Shore lunch can help make your entire day on the water a success

Preparation is key to a great lunch next to your favorite lake or stream

Like most outdoor pursuits, the best times to be in the woods or on the water are typically early morning and late evening. How many times have you found a successful early morning pattern on the lake and wanted to return to that pattern in the evening? Problem is, most anglers end up getting bored or discouraged with the lack of action until things crank back up. Why not head for the hill and prepare a shore lunch?

“Enjoyment of the outdoors is what the whole experience is all about,” said Jerry Dilsaver, who along with Ty Conti is one of South Carolina Sportsman’s resident wild-game cooking gurus.

“With just a little advanced preparation, you can take a break during the middle of the day, prepare a much better meal than the standard Vienna sausages and crackers, and hit the water in the afternoon re-charged,” he said.

The attached video demonstrates how to prepare a South Carolina Lowcuntry favorite – fish and grits – using fresh-caught striped bass from Clarks Hill Lake.

The items you’ll need to have on hand to prepare this dish include a portable, propane powered stove or grill, a flat griddle or pan to cook fish, two medium sauce pans to prepare the grits and heat the sauce, a filet knife to clean and filet your catch and eating and serving utensils: plates, forks, spatula, and serving spoon. Make sure you also have a supply of clean, bottled water to use for cleaning the fish and preparing the dish.

Here’s the recipe:

1 to 2 fresh fish fillets per serving

2 packets of Quaker Instant Butter flavored grits per serving

Small bottle of cooking oil

Garlic or seasoning salt

Medium jar of Classico Light, creamy Alfredo sauce

Bottled water

On high heat setting, boil enough water to cook grits. Once water is boiling, add instant grits, two packs per serving, and stir until cooked. Set grits off to side to keep warm.

Heat griddle or flat pan on burner, adding enough cooking oil to pan sear fish filets. Once the griddle is hot, sear fillets for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per side, depending on thickness of fish.

Once fish filets are seared, spoon grits onto serving plate and add cooked filets to the top of the grits.

Heat alfredo sauce, approximately ¼ cup per serving. The milk and cheese content of the sauce will heat quickly. When heated, pour sauce directly over dish.

For more great shore lunch and wild game recipes, check out our “Cooking On The Wild Side” columns each month in South Carolina Sportsman magazines.