Camp cooking: Coalfire crab

When most people think of bush tucker, they tend to go with the idea of having to scavenge for witchetty grubs and wild berries — but that’s not all there is to it. If you’re up north and setting up camp near a beach or mangroves, why not try cooking a whole fish or some mud crabs?

Plenty of us know how to snag a few good catches but usually lack the knowledge on how to cook them on-the-go. Jase Andrews from All 4 Adventure has supplied the following tips, including how to get a low and slow fire going.

1. Cooking with fire can be trial and error but knowing where to set up and how to select the right type of wood can remove some of the guesswork. As a rule of thumb, I avoid cooking on the beach with an open fire and instead use solid coals. This makes all the difference as it’s easier to control the temperature.

You’ll need to find some hardwood timber to get the fire started to heat up the coal. The more solid the timber, the more heat it will produce, meaning you’ll save on fuel in the long run. Make sure you heat up enough coal to completely cover a large fish, and don’t leave your mates waiting too long for a feed — so keep your fire out of the wind to get that fish cooking faster.

2. As you’re waiting for the coal to heat up, make a nice bed of leafy green branches for the fish to cool on later. Keep an eye out for rock samphire or purslane, both of which are easily found in seaside and coastal areas, and they’re edible as well.

3.  Time to get cracking on that fish. Ideally, if you’re looking to feed more than just yourself, you’ll be wanting to catch a larger fish, like a 3-5kg Trevally or Queenfish. Queenfish are often found in mangrove channels and tidal estuaries, and it’s not uncommon to snag a 10kg catch.

As for lures, a quick and erratic retrieve should do the job - you’ll likely pick up Trevally, or maybe even a Mackerel or Salmon, when fishing for Queenfish.

4. Since Queenfish and Trevally don’t freeze well, they're not generally considered great table fish compared to other fish like Barramundi. However, they can hold their own in taste when they’re fresh off the line and cooked over some hot coals.

Preparation is easy: just place the whole uncleaned fish onto the heap of coals and cover completely so that it not only cooks faster but enhances the rich, smoky flavour. Don’t scale or gut the fish to allow it to cook in its own juices and act as foil to stop the coals from contaminating the meat.

5. After a good 30 minutes or so, gently poke the tip of the knife through the thickest part of the fish and lift up the skin. If it’s undercooked the meat will still be translucent. Once the fish is juicy and slightly flaky, it’s time to pull it off the coals and nestle it on the bed of leafy greens.

Simply peel back the top layer with a knife, pick the meat away from the bones and chow down. Make sure you don’t forget the salt and pepper. To change things up a bit, grab a tin of crushed tomatoes and mix it in a bowl with the fish meat.

6. If you’re still feeling peckish you might want to consider adding some good old mud crabs to the coals. Simply place the whole mud crab onto the bed of coals and cook both sides for about five minutes. This allows them to cook in their own juices and gives the meat a smoky taste.

You’ll know it’s cooked when the crab has turned orange all over and juices are bubbling out of the shell. All that’s left to do is to crack them open and dig in.

And there you have it. Two simple but tasty recipes you can knock out without following any detailed measurements or having to dig out a heap of equipment. With little cleaning up to do, you can spend more time knocking back a stubbie and having a yarn with your mates.