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Whole trout, cleaned
Camp Breakfast Bacon-Fried Trout and Eggs
Small whole trout floured and fried in bacon fat, with eggs cooked in the same skillet.
- Serves
- 2
- Hands-on
- 35 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Skill
- Some experience
Cooks on: Stovetop or campfire · Breakfast
Ingredients
- 2 fishWhole trout, cleaned, 8 to 10 oz each, heads off
- 4Eggs
- ¼ cupFlour
- 1Lemon, cut into wedges
- 1 tspSalt
- ½ tspBlack pepper, ground
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon
You'll need
- Large skillet, ideally cast iron
- Instant-read thermometer
- Stovetop or Campfire with grate or coals
Contains
Fish, Egg, Gluten.
Method
- Set the skillet over a bed of coals or medium heat. Fry the bacon until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes, then set it aside and leave about 3 tbsp of the fat in the pan.
- Pat the trout dry inside and out, season inside and out with the salt and pepper, and roll each fish in the flour.
- Fry the trout in the bacon fat over medium heat, 4 to 6 minutes per side, until the skin is crisp and the flesh at the thickest part near the backbone is opaque, flakes easily, and reads 145°F.
- Move the trout to plates with the bacon. Crack the eggs into the hot fat and fry until the whites are set and the yolks are firm, as federal guidance advises for eggs.
- Serve with the lemon wedges. To eat, lift the top fillet off, then pull the backbone out by the tail.
When it's done: 145°F
Federal guidance: 145°F, or until the flesh is no longer translucent and separates easily with a fork.
If it goes wrong
- Skin tearing when turning
- Let the first side crisp fully, then turn with a thin spatula supporting the whole fish.
- Outside dark, inside raw
- The coals were too hot. Move the skillet toward the edge of the fire and cook longer.
- Too much fat for the eggs
- Pour off all but a thin layer before cracking them in.
Leftovers. Serve right away. Keep the trout and eggs in the cooler until cooking; refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F.