A meal of crappie or other panfish fried with potatoes and onions on the
side makes a treat your fishing companions will love. (Photo: Keith Sutton)
Shore Lunches Make Fishing Trips Unforgettable
by Keith Sutton
Fresh fish never tastes better than when it’s cooked on the shore of the lake or river where it was just caught.
Would you like to make your next fishing trip unforgettable?
Catching a slab crappie, or several, is one way to do that. But fish may not always be cooperative.
A more certain strategy is to plan and prepare a shore lunch, ideally with the fish you catch. It doesn’t take many fish for you and a buddy. All it takes is a little preparation before leaving home and you’ll be able to enjoy a delicious meal of freshly caught fish cooked on shore. It may well end up being the most memorable part of your day.
To get ready, here’s a list of things to pack in a waterproof box to keep everything dry:
- Filet knife, heavy kitchen knife and/or fish scaler for preparing your catch. If you have a battery-operated filet knife, even better.
- Hardcore shore-lunchers may want to build a fire. But a camp grill and charcoal/lighter fluid, or a Coleman stove, will make things easier. Don’t forget matches or a lighter.
- Large cast-iron skillet
- Utensils including a spatula, tongs, knives, forks or spoons
- Plates and cups (“nesting” mess kits are excellent). Or, of course, soft drinks already in the boat cooler work too.
- A pot holder or glove for handling the hot skillet
- Ingredients for one of the following recipes
Now, all you need is fresh-caught fish to create a memorable outdoor meal. It’s hard to beat crappie, which is recommended in all the recipes below. But any type of fish you legally catch can be used instead, including bream, catfish, bass, walleye or trout.
When mealtime rolls around, find an open spot on shore that’s big enough for your outdoor cooking area—preferably one that provides a scenic view of the body of water you’re fishing on. Maybe even a place where you can cast a line out.
Start your fire, grill or just fire up your camp stove and start cooking.
Prepare the fish according to the directions in these recipes, allowing at least 1/2 to 1 pound of fish per person. If your fishing buddies are big eaters, you might even double that amount to be sure everyone gets their bellies full. Enjoy!
Pan-fried Crappie with Taters & Onions
This filling, flavorful meal is simple to prepare and sure to be a welcome belly-filler by everyone in your party.
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 6 fish fillets or pan-dressed fish (about 8 oz. each)
- 3 medium potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 small onion, cut in strips
Before leaving home, place the cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper in a gallon zip-seal bag and shake together.
After preparing your fish, heat the cooking oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Add the potatoes and onion, and cook, stirring and turning often, until the potatoes start to get tender.
Add the fish to the cornmeal mix and shake to coat. Push the potatoes and onions to one side of the skillet, then add as many fish pieces as you can without crowding them. Cook until the fish coating is crispy and golden, adding more oil to the skillet if needed. Cook the remaining fillets, and serve piping hot with potatoes and onions on the side.
Serves 2 to 4.
Crappie Po’ boys
Your friends’ eyes will get big when you lay one of these thick hero sandwiches in front of them, but there probably won’t be a scrap left.
- 6 crappie fillets (12 if they’re small)
- Your favorite fish breading
- 1/4 cooking oil or butter
- 6 large crusty rolls
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 dashes Tabasco sauce
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 6 fried crappie fillets (12 if they’re small)
- Dill pickle slices
- Shredded lettuce
Moisten the fillets and dredge in breading. Fry in the oil or butter heated in a skillet. The fish should flake easily with a fork when done and have a crispy crust.
Cut the rolls in half, lengthwise, scoop out the soft centers and toast just until warm on your camp grill.
Combine ketchup, Tabasco, mustard and onion. Spread this mixture on a hot roll, and then top with a crappie fillet (two if they’re small), dill pickles, lettuce and the top of the roll. Serves 6.
Crappie with Lemon, Butter & Herbs
This easy-to-make dish makes the most of crappie’s delicate flavor. At home, I cook it in the oven, but it’s adaptable for cooking in a cast-iron skillet or foil wrap to make a delicious shore lunch.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound crappie fillets
- 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon each chopped parsley, chives and rosemary
Melt the butter in a cast-iron skillet and add the fish. Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice over the fillets. Sprinkle with the herbs.
Slice the remaining lemon half into thin slices, and arrange the slices on top of the fish. Cook over coals, turning once, until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serves 2 to 4.
Blackened Crappie
Chef Paul Prudhomme made blackened redfish a dish known worldwide. His method of cooking also works well with crappie, catfish, bass and other fish, and it’s easy to prepare over campfire coals.
- 10 (6- to 10-oz.) fish fillets
- 1-pound unsalted butter, melted, kept warm in a skillet
Blackening Spice:
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1-1/2 teaspoons white pepper
- 1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Before leaving home, use a fork to thoroughly combine blackening spice ingredients in a small bowl. Store in a zip-seal bag or other waterproof container until ready to use.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet until it is almost white hot. Dip each piece of fish in melted butter, then sprinkle some blackening spice mix evenly on each side.
Immediately place the fish in the hot skillet, cooking one piece at a time. Pour a teaspoon of melted butter atop the fish. (Be careful; the butter may flame up.) Cook about 2 minutes, turn, and pour another teaspoon of butter on top. Cook 2 minutes more. When the fish is done, it should be flaky, white and still very moist inside. Serve each piece while piping hot with more hot melted butter on the side for dipping.
Besides being the Editor of our sister publication, CatfishNOW, Keith Sutton has been an avid crappie angler for more than half a century, pursuing his favorite panfish on waters throughout the United States. His fishing stories have been read by millions in hundreds of books, magazines, newspapers and Internet publications. In 2021, he was inducted into the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame.
