Let’s do Lunch -- Shore Lunch

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NGPC news release, 4/28/08:

(c) NEBRASKAland Magazine/NGPC

A few trout make an excellent shore lunch.

Mention the term “shore lunch” to some people today and they’ll look at you with a confused expression and mutter something like “you mean a picnic at the lake? Ok, I’ll bring a bucket of chicken.” No, that isn’t it.
I don’t know where the term “shore lunch” originated, but I do know that it is the perfect way to enjoy freshly-caught fish and is a traditional part of great fishing trips, regardless of where they occur.

The basic scenario goes something like this – you and your family or friends go fishing, catch some fish, come back to shore, build a fire, and clean the fish. When the fire has burned down to a bed of coals, you cook the fish, some potatoes and onions over the coals, pile some on your plate, pour coffee, lean back against a tree trunk or large rock and dine like a king. A shore lunch can be as simple as a few bluegill fillets dipped in cornmeal, fried in a cast iron skillet and washed down with a cold Coke, or as grand as grilled walleye served with baked potatoes, fresh vegetables, campfire biscuits, peach cobbler for desert, and appropriate beverages.
It’s hard to go wrong with a shore lunch. The people involved have had a good time fishing and obviously have caught some fish (the makin’s of the lunch), the fish are as fresh as they get, everyone loves a campfire, and it is a fact that food always tastes better cooked outside over flames or coals.
Here are some tips for a successful shore lunch:
– Cast iron skillets and pans produce the best results and clean easily.
– Iron grills and tripods that can be placed over the fire are excellent tools – skillets, pans, and other cookware placed directly on the coals become too hot for normal cooking.
– A good way to “bake” potatoes and vegetables is to wrap them in aluminum foil with a little butter and place them on a thin layer of coals until they are done.
– Fish also can be wrapped in aluminum foil with some butter, your favorite spices, some lemon cut from the skin (discard the skin), a splash of malt vinegar if you like, and placed on coals to cook.
– Never overcook fish, it can make them lose flavor, become tough and dry. Fish are done when the flesh flakes easily with a fork.
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Conservation Officer Murray Johnson says where length and bag limits apply, fish cannot be filleted until fishing is completed for the day and anglers are off the water.
“Fish species subject to a bag limit and possession limit, but not a length limit, can be processed prior to transport if the fillets are kept in one piece until cooked, so the bag and possession limits can be determined,” he said.
Johnson said fish caught and consumed within a 24-hour period must be considered to be part of that day’s legal bag limit. He added that anglers may take their own grill or stove for preparing food, or they must use fire rings or grills provided on the area.