The shore lunch is a northern favourite for dedicated anglers and the lodges that host them. After a morning of solid fishing, guests and their guides pull boats up to a nearby shore for lunch cooked over a fire or on a portable stove. The traditional meal focusses on very fresh fish, battered and deep fried, with potatoes and baked beans warmed in the fire. Krista Cheeseman is the co-owner of Wilderness North, a group of fly-in lodges and outpost cabins on several lakes north of Lake Nipigon, Ont.
Q: In fishing season, how many shore lunches do you cook? How many people are you cooking for?
A: It’s not uncommon for me to cook a shore lunch six days out of seven. The largest groups I’ve cooked for are 24, maybe 28 people. For that, I’ll have a few pans over the fire going at once and I’m multi-
tasking. I’ll have some help, but I’m doing a lot myself—but that’s only because I do have control issues.
Q: What makes a good spot for a shore lunch?
A: A flat rock is always the starting point—you can build your fire there. Pick somewhere that’s protected from the wind. And obviously, you need a spot that’s easy for boats to get to.
Q: What cooking gear do you bring?
A: Frying pans, of course—we use steel skillets with long handles and sides about four inches, deep enough for the oil. Our pans must be about 50 years old, and they are very well seasoned. Tongs are essential. Oven mitts, slotted spoons, and wire spider strainers are useful too. Billy cans for tea or coffee. You’ll need cutting boards and knives if you’re cleaning the fish on the shore—we usually bring fish fillets caught the day before, just in case the guests don’t catch enough that morning.
I have forgotten things for the kit, but I’m pretty good at improvising. I’ve served fish on blocks of wood, and I’ve cooked it in a metal bowl once, when we actually forgot the frying pan.
Q: What about the fish?
Anglers get hungry, so we plan for about a pound of fish fillets per person. Our lakes have walleye and pike, though I’ve also enjoyed trout and bass. Walleye is a lean, white fish that cooks very fast (so I start the fish last). The best walleye for frying are about 15 to 17 inches—larger fish are older, tougher, and take longer to cook.
I season the fillets with salt before dipping them in our homemade batter. It’s a bit like KFC, with about 15 different spices, cornmeal for crunch, and flour. But the purists use a simple batter of salt, pepper, and flour.
We always remind guests that even if they’re eating fish they caught the same day, the fish still count toward their limit.
Chef Christine Flynn’s advice for shortcut cottage cooking
Q: How long does it take to get the fire going?
A: Not long, but I make a small fire with small wood, almost kindling, because I can control the temperature better. We do usually bring wood from the lodge, but I also look along the shore for sticks that beavers have chewed. They’re awesome: super dry, not too big, and they burn well.
Q: And if it’s raining?
A: We serve lunch back at the lodge—same thing if there’s a fire ban.
Q: Aside from the fish, what else do you serve?
A: Sliced fresh potatoes, which I deep fry. When they’re done, I wrap them in foil and place them over a cool part of the fire to keep warm while I cook the fish. It’s important to tent the foil, so the potatoes don’t get mushy. Another traditional option is canned boiled potatoes, drained well and then deep fried.
Guests get excited about our baked beans. They’re homemade, Newfoundland-style beans with molasses, brown sugar, mustard, ketchup, and bacon. We make a ridiculous amount at the lodge, then just add a little water when we reheat a pot on the fire. At our outposts though, the guides often serve baked beans the old-fashioned way: open a can of beans and place it directly in the fire to reheat.
This cottager’s fishing-themed privy is aqua-tacular
Our tartar sauce and desserts are homemade too. Those little touches make the lunch special.
We do change up the menu, depending on what guests prefer. Sometimes we make bannock or frybread, or bring coleslaw, pasta salad, or corn. I remember one guest who loves fishing but is allergic to fish. He wore gloves when he was fishing and ate extra beans and potatoes. You need to be flexible at a shore lunch.
How to get the best pan-fry with your catch
We’re pan-frying fish more often than deep-frying at the cottage. Here’s how to get the fillet right, no matter what pan you’re using.
Stainless steel
Risk and reward: crisp surface but potential forsticking. The pan should be hot and the oil coating just starting to smoke. Dry the fish skin—well—with paper towel. Skin-side down first, and don’t worry the fish until the proteins release. Flip and finish.
Non-stick
Since non-stick doesn’t like high heat, you won’t get a shatteringly crisp skin on your fish, but you will have less risk of a delicate fillet tearing when you try to move it. For best results, add oil to a cold non-stick pan before heating over medium-high.
Cast iron
Cast iron pans, like stainless and carbon steel, and the oil in them should be hot before the dry fish goes in. Start presentation-side down, and don’t overcrowd the pan. When the fish is flipped and almost done, add a little butter to the pan and baste the fillets for extra flavour.
This article was originally published in the Summer 2026 issue of Cottage Life.
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