Dutch Oven Fish and Noodle Soup
Ramen, white fish, and a bag of frozen vegetables in a dutch oven over coals. Feeds a patrol.
- calories
- 320
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 36
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- 1900 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.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Water | 8 cups | |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken-flavor instant ramen | 4 packages | noodles and seasoning packets both |
| Frozen white fish | 2 lb | cod or tilapia; keep it frozen in the cooler until you cook |
| Frozen peas and carrots | 1 bag (16 oz) |
Method
- Build a bed of coals and set the dutch oven over them. You want a simmer, not a hard roll — around 250°F.
- Pour in the water and empty all four seasoning packets. Stir until they dissolve.
- Cut the fish into 1-inch cubes while the water comes up. Partly frozen fish cubes more cleanly than thawed.
- Bring the pot to a boil, add the fish, and hold a low boil for 10 minutes.
- Break the noodle bricks into pieces and drop them in. Cook 5 minutes, stirring gently now and then, until the noodles unravel.
- Stir in the frozen peas and carrots. Give it another 5 to 10 minutes to come back to heat, then serve.
This is a cooler-dependent recipe and it does not pretend otherwise. Frozen fish and frozen vegetables are the whole point: they ride as ice on the drive in, and they go into the pot straight from the cooler on night one. Cook it the first evening out.
The order matters more than anything else here. Fish first, in a low boil that will not tear the cubes apart. Noodles second, because they need only five minutes and turn to mush if they sit. Vegetables last, since they are already cooked and only need to thaw and warm. Reverse any of those and you get shredded fish in noodle sludge.
Packing
Fish and vegetables stay frozen in the bottom of the cooler and act as ice for everything above them. Ramen bricks travel in the dry box; keep the seasoning packets with them.
Variations
- Swap the seasoning packets for 2 tbsp bouillon powder if you want less salt and more control.
- A squeeze of lime and a spoon of chili crisp at the bowl wakes the whole pot up.
- Rice noodles in place of ramen make it gluten-free, but add them in the last 3 minutes or they turn to paste.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/peters_fish_soup-2431.asp