Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1-2 large onions, finely chopped
• 1½ to 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 large or 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup beef stock
• 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 cups peas (canned, or frozen and precooked)
• 4-5 cups mashed potatoes (pre-prepared)
• Sharp cheddar cheese, to taste

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Sauté onion in oil until soft. Add meat, sauté until browned. Add carrots and cook until just tender-crisp. Sprinkle in flour. Stir and cook 1 minute. Stir in stock and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer for two to three minutes, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Add peas, stir, and transfer to a deep, greased, 11-by-7-inch ovenproof dish. Cover with mashed potatoes to desired thickness. Place on cookie sheet and bake until heated through, about 30-40 minutes. Top with cheese, return to oven, and heat until cheese is melted. (Ovens vary; time and temperature may need adjustment.) Serves six (or two, with leftovers!)

My husband, Robert, and I sail our Pearson 31, First Look, out of Waukegan, Illinois. We’ve spent two of the last three summers cruising to, through and back from Lake Huron’s North Channel. Several years ago, we removed our icebox and replaced it with a fridge, but it’s so small I’m always looking for recipes requiring few ingredients that require refrigeration — especially since supplies can often be three or four hours away in the North Channel.

I love shepherd’s pie, and spent many years looking for a perfect recipe. The first few times I served it on First Look, the recipes were composites of many I have collected over the years. Unfortunately, none of them was as good as I’d hoped.

A couple of years ago, my daughter-in-law, Lida, shared this basic recipe, and I’ve used it many times since. I’ve tweaked it for a richer flavor, but it can be made milder using less Worcestershire sauce and substituting vegetable stock for the beef stock. Last summer was a miserable weather season in the North Channel and, along with a green salad and hot bread, this pie was delectable after cold and rainy sails — the ultimate comfort food! It’s so easy to make and clean up, I wanted to share it with other cruisers.

Here’s a Super-Easy Version

by Lynda Morris Childress

When I’m really pressed for time, I make my own very simplified version of shepherd’s pie. Aboard our Atlantic 70, Stressbuster, it’s one of our favorite “homey” foods when we don’t have guests aboard. You can use the recipe above, but substitute two large (12-ounce) cans of sweet corn (drained) for the peas and carrots, and omit the flour, stock and Worcestershire sauce. Just sauté onions and ground beef in oil, salt and pepper to taste, add corn, heat through and spread into a prepared pan. Top with mashed potatoes, dot with butter, sprinkle with a bit of paprika, and bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Dinner’s ready! (It’s even good without the cheese!)

This article first appeared in the November 2014 issue of Cruising World.

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My husband, Robb, and I had departed Fortaleza, Brazil, aboard Summer Love, our Montevideo 43, bound for Chaguaramas, Trinidad. We were approaching the Intertropical Convergence Zone — commonly known as “the doldrums” — but I was looking forward to it. I’d had enough of inclement conditions and little sleep. Warm and windless would be good.

The first squall crept up slowly and smacked us around like a handball. I pushed the hatch back, threw everything down below and wedged myself in the cockpit until it passed. I got soaked. Once we were back on course, I dried off and brought all the cushions back up while Robb kept an eye on the radar. Sadly, warm and windless wasn’t what we were in for.

By morning, we’d battled eight squalls. I made my way down to the galley through sleeping bags and pillows, cockpit cushions and wet towels. It was a mess. It looked like what the military calls a “soup sandwich” — someone who is very messy — which got me thinking about a bread recipe of mine with the same name. It’s a no-knead, no-rise, savory loaf. I cleared a work surface and rummaged through the cupboard. It didn’t take long to prepare, and soon we were wolfing down warm slices of cheesy bread with butter dripping down our chins.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” said Robb as I reclined in the cockpit. He pointed toward a black smudge up ahead. “They’ve started again!”

Quick “Soup-Sandwich Bread” Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cups self-rising flour*
• 1 packet onion soup mix (white or French onion)
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• Cayenne pepper or paprika, to taste

Sift flour into a bowl and add dried soup mix. Stir to combine. Add 1 cup grated cheese. Stir to coat well with flour. Beat eggs and add to milk. Slowly pour liquid into dry ingredients, combining well with a wooden spoon. The “batter” will be soupy! Spoon mixture into a loaf pan, well greased or lined with baking paper. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top; dust lightly with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. (Note: You can also add chopped ham, olives or sundried tomatoes, or use other kinds of cheese such as crumbled blue, feta or provolone.)

