Cheese Grits and Crisped Fish Camp Bowl
Stone ground grits cooked creamy in one pot, topped with fried fish and cheddar.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 103
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- 700 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Campfire coals
- Liquid fuel
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Stone ground grits | 1 cup | not instant, they turn to paste |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 3 cups | |
| Shelf-stable half and half | 1/2 cup | UHT single-serve cups travel without a cooler |
| Butter | 3 tbsp | stays solid enough below 70F |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Sharp cheddar | 4 oz | block, grated at camp |
| Catfish fillets | 1 lb | boneless, kept cold; canned or foil-pouch fish works if the cooler is not |
| Cornmeal | 1 cup | seasoned with salt, pepper, and cayenne at home |
| Cooking oil | 1/2 cup | for shallow frying |
Method
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil with the salt. Rain the grits in while stirring so they do not clump.
- Drop the heat to a bare simmer and cook 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Add water in splashes if they stiffen before they soften.
- Stir in the half and half, butter, and cheddar. Pull the pot off the heat and set it somewhere warm.
- Wipe the pot or use the second one. Heat the oil until a pinch of cornmeal sizzles right away.
- Press the fillets into the seasoned cornmeal on both sides and fry 3 to 4 minutes a side until the crust holds together.
- Spoon grits into bowls, lay the fish on top, break it up with the spoon.
Grits are one of the few real breakfast starches that cook well over a fire. Stone ground takes the full 25 minutes, which is the point: instant grits go slack and the coarse grind holds its texture under a wet topping. Water alone makes them thin, so the half and half, butter, and cheddar are structural, not garnish. They also carry the fat that makes this hold you until lunch.
The fish is the part that pins this to a cooler. Fresh fillets fried in seasoned cornmeal are worth the setup at a car camp or a paddle put-in where you caught them that morning. Away from a cooler, swap in a foil pouch of tuna and stir it straight into the finished grits; you lose the crust and keep the meal.
Packing
Grits, seasoned cornmeal, and salt each go in their own bag, premeasured. Cheese, butter, and fish ride in the cooler; oil in a leakproof bottle inside a second bag.
Variations
- Foil-pouch tuna or salmon skips the frying entirely and turns this into a 25-minute one-pot meal.
- Hot sauce and a fried egg on top if the cooler is holding.
- Powdered whole milk plus water replaces the half and half if you want the grits shelf-stable.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/fried-catfish-and-grits-breakfast-bowl