What do you get when you cross a boy scout with a Michelin star? Bobby Flay. Yes, before the Iron Chef had all his accolades, he enjoyed vacationing in the Adirondack Mountains as a kid, sleeping out under a big blanket of stars, and making a campfire meal that isn’t a s’more. In an exclusive interview with our sister publication Mashed, Flay shared one of his favorite easy and delicious campfire dishes — brook trout with brown butter. This is a three-ingredient adventure, Flay explained, “The first time I caught a fish when I was a kid, it was brook trout. Literally add brown butter and some capers and that’s it.”
While it might sound a little gourmet for some campers, the grill master explained that brown butter is the “easiest sauce in the world” to make and can be accomplished over an open fire by taking a pan and some butter and letting it brown. Of course, if you are Flay, it probably is the easiest, but knowing when brown butter is done cooking isn’t easy and it can turn to burnt butter pretty quickly.
Just remember, once it smells a little nutty and looks golden, it’s done regardless if you are cooking it over a campfire or on a stove burner. In addition, the salty and slightly crunchy nature of the capers adds just the right pop to the taste and texture contrast of the butter and trout.
Make Bobby Flay’s brown butter trout at home
Trout has a naturally, buttery taste. You can season it with a little salt and pepper, wrap it in foil, and cook it under red hot coals for 7 to 10 minutes. The cooking time will depend on how hot your fire is and how big your fish are. Remember to add butter or oil to the foil pack or spray it with cooking spray. If you don’t, it will stick — a fish-cooking mistake you want to avoid. When it is finished cooking and the foil is cool enough to touch, unwrap and spoon a little of the brown butter and capers over the fish. Eat it right out of the foil wrapper and file this tip under your camping cooking hacks. After all, camping is all about ease.
If you aren’t a fisherman or a camper, this easy dinner can be adapted to eat in the convenience of your home. If you can’t find lake trout, you can use tilapia, flounder, or even turbot fillets to recreate this dish. In fact, Bobby Flay has a more sophisticated version of this lake trout dish with brown butter that uses turbot. For the sauce, he adds some white wine, tarragon, and lemon to punch up the flavor. Whether you’re trying this out on your next camping trip, or serving it at home, this delicious, and simple, dish will have you wowed.
Static Media owns and operates Chowhound and Mashed.