*( If you don’t have self-rising flour, make your own: Sift together 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder. Stir well to blend before using. Double or triple basic recipe as needed.)

CAN BE PREPARED: AT ANCHOR OR UNDER WAY
PREP TIME: 1 HOUR 15 MIN
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: EASY

Tip: How to Store Fresh Bread

If you don’t eat your freshly-baked loaf in one sitting, here are some tips for keeping it fresher for longer.

• Use a dedicated plastic container such as this Rubbermaid Bread Keeper
• Store in a plastic food-storage bag (soft bread) or paper bag (crusty loaves).
• Store at room temperature, in a dry place, away from direct sunlight.
• If you have a freezer aboard, freeze bread, pre-sliced, in a freezer bag or wrapped in heavy-duty aluminum foil.

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Ratatouille Polenta Bake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packaged polenta, cornmeal, or masa flour (Mexico)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small eggplant, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 medium zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 can (14 1⁄2 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1⁄4 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella, Swiss, or cheddar cheese, shredded

Steps:

Prepare polenta: Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt. Gradually add cornmeal, stirring constantly for about one minute. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring, until polenta thickens to the consistency of grits or loose mashed potatoes, and is cooked. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Spread polenta into a lightly oiled 9-by-9-inch baking pan. Set aside to cool. This will become the bottom layer or “crust” of the dish.

Sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic in a bit of olive oil over medium heat for two to three minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add eggplant, zucchini, salt and ground pepper. Turn the heat up to medium-high and sauté until veggies are crisp-tender. Add tomatoes and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until heated through. Sprinkle polenta crust with Parmesan cheese. Spread the ratatouille over it in an even layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; remove foil. Top with additional shredded cheese. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Let cool for five to 10 minutes before serving. Serves four to six, depending on appetites!

Anchored in the crystal waters of Placencia, Belize, aboard Winterlude, our Passport 37, my husband, David, and I were invited to dinner aboard E2Motion, a neighboring boat. Our friends Mark and Liz treated us to a delicious meal that included ratatouille, a thick, tasty French veggie stew with eggplant as a key ingredient. Eggplant is unusual to find in Belizean produce markets, so Liz was ecstatic about her treasure. I’d never even heard of ratatouille. Luckily, I loved it.

Later, while searching for meatless recipes that were similar, I stumbled upon the idea for combining ratatouille with another of my favorites: polenta. After playing with it and modifying it for cooking aboard — including the very real possibility of not being able to find polenta while shopping in a foreign port — this Ratatouille Polenta Bake was born. It turned into one of our favorite meals aboard Winterlude.

What Is Polenta?
by Lynda Morris Childress

By strict definition, polenta is the name of the delicious Italian way of preparing cornmeal by boiling it in water — not the name for cornmeal itself. But the popularity of this dish has led to interchanging the terms “polenta” and “cornmeal” in speech as well as product labeling; packages labeled “polenta” on supermarket shelves actually are simply cornmeal.

The quality of polenta can vary; some takes longer to thicken when boiled, requiring up to 15 minutes of simmering/stirring time; some thickens to the proper consistency fairly quickly. Polenta made the Italian way is versatile — use a water-to-cornmeal ratio of about 2-to-1.

It can be served plain, as a delicious side dish, like grits or mashed potatoes, or with toppings such as grated cheese.

It can also be molded and baked (as in the recipe above) or grilled. Making polenta is quick and easy, so be sure to put cornmeal (or packaged polenta) on your boat’s provisions list before your next cruise!

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I’m a short-range cruiser. Rather than Tortola and Tahiti, my destinations are more like Poulsbo and Port Orchard, in my home state of Washington. I do, however, live aboard my Islander 30, Miramar, in Seattle, so I understand issues important to voyagers — such as refrigeration. My boat is small, and I quickly gave up on the icebox, needing its space for all my pots, pans and baking sheets. Instead, I installed an apartment-size refrigerator with a top freezer in the hanging locker at the foot of the companionway. It runs on AC, so when I’m away from shore power, I find other ways to keep things cold.

