Sure, there is definitely somebody out there with a “better” recipe for freshly caught brook trout.
But for this specific night, after this specific day of fishing, our friend Harry couldn’t have been prepared with a simpler recipe that worked perfectly for four of us camping on the river.
For a bunch of amateurs, we were proud that we got a few brookies and we didn’t need to eat our subs from Neuffer’s Deli for dinner…We saved those for breakfast.
Once we got back to the campsite, though, we realized that other than tin foil to wrap them in, we were not even remotely prepared to cook them in a way that is deserved of such a delicate and tasty fish.
Harry was prepared.
This is a camping hack that I’ve used multiple times since this day. He reached down through all of the Genesee Cream Ales in his cooler, fished around for a few seconds (pun intended), and pulled out a small jar of premixed seasonings, garlic, and—most importantly—butter.
We smothered the fish in that mixture, wrapped them in the foil, and tossed them on the fire. When they’re cooked, these fish basically fall apart. I’ve had few, if any, more satisfying meals while camping. The four of us sat on a log 50 feet from the river and recapped the day of the fish we caught, the fish we almost caught, and the beautiful state of the river that still had many more fish to be caught out of it. We threw back some more Genesees, some whiskey, and paid tribute to the Adirondacks. Another successful night camping in the books. Plus, we still had our subs in the cooler for breakfast.