With these few items in place, I'll be prepared to make a gourmet meal in a primitive environment many miles from civilization. Let's hope the bears prefer the fresh salmon in the river rather than gourmet trout and grayling we will be eating in the mountains!
- 6 whole trout or grayling, gutted, about 1 lb. each
- 1 cube butter
- 3 Tbsp. seasoning (Emeril's Essence or equivalent)
- 3 lemons for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
With a fire prepared, arrange the grate near the horseshoe shaped fire pit so that the grid is perpendicular to the opening. You don't want your lunch falling between the gaps in the grill. You can control the amount of heat by moving the grate closer or farther from the fire. If necessary, you can rotate the position of the fish if heat distribution is not even. Use fishing rags to hold the grill when rotating.
Season the inside of each fish with the spice mixture and the outside of the fish with salt and pepper. Place the whole fish on the grate so that the heads are closest to the fire. As the fish begins to cook, rub butter on the outside surface of each whole fish and season with the spice mix.
Watch the fish closely. If it looks like the tail portion is not cooking at all, turn the grate for better heat distribution, but don't overcook the tail portions as the tail is useful in de-boning the fish after cooking. After about 5 to 7 minutes, turn each fish over, spread butter and sprinkle more seasoning. Cook an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the fish is easily flaked from the backbone.
Serve each fish whole with lemon wedges, salt and pepper. To de-bone the fish, lift by the tail and using a fork or knife, flake the meat off one side, from tail to head. When the fish is not overcooked, all of the bones will remain attached to the spine leaving a boneless fillet. Turn the fish over and remove the meat from the other side of the fish in similar manner. Now you can enjoy eating. Enjoy!
- Yields: 6 servings
- Preparation Time: 25 minutes