Equipped with the Gerber ComplEAT Camp Cook Collection, we set out to our favorite Los Angeles campgrounds to cook for strangers.
Malibu Creek
Tucked away in the Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu creek is a quick and easy escape from the hustle and bustle of LA with miles of trails, sprawling vistas, waterfalls, and wildlife.
Laotian Style Crispy Rice Salad w/ Ground Pork
A popular street food in Laos, this traditional meal combines the salt and crunch of crispy rice and meat with citrusy herbs and greens for a sweet and savory Southeast Asian dish. Season to your liking with more serrano pepper for some extra heat.
Prep Time: 1Hr Cook Time: 25 Min
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Make the Dish!
CampSite 1
Campsite 2
Point Mugu
A beachside campground in Ventura County known for its expansive beaches, dramatic coastal cliffs, and the distinctive Mugu Rock. During the right time of year, sighting dolphins and migrating whales is not uncommon!
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Tomato, garlic, and harissa flavors meld together in this North African dish, which is spread on crunchy sourdough toast and topped with a fried egg. A lemon and herb garnish completes this classic, easy breakfast meal.
Prep Time: 30 Min Cook Time: 30 Min
Breakfast Shakshuka Toast
Make the Dish!
CampSite 3
Leo Carrillo
Just off the Pacific Coast Highway is Leo Carrillo - 1.5 miles of beach that features tidal pools and coastal caves. On the other side of the highway tucked into the canyon is a seculded campground full of willow, black walnut, and sycamore trees.
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Crispy, pan-fried salmon sits on a bed of buttery potatoes, fennel, and shallot in this elevated camp dinner. Orange zest and lemon juice combine with fragrant sage and rosemary for an aromatic herby topping. Enjoy with a crisp raddichio side salad.
Prep Time: 30 Min Cook Time: 15 Min
Crispy Skin Salmon w/ Beurre Blanc Sauce + Herb Salad + Sauteed Fennel
Make the Dish!
Gerber CompLEAT Product Rundown
Designed to make cooking in the great outdoors that much easier, the Gerber ComplEAT Camp Cook Collection covers the essentials for any camp chef.
Shop the Collection
ComplEAT Knives
Shop Knives
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ComplEAT Cutting Board
Cooking in the Dirt? This Kit Is Your One-Stop Shop
Gerber Camp Hacks: Here’s What (Not) to Do While Cooking at Camp
ComplEAT Collection Rundown
How to Cook at Camp
Meet Chef Brian
Brian Lee has been meal prepping and cooking in the great outdoors for over a decade. He describes his culinary style as approachably elegant. You can regularly find him out in the wild cooking restaurant-quality cuisine for backcountry motorcycle trips with Wilderness Collective and hosting family style gatherings at his pop up restaurant @Aptaechopark.
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Polypropylene bowls measure 6.7 x 2.6 in. and come in the following colors: Baltic Haze, Dark Baltic Haze, Burnt Orange and Coyote Brown
Tableware set - 4 Bowls
- ½ Bunch Mint (picked with soft stems)
- ½ Bunch Cilantro (picked with soft stems)
- 150g Sushi Rice
- 20g Red Curry Paste
- 1 Egg
- 15g Coconut Shreds
- Nuoc Cham dressing
- 2 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Lime Juice
- 3 tbsp Fish Sauce
- ½ Serrano Peppers (thinly sliced)
- 3 Cloves Garlic (thinly sliced)
- ½ Cup Water
- 1 Bunch Green Onions (thinly sliced on a bias)
- 150g Ground Pork
- Vegetable Oil
Ingredients
Instructions
Nuoc Chom Dressing
1 - Combine the garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and water in a small bowl. Mix well.
2 - Season how you’d like it with more lime juice, salt, and sugar.
Crispy Rice Salad
1 - Cook off ground pork in a pan and set aside.
2 - Rinse the sushi rice for 2 minutes, then set aside to drain fully.
3 - Add the drained rice to cold water and bring to a boil over high heat.
4 - Once boiling, reduce the heat to low until simmering and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and keep covered for 5 more minutes.
5 - While the rice is cooking, roughly chop your peanuts, herbs, and green onions and set aside.
6 - Mix your cooked rice with red curry paste, egg, and coconut shreds and form into balls.
7 - Heat a generous drizzle of vegetable oil in a large, wide-based pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the rice balls and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden and crispy.
8 - Set aside to cool for two minutes, then in a large mixing bowl add the nuoc chom, cooked ground pork, rice, and herbs together.
Serve
Garnish with chopped peanuts and green onions.
Enjoy!
Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 25 minutes Serves 2 – scale as neccessary
Laotian Style Crispy Rice Salad w/ Ground Pork
Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Serves 4 – scale as neccessary
1 - Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until translucent.
2 - Add garlic and harissa paste, and warm/toast for 2 minutes.
3 - Pour the can of tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients well in the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce has reduced (approximately 20 minutes).
4 - Slice the sourdough loaf into thick slices. Drizzle both sides with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toast on both sides in a large pan. Toast to your liking, then set aside.
5 - Wipe out the pan and heat up extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Fry the egg to your preference and set aside.