Before I leave the dock, I make one-pan meals that I freeze solid, then move them into the fridge, where they act as block ice as they thaw. When they’re defrosted, I just heat and eat! Or I buy items pre-frozen. One of my favorites is frozen sea scallops. I simply ask my supermarket for the quantity of scallops I need directly from their freezer. These are harder than the proverbial brick— the perfect refrigerant. I keep them frozen until I cast off. Once they’re thawed, this is one of my favorite ways to prepare them. I serve this as an entrée; it’s ideal with sauvignon blanc or any other dry white wine, but then again, what isn’t? To serve as an appetizer, just decrease quantities slightly.

Scrumptious Sea-Scallop Salad Ingredients:

• 10 to 12 large sea scallops
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 to 6 handfuls mixed salad greens
• 1 large avocado
• Juice of 1/4 lemon
• 1 tomato or 8 cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh blueberries (optional)
• Fresh mint leaves, to taste

Dressing:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons brown mustard
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste

Steps:

Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place scallops facedown in butter/oil and sear for 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Flip and repeat on other side. (The oil may smoke a bit). Remove scallops from pan and cool. They should be room temperature for the salad. While scallops cool, prepare salad ingredients. Place salad greens in a large bowl. Pit the avocado and cut into bite-size wedges. (Squeeze on a bit of fresh lemon juice to prevent browning). Slice tomato into wedges, or halve cherry tomatoes. Add to greens, along with blueberries (optional) and mint. Prepare dressing: In a large measuring cup or small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk until emulsified. Add scallops to the salad and dress to taste. Reserve any extra dressing for future use. Toss and serve immediately. Serves two.

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Throughout our Pacific crossing on Namani, our Dufour 35, we not only became more accomplished sailors, but better foragers too. From fishing to gathering coconuts, wild limes and juicy mangoes, we learned to provide for ourselves. In New Zealand, however, we found a promised land: It’s a magical place where supermarkets and chandlers could once again be counted on to provide exactly what we wanted, when we wanted it. Yet just a few weeks after our arrival in this lovely corner of the world, we found ourselves foraging again — this time for sheer pleasure.

We were at Great Mercury Island, a pastoral 4-mile-long swath of green dotted with white sheep just 65 miles outside Auckland. Namani was one of only two boats anchored off a long, golden arc of sand, the perfect place to gather local pipi and tuatua clams. Standing in ankle-deep water, we plunged our hands into the loose sand, groped around, and soon had a harvest of clams sitting happy as — well, clams! — in our bucket, destined for our galley and our rumbling stomachs.

New Zealand often reminded us of our home waters of New England — more for the quiet, easygoing feel of the place than any similarity in landscape. In tribute, we dubbed our dinner Kiwi Clam Chowdah, putting a twist on a traditional recipe by using a local beer instead of wine as a base. With the sun setting over the rugged landscape of the Coromandel Peninsula to the west and the spectacular windward cliffs of Great Mercury to the east, we savored every spoonful of this hearty, fulfilling soup.

Kiwi Clam Chowdah

Ingredients:

• 2 cups clam meat*
• 1 12-ounce bottle dark beer
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3-4 strips bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups pan broth
• 2 cups milk or light cream
• 3 tablespoons flour

*The number of whole clams you’ll need for this will depend on the type of clam.

Steps:

Soak clams in salt water mixed with cornmeal for two to four hours to help remove sand. Rinse and clean the clams, then steam in half the beer until shells open. Remove clams and cool; reserve broth in pan. Remove meat from shells and chop coarsely. Fry onions and bacon in oil or butter until onions are golden. Pour away excess fat and add broth from pan plus remaining beer to make two cups. Add potatoes, clam meat and thyme leaves; salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil; simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are done. Stir in the milk or cream. To thicken soup, dissolve flour in a bit of water to make a paste and stir in slowly. Simmer briefly and serve. Serves four.

