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After the Catch
When we think about the magic of ice fishing, our imaginations usually linger on the feeling of the initial bite and reeling the fish in.
But whether you’re keeping your hard-earned fish for food or plan to release it back into the water, it’s important to have a plan of action for after the catch.
Once you've caught a fish, decide whether it will be released or kept.
If the decision is made to release the fish, it is important to reduce the amount of time a fish is out of water. Remove the hook and hold the fish fully submerged underwater while preparing for a picture. After the picture, release the fish right away.
After the fish has been released, post the picture to social media and tag Cabela’s Canada using the hashtag #cabelascatch
If keeping the fish, store it in a cooler or a fishwell to keep it from freezing.
Be sure to follow all local regulations regarding limits and transportation of fish.
Cleaning and Cooking Necessities
Recipes for Your Big Catch
Add delicious flavour to your fresh catch with shore lunch.
Grilled Trout
Ingredients
- 6 trout fillets, skin on
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh dill, divided (1 Tablespoon chopped, 1 Tablespoon whole for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 1 lemon, (Use ½ of lemon for juice and zest and the other ½ for garnish)
Compound Butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh dill, divided (1 Tablespoon chopped, 1 Tablespoon whole for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 1 lemon, (Use ½ of lemon for juice and zest and the other ½ for garnish)
Directions
- Mix all ingredients for compound butter.
- Preheat pellet grill on low smoke.
- Completely smother meat side of trout with compound butter. Place trout skin side down in grill, smoke until internal temperature reaches 105 °F.
- Turn grill up to high (400 °F). Leave trout skin side down, do not turn over. Finish grilling trout until internal temperature reaches 140 °F. It will raise to safe temperature of 145 °F while resting
- Serve immediately with fresh dill and a lemon wedge.
Perch
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh perch fillets
- Cabela’s Tequila Lime seasoning
- 1 sliced lemon
- Diced chives
- 1 stick of butter, cut into thin pats
- Orange juice
Directions
- Tear off a piece of heavy-duty tinfoil about 3-4 times the size of your perch fillet. You’ll want plenty of room to seal the foil around the fish once you’ve gathered the ingredients. Turn up the edges of the foil to keep liquid from running out.
- Prepare the perch by starting with a single layer of perch fillets on the foil. For larger fish, this might be just one fillet. Sprinkle Cabela’s Tequila-Lime Seasoning over the fish, followed by a few slices of lemon. Place two or three pats of butter over the lemon and add in a pinch of chives or diced onion. Splash in a tablespoon or two of orange juice and fold the tinfoil over the fish, sealing the edges well to form a pouch.
- Place the foil pouch on a grill set to medium-low heat, or on a grate set over hot coals. A general rule is to cook fish for 10 minutes per inch of thickness of the fillet, so cook accordingly. Smaller fillets should only take 5-7 minutes. Once this is done, open the foil carefully to avoid any hot steam that will escape. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.
Fried Walleye
Ingredients
- 4 walleye fillets
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pinch salt (Optional)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups crushed saltine crackers
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 lemon, cut into wedge
Directions
- Check walleye fillets to ensure all bones and skin have been removed. Cut fillets into manageable pieces, if necessary.
- Combine flour, garlic powder, pepper, and salt in a shallow bowl. Place beaten eggs in a separate shallow bowl. Place cracker crumbs onto a plate.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or large cast iron skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Dip fillets into flour mixture, then dip in beaten egg, and then coat evenly with cracker crumbs; set fillets aside on a plate. Carefully lower 2 fillets into hot oil using tongs; cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; repeat with remaining fillets. Serve with lemon wedges.
Fried Crappie
Ingredients
- 7–10 crappie, cleaned and dressed with heads removed
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup dry roasted peanuts, finely chopped
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk or kefir*
- Peanut oil for frying
*You can substitute for 1 cup of milk. Stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar and let stand for 5–10 minutes.
Spicy Tartar Sauce
- ½ cup light mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
- 1 tsp. spicy brown mustard
- ¼ tsp. creole seasoning
- ¼ tsp. hot pepper sauce
Directions
- In a shallow bowl mix bread crumbs, cornmeal, parmesan cheese, ground peanuts, salt, and pepper. Coat each fish with flour, then dip in buttermilk, and then coat evenly with crumb mixture.
- In a large skillet, heat 1–2 inches of oil over medium high heat. Add fish and fry on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve with spicy tartar sauce.
Fish Cakes
Ingredients
- ½ cup red onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup fresh basil, minced (or substitute 2 tsp. dried basil leaves)
- ½ salt
- Pinch white pepper
- 1½ lb. fish fillets, flaked, squeezed and patted dry with paper towels
- 3 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
Spicy Mayonnaise
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp. green onion, white part only; minced
- 2 Tbsp. red onion, minced
- 1 lime, juice only
- 1 Tbsp. Asian chili garlic sauce (or your favourite hot sauce)
Directions
- Combine all Spicy Mayonnaise ingredients in a bowl and stir until well blended.
- Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add fish and combine mixture with hands until blended. Do not overmix. Mixture should be chunky. Form into 8 round cakes, about ¾ to 1 inch thick. It is important to shred the fish fillets into quarter-sized flakes before molding the fish cakes. You can either break the fillets apart with your fingers or use the tines of a fork to rake through the fish. Make certain that you firmly squeeze the water out of the fish before adding to the fish cake mixture, particularly if the fish has been previously frozen. The fish cake mixture will be moister than what you may be accustomed to, but then so will the cooked cakes. If they are a bit dry, add some additional mayonnaise or beaten egg. If they are just too wet to stick together, add some more breadcrumbs.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add cakes and lightly brown on first side, about 4 minutes. Turn cakes over carefully with a spatula and cook for 3 minutes more or until cakes are cooked throughout. Don't heat the pan up too much or the cakes will burn. Also, resist the urge to play with your food and turn the delicate cakes over too many times. Brown on one side and then carefully flip over and brown the other side. If you need to make a big batch of the fish cakes, lightly brown them on both sides and then keep warm on a sheet pan in a low heat oven.
Salmon Tacos with Mango Salsa
Ingredients
- Salmon Fillet
- Camp Chef Mango Chipotle
For the Salsa
- 1 lb. of grape tomatoes halved
- 1 chopped mango
- 2–3 tomatillo chopped
- ½ chopped white onion
- Chopped Serrano or Jalapeño to your taste
- Combine ingredients and add salt to taste
Directions
- Chop and dice Mango Salsa ingredients before cooking as the salmon will cook faster.
- Combine salsa ingredients and allow them to rest together.
- Generously cover Salmon with Mango Chipotle Seasoning.
- Grill salmon for 7 minutes each side.
- Thinly slice and serve with grilled pineapple and warmed corn tortillas.
Fish & Chips
Ingredients
- 4 large Russet potatoes (cut lengthwise into ¼ inch strips)
- 1 12oz of beer
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ lbs Cod fish fillets – skinned with bones removed (cut fish diagonally into 1 ½ inch wide strips and 5 or 6 inches long)
- Oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Directions
- To prepare the batter: Take a large bowl, mix flour, 2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper and beer. Mix until there are no lumps. Refrigerate the mix for 20 minutes.
- For the chips: Add 3–4 inches depth of oil to a large Dutch oven or cast-iron Fry Pot Set. Heat oil to 325°F.
- Add chips to hot oil. Be careful and work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding. Fry the chips for about 6–7 minutes. Remove and spread them out on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. (Note: Chips are not fully done at this stage.)
- For the fish: Check and add more oil if needed. Heat oil to 325°F. Remove the batter from the refrigerator. Salt and pepper fish to taste.
- Work in batches to avoid overcrowding. Dip the fish in beer batter and allow the excess batter to drain off. Add the battered fish to hot oil and cook until golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. If using a Dutch oven, turn the fish over about halfway through. If using the Camp Chef Cast Iron Fry Pot, lift the fry basket and shake halfway through to avoid sticking.
- Transfer the fish to a paper towel-lined baking sheet when done. Lightly salt.
- Finishing the chips: Heat oil to 350°F. Add chips to hot oil and fry until golden brown. Transfer the chips back to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Lightly salt.
- Serve with tartar sauce and/or malt vinegar.
Grilled Salmon with Apple Syrup
Ingredients
- Salmon Fillets
- Camp Chef’s Somethin’ Southern BBQ Rub
- 1 Tbsp of pickling spice
- 2 litres of apple cider or apple juice
- 1 jalapeno cut in half or 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Directions
- Preheat the pellet grill or BBQ box to 400F.
- Generously apply Camp Chef’s BBQ rub to the salmon fillets.
- Start flesh side down for 7 minutes then sink the side for 7 minutes until internal temperature reaches 145F.
- Serve it with heated apple syrup.
Apple Syrup
- Take a saucepan. Add the apple juice, spices and half cut in jalapeno. Bring it to a boil and simmer on medium heat until reduced by half.
- Strain the liquid through a mesh strainer. This will prevent the spices from burning your syrup.
- Pour the liquid back into the saucepan and simmer it until the syrup consistency. Apple syrup thickens more as it cools down. This may take several hours to reduce.
Smoked Sea Trout with Trout Dip
Ingredients
- 1 Hi Mountain Alaskan Salmon Brine
- 1-gallon ice water
- 1.4 cup dark maple syrup
- 1 large whole trout or several small trout
- Hi Mountain Cajun Cowboy Seasoning
Directions
- Take a non-metallic container and dissolve Hi Mountain Alaskan Salmon Brine in ice water. Place the fish in brine and refrigerate overnight.
- After brining, rinse the fish and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Keep the fish back in the refrigerator for 4 hours to dry.
- Take the trout out and allow it to reach room temperature.
- Set your smoker or pellet grill to 180 degrees while the fish reaches room temperature.
- Apply a light coat of dark maple syrup inside the cavity and on both sides of the fish when it reaches room temperature.
- Liberally apply Cajun Cowboy Seasoning in and out of the trout. Prop open the cavity of the trout with wooden toothpicks.
- Place the cooking rack with trout into the smoker and cook until the fish reaches the internal temperature of 145 degrees.
- Ensure to baste multiple times with the remaining maple syrup during the smoking process.
- Remove the fish when it reaches 145 degrees.
- Serve the trout hot or cool it for an hour or serve it cold.
Trout Dip Ingredients
- 8 oz smoked trout, skinned and flaked
- 8 oz softened cream cheese
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 finely chopped green onion
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp HI Mountain Garlic Pepper Seasoning
- ¼ tsp Cajun Cowboy
- 1 tsp Hi Mountain Trail Dust Seasoning
Directions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and blend well.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Serve it with your favourite crackers.