6 - In a small mixing bowl, toss your herbs gently with lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Serve
To Plate: Build high! And get creative with it!
Place toasted sourdough on plate, scoop a generous portion of shakshuka onto the toast, place fried egg and garnish the toast with your seasoned herb salad.
Ingredients
- Sourdough loaf (Sliced into thick slices)
- 2 Eggs
- 1 (28 ounce can) Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp Harissa Paste
- 1 medium Onion, diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
- Za'atar Spice Mix
- Herbs
- Breakfast Sausage Link
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 1 Lemon
- ½ bunches of Dill/Parsley/Mint (Picked with Soft Stems)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Breakfast Shakshuka Toast
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 45 minutes - but less if you multi-task and are efficient!
- Potatoes: 35 minutes (start boiling potatoes immediately while you prep other items)
- Salad: 6 minutes (make this first, can wait to dress until plating)
- Beurre Blanc: 14 minutes
- Salmon: 14 minutes
For the Salad
1 - In a large bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together vigorously until fully emulsified.
2 - Toss radicchio and shallot vinaigrette.
For Crispy Salmon
1 - Pat dry salmon skin with paper towels, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add vegetable oil, and heat until the oil is shiny.
3 - Add the salmon skin side down to the pan and use a fish spatula to apply firm and even pressure. Cook until the skin is crispy (About 3-4 minutes).
4 - Flip and lower the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until the fish is cooked through (about 4 minutes). Remove to a plate.
5 - Return the pan to medium heat, add the fennel, and sauté until tender.
For Beurre Blanc
1 - Add olive oil to a small saucepan over medium heat, then add shallots and sauté, stirring frequently until shallots are soft, about 3 minutes.
2 - Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the white wine, lemon juice, and peppercorns. Simmer until ¼ cup remains, about 8 minutes.
3 - Reduce heat to low and whisk in the butter, one cube at a time.
4 - Strain the sauce and set aside.
For the Potatoes and Herby Oil
1 - Boil a pot of salted water and add potatoes.
2 - Boil until potatoes are soft. Strain and use a flat utensil to smash the potatoes.
3 - Finely chop sage, rosemary, and garlic. Add the orange zest and lemon juice, then further loosen with olive oil.
4 - In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the potatoes into the pan and cook on all sides until golden crispy.
5 - When the potatoes are cooked, set aside to a plate and let cool for 2 minutes, then toss in herby oil.
Serve
Plate the fennel and place the salmon fillet on top. Ladle the Beurre blanc sauce generously over it.
Plate the salad on the side.
Mix the potatoes in the herby oil and plate on the side.
Ingredients
- 8 Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes
- ½ Bunch of Rosemary and Sage (picked and finely chopped)
- Zest of one Orange
- 2 Garlic Cloves (finely chopped)
- 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
- ½ Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
For the Crispy Salmon
- 1½ pounds Salmon, skin on, cut into 4 filets
- 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Medium Fennel Bulb, cleaned and cut into sixths
- Salt as needed
- Freshly ground Black Pepper as needed
For the White Wine Beurre Blanc
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 1 Medium Shallot, chopped
- 1 cup White Wine
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
- ½ tsp Black Peppercorns
- 10 tbsp unsalted Butter, cut into 1†chunks
- Salt as needed
For Herb Salad and Shallot Vinagrette
- 1 Small Radichio head. Whole leaves torn into halves
- 1 bunch of Dill, Mint, Basil, Parsley (picked leaves)
- 1 Large Shallot, peeled and finely minced
- 1 Clove Garlic, peeled and finely minced
- â…“ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- ¼ tsp fine Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
Crispy Skin Salmon w/ Beurre Blanc Sauce + Herb Salad + Sauteed Fennel
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Polypropylene plates measure 8.7 x 1 in. and come in the following colors: Baltic Haze, Dark Baltic Haze, Burnt Orange and Coyote Brown. Bowls and plates include insulated, textured bases and feature volumetric markings and oversized edges for 1-hand grip.
Tableware Set - 4 Plates
Stainless-steel basting dome lid measures 10 x 1.5 in.
Basting dome lid design infuses moisture and flavor into food.
Basting Dome + Slim Lid
8 in. stainless-steel detachable handle with silicone overmold.
Detachable Handle
Polypropylene bowls measure 6.7 x 2.6 in. and come in the following colors: Baltic Haze, Dark Baltic Haze, Burnt Orange and Coyote Brown. Bowls and plates include insulated, textured bases and feature volumetric markings and oversized edges for 1-hand grip.
Tableware Set - 4 Bowls
Polypropylene 10-cup mixing bowl measures 8.8 x 7.1 in. and comes in the Burnt Orange color.
Mixing Bowl
5.6 qt. stainless-steel stock pot measures 10 x 5 in.
Stock pot handles lock in place and stay cool while in use. Sauté pan and stock pot are compatible with induction, electric and ceramic cooktops, and open flame.
Stock Pot
2.6 qt. stainless-steel saute pan measures 10 x 2.5 in.
The saute pan has steep walls for generous portions. Sauté pan and stock pot are compatible with induction, electric and ceramic cooktops, and open flame.
Saute Pan
Silicone hot pad, 6.3†x 6.3â€, in Baltic Haze color.
Hot Pad
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