Campfire Foil-Wrapped Rainbow Trout

Ingredients

• 4 whole rainbow trout, about 12 ounces each, cleaned and scaled
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 lemons, sliced thin
• 1 small onion, sliced thin
• 4 sprigs fresh dill
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil

Before you cook

• Rinse the trout inside and out and pat them dry with paper towels.
• Score each fish three times on both sides, cutting just through the skin.
• Season the cavities and the outside of each fish with salt and pepper.
• Smear a tablespoon of butter into each cavity.
• Stuff each fish with lemon slices, onion slices, a sprig of dill and a sprig of parsley.
• Wrap a slice of bacon around the middle of each fish.
• Tear four double-thick sheets of heavy-duty foil and brush the centers with oil.
• Wrap each trout in its own foil packet, folding the seams over twice so no steam escapes.

Steps

1. Let the campfire burn down until you have a thick bed of glowing coals and no flames.
2. Rake a flat area of coals to one side with a stick or shovel.
3. Lay the foil packets directly on the coals in a single layer.
4. Cook for 7 minutes, then turn each packet over with tongs.
5. Cook the second side for 7 more minutes.
6. Rake a few coals over the tops of the packets for the last 3 minutes if the fire has cooled.
7. Pull one packet out and open a corner carefully, keeping your face away from the steam.
8. Check the flesh at the thickest point behind the head; it should be opaque white and pull away from the backbone.
9. Rest the packets closed for 5 minutes off the fire.
10. Open the packets onto plates, lift the top fillet off the bones, then lift the backbone away in one piece and eat the second fillet.