Tips for Cleaning Clams
by Lynda Morris Childress

If you don’t want to spend the time to clean clams using Nadine’s cornmeal trick, here’s a faster way:

1. Sort through the clams and discard any with broken or cracked shells.

2. Place the clams in a clean bucket and fill with fresh water to cover. Soak the clams for at least 20 minutes. As the clams breathe, they will filter sand from their shells.

3. Remove clams from bucket, one by one, and set aside. The filtered sand will be at the bottom of the bucket; do not pour soaking water over clams.

4. Use a scrub brush to remove any additional sand or other material clinging to the shells. Rinse. The clams are ready for cooking!

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Most sailors follow their own routines, usually superstitions to avoid bad luck. I know one skipper who won’t let his crew bring bananas aboard, and another who refuses to let anyone whistle on the foredeck. But whenever I start a charter trip with family and friends, I have one routine that seems to guarantee good fortune: I serve grilled lamb chops for our first dinner onboard.

I’ve grilled these tasty morsels while anchored in the islands of Washington, British Columbia, California and, most recently, the British Virgin Islands. We always try to sleep aboard the night before a charter, so there’s plenty of time to marinate the chops for the following night’s dinner. Giving the meat a full 24 hours to marinate brings out the tastes that will dazzle your family and guests. We usually serve the chops with baby red potatoes and a steamed green vegetable. And because we’re Californians, we pour a proud zinfandel and toast our good fortune at once again starting a charter trip with good friends and good food.

Grilled Lamb Chops Dijon Recipe

Makes Six Servings

Ingredients:

• 6 lamb chops (either loin or rib)
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
• 3 tablespoons garlic, crushed
• 6 tablespoons Dijon mustard /Users/elawson/Desktop/heesen-tout.jpg
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground sage

Rinse and dry chops. Grind black pepper onto chops and sprinkle with half of the crushed rosemary. Firmly press into the meat. Smear half the crushed garlic and then half the Dijon mustard over the chops. Pat the paste with your fingers so it sticks to the meat. Turn chops over and repeat process on the other side. Put the coated chops into a resealable bag and add lemon juice, sherry, soy sauce, olive oil and sage. Massage the air out of the bag; zip it shut. Place bag in the ice chest or refrigerator overnight, turning a couple of times to evenly distribute marinade. (If you can’t marinate overnight, do so at room temperature for two to three hours.) Preheat grill until hot. Grill chops about eight minutes per side for medium-rare meat. Each grill differs, so check meat often to avoid overcooking. When chops are done, set on a warmed plate. Tent with aluminum foil and let meat rest for at least 10 minutes while you steam the vegetables, open the red wine, and call your guests to the table.

Can be prepared at anchor, prep time is 4-8 hours, easy to prepare.

Tips for Great Grilled Chops

• Always bring chops to room temperature before grilling for faster and more consistent cooking.
• Turn chops with tongs, not a fork, to avoid piercing meat.
• Trim excess fat before grilling to avoid flare-ups. (Leave a bit on for added flavor).
• Always let meat rest for a few minutes before serving to enhance flavor.
• Grills differ; when in doubt, use a meat thermometer. Internal temperature for medium-rare meat is 125 to 130 degrees F. For well-done chops, internal temperature should be 160 degrees F.

-Lynda Morris Childress

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Watermelon Salad

I first fell under the spell of the sea as a dinghy sailor on England’s eastern coast. A number of years later, my husband, Pete, and I owned Don Quixote II, a Northwind 435 that we sailed across the Atlantic on our honeymoon. We settled in the British Virgin Islands, where we’ve worked as captain and chef aboard yachts for the past six years. In my early days as a charter chef, I was fortunate to have a lovely guest aboard who went on to become my food guru. She opened my eyes to the wider issues behind cooking for guests, including how to create dishes and menus that reflect and respect the local environment. I’ve also embraced the notion of pairing dishes to complement the weather.

In the balmy Caribbean, where our current yacht, Kings Ransom, a Matrix Silhouette 76 catamaran, charters throughout the winter, I find this arugula and watermelon salad a cool way to please the palate in hot weather. Originally I made this with olives and feta, but, like my cooking, the recipe has evolved. The cool, sweet melon and creamy goat cheese create a balance with the tangy citrus and cumin in the dressing. It looks beautiful on the plate, and my guests’ eyes always grow wide in anticipation of tasting this mouthwatering concoction. It has yet to let me down!

