I love catching and eating trout. Who doesn’t? They’re the most finicky fish to hook, but one of the tastiest to fry, bake or broil. Here are some of my favourite trout recipes I use during my wilderness canoe trips.

Bacon-Wrapped Trout

This was one of Ernest Hemingway’s favourite trout recipes. It’s one of mine as well.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized brook trout
• 1/2 lb. bacon
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• Pinch of thyme
• 1 lemon, sliced
• Pinch of parsley, for garnish
• Salt and ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Gut the trout and dredge outside of fish with the cornmeal. Season inside of fish with salt and pepper and place thyme and lemon slices. Then, wrap the bacon around the center of the fish and place in aluminum foil. Cook for approximately 5 minutes in campfire coals or on top of a Kelly Kettle Hobo Stick Stove.

Roast Trout

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-size lake trout – gutted, not filleted
• 1 small walleye fillet
• 2 fresh lemons
• 1 medium white onion
• A few good pinches lemon pepper spices
• 1 Macintosh apple sliced into chunks
• 1 cup butter

Directions:

Step 1: Gut and de-head the trout and lay it on top of a square of tin foil.

Step 2: Fill the cavity of the trout with the cut-up lemon, apples*, onion, butter, and walleye.
*the apples help keep the meat moist while baking.

Step 3: Sprinkle on lemon pepper, wrap fish up in tin foil and place in hot coals for 20-30 minutes, turning it over halfway through.

Step 4: Remove from fire, open tin foil and peel or flake off meat (skin will stick to foil).

Baked Trout Amandine

Ingredients:

• 4 small brook trout
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1 lemon
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 1 Tbs dried lemon thyme
• 1 Tbs dried sage

Directions:

In a small pot, combine breadcrumbs, almonds, lemon thyme, sage, and pepper. Mix well. Sprinkle contents of the pot over the skin side of gutted trout. Roll trout in tinfoil with sliced lemon and bake in coals of the campfire for 15 minutes.

Caribbean Trout

Ingredients:

• One small trout fillet (a small rainbow trout will do the job)
• Wooden skewers
• 2 lemons
• 1 small bag (100 g) jalapeno plantain chips
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch kosher salt
• Pinch black pepper
• Mango salsa (dehydrated) – store-bought or homemade:
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp red pepper, diced small
• Few drops Tabasco sauce
• Pinch kosher salt
• Pinch dried thyme

Directions:

At camp mix chips, oil, and pepper in a bowl or ziplock bag and crush into small pieces.
Cut trout into chunks and place 3 to 4 chunks on each skewer. Dip fish in chip mix and wrap in tinfoil. Cook over heat for 5 minutes per side and cover with lemon and mango salsa.