Bon Appetit

BON APPETIT By SNAPSHOTJENNY SCROGGINS By SEA STAFF

BON VOYAGE AND BON APPETIT

MY HUBS JOHN, AND our cat Vegas have been cruising the East Australian coast from Brisbane Queensland and we are currently in Airlie Beach, around 700 nm. It has taken us around 4 weeks - but we have been in absolutely no rush. The little ‘sweet lip’ was caught at Thomas Island on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef.

The Bounty of the Sea

Some of my most cherished memories on our boat have been made fishing and foraging for our food. We have visited many remote islands over the last few years, where we troll, jig, spear, or forage what we need (and only what we need) from the wealth of the local ecosystems. I am filled with gratitude and pride when I can plate up an awesome meal that I have sourced myself.

INGREDIENTS:

1 fish - depending on how many you are feeding - this was ample for 2 (gutted and scaled. Head on or off to preference) 1/2 green chili - sliced 1/2 red chili - sliced 1 red/Spanish onion finely sliced 2 cloves of garlic - finely sliced 1 TBS fish sauce 1 TBS Kecap Manis (thick sweet soy) 1 TBS soy sauce/tamari

Prepare baking paper and foil - a long enough piece of both to enclose the fish completely. Turn BBQ onto medium heat and preheat for 10-15 minutes. Moosh the chilies, garlic and sauces together in a bowl to soften the chilies and garlic - you don’t want to blend to a paste. (If desired - add a TBS palm/brown sugar to this mix.... depending on how I’m feeling, I may or may not add.... I find the Kecap Manis generally sweetens enough). Lay finely sliced onions onto the baking paper/foil and place the fish on this. Place the chili and sauce mix into the gut of the fish as shown. Slash the top of the fish several times and slurp with EVOO, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enclose fish in foil/baking paper and place on preheated BBQ for around 15-20 until fish is firm and cooked. Serve whole at the table - I serve with steamed rice and additional soy sauce. Servings: 2 Submitted By Kylie Haynes

Maine Lobster Boil

In March of 2020, we were anchored close to Virgin Gorda in the BVIs. In the blink of an eye, COVID shut the world down, and the BVIs locked their borders – no one in, no one out. Customs offices were closed, and we were told that if we tried to sail to the USVIs or home to the U.S., we could be arrested by the police, who were closely monitoring all waterways. We ended up being quarantined on our 44-ft boat for three months. NO going ashore. NO paddle boarding. NO using the dinghy. We would order food and water from Leverick Bay to be delivered to the dock, which would be passed up onto the boat deck (after we had received police permission to move the boat for one hour), for us to live off of for the next two weeks. The only saving grace during the quarantine was that we were allowed to swim off of our boat, and we happened to be anchored close to an amazing coral garden. We spent an hour every day snorkeling the surrounding area to exercise and were lucky enough to spear some enormous lobsters along the way. While spiny lobsters are very different from Maine lobsters (where we are from) and are often prepared with a Caribbean flair when served in the islands, my homesickness influenced my cooking from time to time, and a summer “Maine” lobster boil was a weekly meal on our boat.

INGREDIENTS:

Lobster (caught or bought) Potatoes, butter or olive oil, s/p, dill or thyme (optional)

Corn, parmesan cheese, s/p Simple salad with classic French vinaigrette – greens, olive oil, lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, ground Dijon mustard, maple syrup, s/p

The simplicity of this meal is wonderful. You can virtually make everything using one pot if you need to.

Lobster – Using a big pot, bring 2-3 inches of water to a medium boil (you can add old bay, lemon, or other herbs to the water if you’d like for added seasoning). Add lobster to pot, cover with lid, reduce heat to medium low, and steam for approximately 8 – 12 minutes depending on the size of your lobster. Remove lobster from heat and let cool until manageable. Serve with butter (heated on the stove) or malt vinegar.

Potatoes – Start potatoes in pot with cold salted water, enough to just cover the potatoes. Bring water to a simmer and cook potatoes until a paring knife easily moves through the center. Remove potatoes, dry, then mix and smash slightly in a bowl with olive oil or butter, salt and pepper, and your favorite herb (I like thyme or dill). Corn – Boil water in a big pot, add corn and cook about 5-7 minutes until a knife can poke through the kernels (kernels should be bouncy on the outside and juicy in the middle.) Remove from heat, and mix with butter, grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Salad – If you are lucky enough to have sourced greens on your boat, use whatever you have! I love to make a simple French vinaigrette on our boat. I use three parts fats to 1 part acid for my vinaigrettes. So, ¼ cup lemon juice (or red wine vinegar if you don’t have lemons), ¾ cup olive oil, a smashed garlic clove (no need to dice it, just leaving it smashed whole in the dressing will give just the right amount of garlic flavor), 1-2 TBSP Dijon ground mustard, and ½ teaspoon of maple syrup (this takes the bite edge off of the vinegar and makes the dressing more rounded). Servings: 2 Submitted By Ashley Elicker

Caribbean Smoothie

This smoothie is a great alternative to the usual breakfasts and provides a cool boost to your day. Its super easy and all it requires is a liquidizer or stick blender and 2 large tumblers.

INGREDIENTS:

2 ripe bananas 1 cup of frozen diced mango 1 tub coconut yogurt (approx 150g) 1/2 cup skimmed milk

Skin and roughly dice the bananas putting the fruit directly into a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend for at least 1 minute. Let the mixture rest for 30 seconds and whiz up again for a further 10 seconds. This allows the frozen mango to defrost slightly and cool all the other ingredients. Pour into 2 tumblers and top with fresh mint. Enjoy! Serves 2. Tips: If you cannot buy frozen mango, then prepare 1 large fresh mango the day before and freeze overnight. Mango will keep this way for several months and a great way to ensure a good supply of fruit out of season. Milk can be replaced with non-dairy options such as almond or coconut but try to use the unsweetened varieties if possible (ripe banana adds enough sweetness). Water can also be used as a substitute. Dried mint can be used as an alternative to fresh. Try this as a sundowner; replace 1 banana with 1/2 cup of ice and add a shot of rum! Servings: 2 Submitted By Swade Pickersgill

Do you have a favorite boating recipe? Share it with me: seaeditor@goboating.com In Subject Line – “Bon Appetit”