Hope everybody had a great July Fourth holiday!

My family did. Before our traditional picnic and fireworks in the cul-de-sac, I took my

Small fish are easily cooked in a wrapping of aluminum foil over a grill or campfire.

daughter and a couple of her friends fishing. The girls caught several nice pan-sized trout, cleaned them, and we had the fish as part of our picnic cuisine.

We used our standard foil wrap technique over the grill, and you don’t need to be involved in wilderness survival to enjoy it. The technique is really easy, and here’s how you can adapt it to your next successful fishing expedition:

You will need a cleaned and gutted pan-sized fish (defined as a smallish one that will fit in a frying pan), some aluminum foil, butter, a lemon and salt and pepper. You will cook the fish over a grill or directly on lighted campfire coals.

Sprinkle the cavity of the fish with salt and pepper, and put a slice of lemon and a pat of butter on the top. Roll everything in foil, and cook on a grill or over charcoal for about five to ten minutes on each side. This is not an exact science: If you see steam coming out of the foil at some point, the dish is probably done.

To eat, use a fork to peel the cooked fish away from the bones.

Open the foil wrap, and remove the bones with a fork. Delicious!

Another great way to enjoy small fish is to clean and gut them, roll in Bisquick or some other pancake mix, and fry in a skillet over a one-burner backpack stove.

Whatever way you decide to prepare your fish, think about this while you’re cooking: You are doing something most people never get a chance to do. You are being given a gift. Enjoy it and be thankful!

(We got this feedback from Melinda at http://www.preppershomejournal.blogspot.com : We love foil cooking here. Our favorite recipe is chicken drumsticks marinated in lemon juice and tucked in with potatoes, carrots, green beans and corn. We wrap it all up together and cook until the chicken is done. Yum!)

Tags | cooking trout, how to make foil wrap fish