Shore-lunch cooking with the Outdoors Guy
BY JEFF MORRISON
THE GREAT CANADIAN shore lunch is a
tradition enjoyed by thousands each year
and though these feasts usually involve
fresh fish, they don’t always. A good shore
lunch can be anything cooked and served
along the shore of a lake or the banks of a
river.
Please enjoy three of my favourite
shore lunch recipes excerpted from The
Canadian Outdoor Cookbook, written by
me and published by Canada’s authority on
cooking, Company’s Company.
FOGGY LAKE BEANS
SERVES 6
Perhaps it’s just that hilarious scene from
the movie Blazing Saddles, but there has
always been some connection between
eating beans and sitting around an open
fire. My teenage fishing trips were not
complete without a can of Libby’s beans –
not a fancy meal, but just something special
about sitting on the shore of Foggy Lake,
Que., eating beans. My friends and I even
deliberately “forgot” utensils so we could
fashion spoons from sticks of wood.
www.fishhuntandride.ca
So eating beans awakens visions of
whittled spoons, an outdoor cooking
fire and friends gathered around. This
updated version of Foggy Lake Beans
harkens back to simpler times every
time I cook it. How often can you say
that about a meal?
- 2 lbs (1 kg) ground beef or
venison
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 × 425 mL can tomato sauce
- 1 × 425 mL can crushed tomatoes
- 1 × 425 mL can kidney beans
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- 2 cups water
- ½ tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 chopped onion for garnish
Light your campfire or preheat a
grill to medium-high. Cook meat in
skillet until brown. Transfer to large
pot or Dutch oven; add chopped
onion, chili powder, tomato sauce,
crushed tomatoes, kidney beans,
garlic and water. Bring to a simmer
and cook for about an hour, stirring
frequently. Season with salt and
pepper and enjoy!
Fishing partners; Bruce Rogers (left), Steve Enright
(centre) and Rathwell Morrison (right) enjoying a shore
lunch at Lac Perdu
SHORE LUNCH FRIED CRAPPIE
SERVES 4
Summertime fishing easily turns into a
fine meal when panfish are available. The
most popular one in Canada is the black
crappie found in many of our larger rivers
and lakes. For me it’s a greatly underutilized
resource. Crappie fishing can provide hours
of family enjoyment, and this fish can be
a foundation for a superb meal back at
camp. Given their meagre size, crappie are
labour-intensive to prepare, but the reward
is big flavour. The best crappies are caught
early in the season in cold, clear water. So
put a handful aside for a tasty shore lunch.
- 1 cup peanut or canola oil
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ cup mustard
- 10 crappie fillets
- 2 cups corn flour
- Salt and pepper
Light the campfire or preheat grill to
medium. Heat oil in deep cast-iron skillet. In
small bowl, combine cayenne and mustard.
Roll up each fillet and use toothpick to hold
in place. Brush mustard mixture on each
rolled-up fillet, dip them in corn flour fry
them in skillet until golden brown. Remove
to paper towel to drain; sprinkle with salt
and pepper to taste.
CAMPFIRE TROUT AND BACON
SERVES 4
The best campfire trout meals are served
after a long morning on the water – a true
shore lunch. The idea is to cook the catch
immediately, right by the shore. You’ll need
to pack the right equipment: two large
skillets, fresh cooking oil, butter, spices,
utensils and all-purpose flour. You can use
briquettes or a gas grill, but tradition calls
for open coals. Trust me, after such a meal,
you’ll never want to eat fish at home again.
- 12 slices bacon
- 6 brook trout, cleaned with heads removed
- 1 cup cornmeal or flour
- Salt & pepper to taste
Fry bacon to desired crispness and put it
on a paper towel to drain, reserving bacon
fat in skillet. Clean trout thoroughly and
wipe dry with paper towel. Roll each trout in
cornmeal or flour, coating it evenly. Fry trout
in hot bacon fat until it flakes easily when
tested with a fork; don’t overcook. Serve
bacon as a side or save for breakfast, but
please don’t waste it!
FISH , HUNT RIDE | 17