Gourmet camping dinner

I know it’s winter but I really enjoy this dish and I’m sure you will to if you like seafood. Now if you read my previous post on Grandma’s Meatball Pasta Sauce you know that I love to cook, and exploring new ideas is the best way to become a better cook. If I remember correctly I got this idea from a show on the Food Network.

Tools needed:

- Newspaper (you’ll find out in a second)
- Meat string (this is a special type of twine that Boucher’s use. It’s very strong and
able to withstand high temperatures without breaking)
- Open fire, or campfire
- Water
- Knife

Ingredients needed:

- Fresh piece of salmon (Atlantic or not) cut into to halves
- 3-4 lemons
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fresh herbs (you may choose the ones you like I find the best three that I’ve used are: Cilantro, curled parsley, and dill. Your going to need at least one bundle of each herb so don’t be stingy)

Lets create a scenario; your camping with friends your deep in the boonies of Algonquin Park and the only means of cooking is the fire (most of your friends are occasional campers they don’t own the Coleman gear). It’s about 5 o’clock and your getting hungry; you go to your cooler and pull out your fresh piece of salmon that is almost completely defrosted (you froze your fish before you left because your a pro camper). Your buddy has stared a fire and it’s about medium strength, your friends start to gather round the fire to cook up their hot dogs on sticks (mmmm that sounds sooo good eh pusssth yeah right). You set up shop on top of your cooler and begin to prepare your gourmet camping meal.

Step one: Preparation

- Wet (very important that you wet the paper) and layout 3-4 layers of newspaper. Any old new paper will do, and lay it across your cooler. This will act as your cutting board and prep table.
- Slice up the 3-4 lemons ½” thick
- Rip up the three bundles of herbs that you brought placing them to the side
- Cut the salmon into to equal halves

You notice your friends start to gather round you wondering what the hell you are doing. They see the fish and the newspaper and can’t quite make out how exactly you are going to cook that glorious piece of fish, considering the fact you don’t have a grill. You smile and reply with “I’m going to smoke it” this will bewilder your friends even more.

Step two: Layering

Now you are ready to prepare the flavor infusion device. Remember the newspaper that you laid out prior to preparing everything; this will now be the outside of your infusion device.

Place one large pile of herbs in the middle of the WET (very important again that it is wet) newspaper. Now place enough lemon slices on top of the herbs to cover the bottom of the salmon. Place one-half salmon, skin side down on top of the lemons. Hit it up with salt and pepper, more lemon slices and another handful of herbs. On top of the herbs place more lemon (you need several slices of lemon). Salt and pepper the other half of salmon and place it on top of the other half like an herb and lemon sandwich. Now place more herbs on top of the sandwich (make sure the salmon herb sandwich is totally covered in herbs).

Your friends are becoming even more bewildered but at the same time even more interested in this strange meal. Preparing this meal if half the fun.

Step three: The wrapping

Now that you have your herb, lemon and salmon sandwich cover it and wrap the entire sandwich with wet newspaper (I would recommend 3-4 layers of paper although gage it on how much salmon you have. Of course the more salmon the more paper right). Now remember that Boucher’s twine take that and tie the bundle together several times making it a tight sealed package.

Before the final step I will explain how this little meal will work. The newspaper around the salmon acts as a smoking device. If you have ever burned wet newspaper you will find that it creates a lot of smoke. This is why you must use wet paper. The herbs and all the other goodies inside the package will infuse together creating a one of a kind taste (trust me). Ah, yes the ink in the paper, don’t worry about that, that’s why you have herbs covering the salmon. I would recommend a low fire with mostly ambers you don’t need a flaming salmon sandwich.

Final step: Cooking

Place the package right in the smoldering fire. It most likely will not erupt into flames because you wet it. The time it takes to cook is a tough call. I do know it takes about 3-4 times longer then conventional methods of cooking fish. It depends on how large the fish is, and how hot the fire is. If your unsure open a little hole and check, if it’s not ready chuck it back on.

After it’s complete, rip open the paper and uncover you home made smoked salmon. You and your friends will have a great meal in the middle of nowhere and the smell will make your mouth water. Best severed with many funnels…common people were camping here right!

-Chef Josip