Arugula and Watermelon Salad Recipe

Makes eight servings

• 6 cups watermelon, seeded, cubed, drained
• 1 small red onion, sliced thinly
• 12 cups arugula
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, dry roasted
• 3/4 cup goat cheese (or substitute feta)
• Cracked black pepper, to taste

Spicy Citrus Dressing

• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a nonstick skillet, dry-roast pine nuts and toast cumin seeds, then set aside. Combine watermelon, onion, arugula and pine nuts. Sprinkle with goat cheese and pepper. To make dressing, whisk together lemon juice, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, mustard, cumin seeds and seasoning. Add olive oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Drizzle dressing over salad, toss, and serve immediately.

Note: This recipe for arugula and watermelon salad is excerpted from Dining on Deck: BVI Charter Yacht Crews Share Their Favorite Recipes, edited by Traci O’Dea and Janet Oliver ($12.50; 2012; Charter Yacht Society of the BVI; email info@bvicrewedyachts.com). If you want to try a taste of the delectable fare served by British Virgin Islands charter chefs aboard your own boat, this book offers a delightful sampling. The lavishly illustrated, easy-to-follow collection of recipes for appetizers, salads, main dishes and more has a tropical flair that will make your mouth water. If you’re headed south, take this with you.

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Even before we were married, my Australian husband, David, and I shared a cruising dream. Just after our wedding, we decided to take an extended honeymoon, and we bought Ensemble, our Fountaine Pajot Salina 48 catamaran, in La Rochelle, France. We crossed the Atlantic with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, and we liked it so much we decided to continue, joining the World ARC to head west across the Pacific before arriving home in Sydney.

I’ve always had a passion for good food and cooking, so when sea conditions allow, the galley is where you’ll find me! During our cruise, I enjoyed developing new recipes that fused my native Belgian food customs with local cuisines that we experienced along the way.

During one passage, we caught a 15-pound mahimahi, or dorado. I made this ceviche using the ingredients that I had available on the boat, employing a traditional Pacific Islands technique: To “cook” the fish, they soak the chopped pieces in fresh lemon or lime juice. The fresh vegetables used here are long-lasting, and the capers are perfect in sauces, tartar sauce, salads, and fish recipes. Bon appétit!

Pacific-Island Ceviche Recipe

Makes two servings

• 1/2 pound fresh white fish, filleted*
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• Parsley, chopped, to taste
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts (optional)

* See “Ceviche Safety Tips,” below.

Chop the fish carefully into 1/4-inch cubes. (The size is important). Put the fish and lemon juice in a closed container, shake to completely submerge fish, and cool in the fridge for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold fresh water. Dry with paper towel. In a small bowl, gently combine fish with remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. To serve, invert onto a plate or into a bowl and garnish with whatever is available—lemon slices, say, or parsley. (I used alfalfa sprouts.) Serve as an appetizer with crackers or toasted bread.

Ceviche Safety Tips

While the process of “cooking” fish in citrus juice is a traditional preparation method in many cultures, food experts warn that, unlike conventional cooking, this method of fish preparation doesn’t kill all potential parasites. For this reason, it’s recommended that you only use freshly caught fish from clean waters to make ceviche. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests freezing raw, bought fish before use to eliminate possible parasites. If you’re in doubt and have a freezer aboard, freeze and store fish at minus 4 degrees F (minus 20 degrees C) or below for seven days before using it to make ceviche. If you don’t have a freezer and you’re not sure that the fish is absolutely fresh, don’t take the chance—cook it!
-Lynda Morris Childress

Click here for more delicious recipes to cook on a boat!

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Before my husband, David, and I left to go cruising, our dream was to eat fresh fish every night for 365 straight days. Unfortunately, our fishing prowess had precluded that dream until Winterlude, our Passport 37, was anchored 120 miles out in the middle of nowhere, behind a reef and a spit of land in the Cayos Vivorillo, off the easternmost corner of Honduras.

After a bumpy overnight passage we couldn’t wait to swim and snorkel on the colorful coral reef, which teemed with fish. Of course, we took just enough for our own consumption. We were living our dream: eating fish or seafood at every meal.

