Foil-Packet Cod, Peppers, and Olives
Mediterranean tray bake rebuilt on a fire ring: pouched cod, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and feta in one foil packet.
- calories
- 560
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 62
- protein
- 40 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Cod fillet | 14 oz | vacuum-sealed, kept cold in the cooler; frozen solid at home works as an ice block |
|---|---|---|
| Red bell pepper | 1 large | travels for days without a cooler |
| Sun-dried tomatoes | 1/3 cup | replaces cherry tomatoes, which turn to mush in a pack |
| Black olives | 1/2 cup | pouch or drained can |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Lemon | 1/2 | a whole one keeps a week uncut |
| Feta | 3 oz | vacuum-packed block, cooler only |
| Dried parsley | 1 tbsp | fresh flat-leaf if you have it |
| Salt and pepper | 1/2 tsp salt | |
| Dense rye or seeded bread | 2 thick slices |
Method
- Build a bed of coals or set a grate over the fire. You want steady moderate heat, not flames.
- Tear two arm-length sheets of heavy foil and stack them. Cut the pepper into strips and pile it in the middle with the sun-dried tomatoes and olives.
- Squeeze the lemon half over the vegetables, add the oil, and season. Fold the foil into a sealed packet and set it on the grate for 10 minutes, turning once.
- Open the packet away from your face. Pat the cod dry, salt it, cut it into two pieces, and lay them on the vegetables. Reseal.
- Move the packet to a cooler edge of the fire for 10 to 12 minutes. The fish is done when a fork parts it into flakes.
- Open, scatter the parsley and crumbled feta over the top, and eat straight from the foil with the bread.
The original is a sheet pan in a 220 °C oven. A foil packet on coals does the same job — the sealed pouch traps steam so the peppers soften before the fish goes in, and staging it in two rounds keeps the cod from overcooking while the vegetables catch up.
Cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs are the parts that do not survive a food bin, so sun-dried tomatoes and dried parsley stand in. The tomatoes bring the same acid in a form that will not burst in your pack. Feta and cod are the only cooler items, which makes this a first-night dinner. Everything else keeps indefinitely.
Packing
Cod and feta ride at the bottom of the cooler; freeze the fish at home and cook it the first night out. Peppers, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, oil, lemon, and seasoning need no cold and can live in a paper sack in the food bin.
Variations
- No cooler: swap two 5 oz pouches of tuna or salmon for the cod, skip the feta, and heat the packet 10 minutes total.
- Add a handful of instant couscous and 1/2 cup hot water to the packet at the end if you want it to stretch further.
- Canned white beans in place of the fish makes it vegetarian; add them with the vegetables.
https://www.matprat.no/oppskrifter/sunn/tray-bake-med-torsk