Growing up in Canada meant spending time in the great outdoors. I’ve done a fair bit of camping in my day; the annual family trip, summers spent at YMCA Camp Wanakita, oodles of canoe trips through Algonquin Park and my childhood years in the Boy Scouts of Canada. Seriously, I have the badge blanket and crazy campfire stories to prove it all.
Fine dining isn’t really an option when you’re out camping, most often you are just happy to be eating something, anything. Although, I have seen some serious camping gadgets, devices, stoves and kitchens on the market in recent years.
Every year our family out East gets together for a camping trip. This year we are headed down to Maine for the week, all 25 of us, it will be quite the spectacle! As a camper I like to keep the meals simple; hotdogs, hamburgers, and s’mores. The chef in me however thinks we can do better; fresh fish, fire kissed meats, and s’mores. I love s’mores - check out my blog "Some More Please!"
For this recipe I took inspiration from a “boil in bag” meal I had as a Scout. I liked the idea of cooking fish at the campsite but not the thought of having to deal with the messy side of seafood. Vacuum sealing the prepared ingredients (cooking “sous vide”) will help increase the flavour, make it much more portable, and basically be a fresh version of the boil in bag meal I had as a child, only better. You could even freeze the meals a couple of days before you pack up the cooler and head out into the wilderness, they’ll travel better and further.
I was really keen to use the fire pit in our backyard to test this recipe, I love the smell and sounds of a burning fire. Once the fire had burned for a while and produced some gorgeous glowing coals, I set the pot of water on and brought it to a boil. The water came to a boil quicker than I expected and I was poaching my fish and beans in no time. Maintaining the fire and hot coals for cooking proved to be more work and required more wood than I expected. Shovelling a steady supply of hot coals under the pot of water and adding a log every so often meant I had to stay and tend to the hot, smoky fire - not an easy task when everyone else was splashing about in the pool close by!
The recipe worked well, cooked easily and quickly. The fish took no more than 10 mins and the beans were a cooked to a lovely tender crisp in 4-5 mins. I wish that I had left the cod to marinate longer in the bag. The flavour on the fish was good, but I think it could have been much better if I had let it sit more than I did. I was too eager to get the fire going and start cooking!
Poached in a Bag Cod with Buttered Green Beans
Makes 5 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes plus fire building / burning time
For the Fish:
1 package 5 pieces Compliments Frozen Cod fillets, defrosted
1lime, thinly sliced
2 tbsp (30 mL) Compliments Pure Olive Oil
2 tbsp (30 mL) Compliments Pulp Free Orange Juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) Compliments Soy Sauce
1 tbsp (15 mL) black sesame seeds
1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh garlic, minced
1 knob of ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1 bunch Compliments Parsley (flat leaf)
1 bunch cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Beans:
4 cups (1000 mL) fresh green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, melted
¼ tsp (1 mL) each sea salt and cracked black pepper
For the Fish:
- Place the parsley in a thin layer inside the vacuum food or sealable plastic freezer bag, space the fish fillets evenly the length of the bag on top of the parsley. Layer the sliced lime and ginger over the fish.
- Whisk together the remaining ingredients for the fish and pour into the bag. Using the vacuum sealer, remove all the air form the bag and seal it closed. If you are using a sealable plastic bag, squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the bag tight. Refrigerate (freeze for longer storage) over night.
For the Beans:
- Toss the trimmed beans in the melted butter, salt and pepper, to coat them all evenly. Spread the beans into a thin layer inside a vacuum bag; remove all the air and seal the bag tight using the vacuum machine. Refrigerate until ready.
To Cook:
- Bring a large salted pot of water to a gentle boil over the hot coals of a fire. Add the vacuum sealed bags of fish and beans. Make sure to keep adding hot coals from the fire around and under the pot while stoking the fire with enough wood to keep a steady supply of coals.
- After 4-5 minutes carefully remove the bag of green beans and set aside to cool slightly. Cook the fish for another 4-5 minutes, to finish cooking through, carefully remove form the hot water and set aside to cool slightly.
- Cut the bags open, season the fish to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot fireside!
Nutritional Analysis per Serving:
Energy: 170 kcal
Protein: 16 g
Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 45 mg
Carbohydrates: 9 g
Fibre: 3 g
Sodium: 260 mg
Potassium: 620 mg
Happy Campfire Cooking!
Chef Ryan Skelton
