it is usually little brookies, 9 inch and smaller. I just build a dinky little fire, no more than 10 inch dia. or so, spit the whole fish, gutted, on the end of a stick. the stick is propped up on a forked stick and a rock ballasts the bottom. No oil, no salt, pepper, nothing. ( that would all require forethought and planning)Best tasting fish ever.
AgMD
Jeff,
No worries on the name thing…
Thanks for the info. I found the site as well. It seems that the unit is no longer in production because the company sold. They are taking pre-orders for if and when they start production again. I found one on Ebay starting at $149 (no bids; this is the suggested retail). Nevertheless, it looks really cool. I split my time between the Kenai out of a boat (weight not an issue) and hike-outs where weight becomes a big issue…
Thanks for the reply…
Ed
Hey Chris ( fcch),
Your trout recipe? With due respect, YUKAROOOO. Raw trout, wasabi or not, is possibly the last thing I’d eat just after raw squid. Perhaps someday I’ll broaden my cullinary horizons but for now NO RAW FISH!
Mark
I’d rather be in Wyoming!
Nothing wrong with raw fish that a hot fire and a fry pan wont cure .
Simple. Trout, catfish, whatever: bleed them first. Take the scissors from your Swiss tool cabinet and simply cut through the gill on one side. A fish will bleed out in a matter of about 45 seconds and the meat will be perfect. They will then be ready for filleting without a curl. JGW