With perfect timing, a friend on another boat shared a recipe for cioppino, which is an Italian-style fish stew. But we didn’t have the ingredients; most cioppinos contain many kinds of seafood.

We did have a fresh black grouper, so we simplified the recipe using ingredients we had on board. This cioppino became an instant favorite, and we’ve eaten it in anchorages all over the western Caribbean—and not just when we have too much fresh fish!

Catch-of-the-Day Cioppino Recipe

Makes Two servings

• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced finely
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 1 10-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 fresh tomato, diced
• Oregano, basil, or
• Italian-spice blend, to taste
• Marjoram, to taste
• 1 8-ounce can sliced mushrooms with liquid
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• Parsley, to taste
• 2 grouper fillets, or any fish/seafood
• 2 servings pasta, cooked
• Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated, for garnish

Sauté onion, garlic, and pepper in butter. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced tomato, spices, marjoram, and mushrooms with juice. Crumble bouillon cube into pan and mix. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add parsley, place the fish fillets on top of the sauce. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes each side, depending on the type of fish, or until it turns just opaque. Serve over pasta with Parmesan.

The recipe above is one of many found in The Boat Galley Cookbook: 800 Everyday Recipes and Essential Tips for Cooking Aboard by Carolyn Shearlock and Jan Irons (2012; International Marine; $36). This is much more than a cookbook. A large part of the cruising life is in the planning, preparing, and sharing of a good meal, and this useful book will guide you through each stage. Shearlock and Irons have extensive cruising experience on both sides of Mexico and Central America and in the Caribbean, and it shows. Unlike many galley cookbooks that seem to target weekend sailors, this one is made for liveaboard cruisers, with sections on shopping off the beaten track, ingredient substitutions, potluck ideas, meatless recipes, how to clean conch, and even how to make canned meat taste good.

Click here to read more recipes from our column, People and Food.

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I live aboard Miramar, my Islander 30 Mark II, in Seattle for a few months of the year; I spend the rest of the time in Japan. Sailing isn’t only about the journey. Sure, we want to get there—there’s something magical about destinations that can only be reached by water. That’s the dream. The reality is that we’re often moored cheek by jowl in a crowded marina or anchored little more than swinging distance away from other vessels. At such times, what you grill on your barbecue can make a serious difference. These days, you can’t establish serious BBQ cred with hamburgers and hot dogs—no way! You need to grill something that’ll make the neighbors sit up and take notice.

“Tikka” is a Hindi term for marinated and skewered meat. This aromatic recipe works equally well with shrimp or chicken!

Tikka-Style Shrimp Recipe

Makes 4 servings

• 1 pound large shrimp (or chicken pieces)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon yogurt
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground or cracked pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large clove garlic, minced finely
• 1 half-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Combine all ingredients except shrimp/chicken to make a thick paste. Rub over the shrimp/chicken pieces. Refrigerate for 3 hours. (It can be frozen at this point for future use). Cook shrimp on medium barbecue for 2 to 5 minutes per side. (See “Quick Tips for Grilling Shrimp,” below.) Cook chicken (with bone) on medium-hot grill for 30 minutes, turning frequently. Alternative: Bake in a 400 F oven for 12 to 15 minutes (shrimp) to 30 minutes (chicken with bone), turning and basting once.

Quick Tips for Grilling Shrimp
by Lynda Morris Childress

• Use medium-sized shrimp; jumbo is even better. Small shrimp are hard to skewer and easy to overcook.
• Use metal or bamboo skewers. To prevent scorching, soak wood skewers in water for 20 minutes before you use them.
• Shrimp absorb flavors fast, so limit marinating time to 3 hours max. Skewer shrimp through both head and tail ends for
  even cooking.
• Use medium or medium-low heat. Lightly oil grill and skewers before cooking.
• Shrimp cook very quickly. Grill medium shrimp for 2 minutes per side; grill jumbo shrimp 3 to 5 minutes per side or until they turn uniformly light pink and grow firm to the touch.
• Don’t overcook!

Click here to find more mouth-watering recipes to cook aboard.

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