Elevating The Campfire Meal

By: Kayla & Justin Butts  Photos by: Rachel Benavides

Of all the beautiful meals you prepare forbryour family, the ones they rememberbrbest are cooked over a campfire.br

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Cooking over a fire is the oldest andbrmost interesting way to prepare a meal. Unfortunately, too many home chefs lack confidence inbrtheir camp cooking prowess, so they compromisebrwith hot dogs and other processed junk food at thebrcampsite.br

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But, with a little advanced preparation, you canbrserve gourmet meals deep in the wilderness. Bestbrof all, everyone in the family, no matter how bigbror small, will have fun helping. This camp meal isbrdesigned to get the whole family involved.br

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If you want your children to love their camp dinner,brlet them catch the main course. We featured thebrhumble sunfish in this recipe, because they are sobr

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easy for the little ones to catch. You can find sunfishbrin streams, rivers, lakes, and in the pounding wavesbrof the Gulf, so no matter where you pitch your tent,breven the smallest angler will be proud to bring youbra fish.br

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We love this simple, reliable, and versatile skillet-fried fish recipe. We have cooked whole rainbowbrtrout many times with this recipe next to a mountain stream. If your taste is for bigger game fish,
brcut them down into pan-size filets. We have usedbrthis recipe for salmon, steelhead, redfish, and evenbrshark steaks, depending on whether the campsitebrwas at altitude or down at sea level.br

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These campfire biscuits are the crowning achievement of this meal. They are so delicious and so easybrto make, you may go camping again just for thebrbiscuits! Mix the dry ingredients in a zip lock bagbrat home and simply add water and a little oil at the campsite, then put your biscuits on for a short bakebrto perfection.

We first roasted okra over a fire while trekking inbrthe Himalayas. You will not believe how much okrabryour kids will eat if you let them roast it with theirbrown sticks (to be used later for marshmallows, ofbrcourse). A light application of oil helps the okrabrachieve a golden, crisp exterior.br

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To roast the corn, simply ring it around the firebrstill in its protective husk. The corn will cook whilebryou prepare the rest of the meal and be steamy andbrhot when you are ready for it. You will never campbrwithout fresh corn again.br

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With these simple recipes, your kids will catch thebrmain course, help cook the meal, and have a lot
brof fun in the process. This is a family dinner yourbrchildren will remember for a long time to come.br

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Skillet-Fried Sunfishbr

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Serves 4br

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Prep Time: 20 minutesbrCook time: 15-20 minutesbr

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Ingredients:br

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3 tbsp canola oilbr

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4 whole fish, gutted and scaled (perch, trout,bretc.)br

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1 medium onion, slicedbr1 red bell pepper, slicedbr1 lemon, sliced
br6 sprigs fresh dillbr

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Salt and pepperbr

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Directions: Place a 12” skillet on larger support logsbrbordering your established campfire. Add oilbrto skillet and heat for 1-2 minutes. Distributebrfish, pepper, and onion on preheated skillet.brPlace one lemon slice on each fish, along withbrsprigs of dill. Cook for 5-7 minutes on eachbrside. Remove from skillet and squeeze freshbrlemon on each fish. Serve with sautéed onionsbrand peppers.

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1⁄2 cup water or milk 

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