Fuel efficient way to cook trout?

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Mtncaddis
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Fuel efficient way to cook trout?

Post by Mtncaddis »

Question for those with more experience cooking trout in the backcountry:

I am soon leaving for a 3 week ramble through the Sierra and would like to know which of these two options are the more fuel efficient for cooking trout... 1. in a small frying pan, or 2. Poaching in a small pot (GSI Soloist,holds 2+ cups) ? I will be using a Snowpeak gigapower stove.
Any advise for cooking trout in either of these implements would be appreciated.

I have released endless fish over the years but only harvested one so I am totally green to cooking. I want to shed weight from my pack so I am tempted to leave the frying pan (5.7 oz) behind, but if poaching trout in a tiny pot is going to use a lot of fuel or yield a trout that tastes nowhere near as good as pan fried then I will lug the pan along.
Thanks in advance for any advise.
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austex
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Re: Fuel efficient way to cook trout?

Post by austex »

I would say poached is more fuel efficient as it surrounds the fish with heat,can be covered to cap even more heat. A frying pan has wasted space around the fish, and can be partially covered. Taste? Frying hands down.
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AlmostThere
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Re: Fuel efficient way to cook trout?

Post by AlmostThere »

If fires are allowed, I build a small fire, make coals, wrap the fish in foil, and cook it that way. Burn the grease off the foil, wad it up, stuff in the trash ziploc.

If no fire I bring a little nonstick pan and sheet of foil, and a dab of olive oil. It takes very little stove time to cook the fish, the pan wipes clean, the greasy paper towel is wrapped in the foil and put in the trash ziploc.

I have poached fish by wrapping in foil and putting it in the pot using a few rocks and an inch of water in the bottom. It was a #$%^ mess. A Soloist is way too small unless you are catching sardines.
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rayfound
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Re: Fuel efficient way to cook trout?

Post by rayfound »

You're getting into the reasons I never bother. Boiled trout doesn't taste very good, frying means equipment I might not be bringing anyway. The only time I think the effort:result ratio pays off is if you're in a campfire legal area, and can do the foil/butter routine, that's pretty good.
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SCandy
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Re: Fuel efficient way to cook trout?

Post by SCandy »

The Soloist (or is it the minimalist?)is my go to. No way I would even think of cooking trout in it.
One way or the other you are best to use aluminum foil in the equation for efficiency, and taste by the way.
Even at home foil is probably a top contender for trout. I think a small fry pan is in your future. Crazy how creative people are with their pans (lids, etc). Some have kept them for years because they cant find a better solution on the market. They dont really serve many other purposes in the back country so it really is a luxury. Unless you are into pancakes or crepes like some of those European alpinists!!
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AlmostThere
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Re: Fuel efficient way to cook trout?

Post by AlmostThere »

My favoritist meal in the world is Packit Gourmet's samosas with mango chutney -- I LOVE those things, and if there's a fire ban I happily bring a pan to toast the samosas as well as cook fish. Well worth the trouble, and I don't say that a lot.
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longri
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Re: Fuel efficient way to cook trout?

Post by longri »

AlmostThere wrote:My favoritist meal in the world is Packit Gourmet's samosas with mango chutney -- I LOVE those things...
Those look very tasty. It's a shame they include trans-fats. It doesn't seem necessary in a samosa so I wonder why they do that?
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Mtncaddis
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Re: Fuel efficient way to cook trout?

Post by Mtncaddis »

Thanks for the replies! I believe I will be taking the frying pan and will improvise a lid out of aluminum. I too was thinking, as pointed out above, that the gsi "minimalist" is impractical for poaching trout and it would be a tedious process.
I am a big fan of Packit Gourmet and have several of their samosa mango chutney meals I will be trying for the first time on this trip so that's a bonus use for the frying pan. Their All American Burger is one of my go to b.packing meals.
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austex
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Re: Fuel efficient way to cook trout?

Post by austex »

I too like Packit Gourmet.... Keep it local/Austin. NO storefront they have to ship to me. Takes one day! :unibrow:
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Mtncaddis
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Re: Fuel efficient way to cook trout?

Post by Mtncaddis »

If you happen to miss veggies on the trail give Harmony House dehydrated veggies a try. They make a nice addition to other meals.
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