Galley Log
I’ve been cooking professionally and personally on boats (sail and power) in the 35 to 45 foot range for many years up and down the East Coast for the US, all around Florida and in the British Virgin Islands. Professionally, I’ve delivered around 1700 plates out of various galleys on various bodies of water. Non-professionally, probably around 2000 more plates. Here are some stories, recipes and tips from the galley!
These entries, reflect my present recollections of experiences over time. Some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
What’s it all about
Just because you can cook, it’s a little different cooking on a boat, especially a small boat in the 35-40 foot range.
Hopefully there would be at least one burner (electric or gas) and one refrigerator/freezer. Preferably, I’d like to assume that there’s a microwave which means I’ve got some kind of inverter, generator or shore power. But, whatever galley space that you may find yourself in, cooking on a boat has some limitations that need to be taken into consideration.
Here are some possible key differences between an average home kitchen and a galley on a thirty-five foot sailboat.
WATER – Home=Unlimited Boat=75 gallons REFRIGERATION/FREEZER – Home= 30 Cubic Feet Boat=8 Cubic Feet STOVE/OVEN – Home=5 Cubic Feet, 4 burners Boat=3 Cubic Feet, 2 burners COUNTER TOPS – Home=30 Square Feet (24” depth, 15 Linear Feet) Boat=8 Square Feet
Hopefully there would be at least one burner (electric or gas) and one refrigerator/freezer. Preferably, I’d like to assume that there’s a microwave which means I’ve got some kind of inverter, generator or shore power. But, whatever galley space that you may find yourself in, cooking on a boat has some limitations that need to be taken into consideration.
The specs on this galley are as follows; Three separate counter top spaces; a) 8 X 24 b) 17 x 21 c) 16 x 18.
One 6″ electric burner. One CSK 150 electric skillet (the best ever). Refrigeration space (Fridgaboat) 15 X 22 X 14 deep. Freezer (evaporator) 11 X 4 X 7 deep.
I cooked many meals in this galley over an eight year timeframe.
I like to shoot for around 60 minute from prep to plate. This includes from the start of mis en place to serving the final plated dish to the table. Reason being, if it’s been a long or rough day enroute to the dock or anchorage, the crew just wants to chill out and relax. As the cook, you want to be able to serve the crew the food as soon as they want it. Not when you decide it can be ready. They might be willing to wait an hour but probably not any longer. I have almost always been able to hit my 60 minute prep-to-plate goal
Kilkenny Creek, Ga. – Colcannon
GALLEY LOG – Georgetown, SC to Kilkenny Creek, GA
All day in the Atlantic. Southwesterly heading. Two-three foot following seas. NE winds. Great conditions for making some good time on the outside. Back to the ICW through St. Catherine’s Inlet. About 145 nm run.
Dinner –In keeping with Irish Halloween tradition, we had Colcannon today. Well, my boat take on Colcannon. I used to be a purist; baked potatoes into real mashed potatoes only. However, sometimes on the boat I use Betty Crocker Potato Buds. I know, I know. But these are really pretty good, especially when doctored up a little. Made per directions on box. Then, I added about 8oz of sour cream and kept adding milk and butter a little at a time until they were just right. Really, almost like mashed from real potatoes.
Brown Italian sausage. Throw onions in. Heat up Glory canned collard greens (the best canned greens!). More traditionally, you can use Savoy cabbage, kale, spring greens, etc. Cut the sausage in half. Mix in 8-12 oz collard greens into the potatoes.
Plate potatoes. Make a little hole in the top of the potatoes. Add 2-3 TBS of butter to melt in a little swimming pool of butter. Top with chopped scallions. Plate sausage and onions. Serve with Guiness.
Galley Confidential – You never know what you’ll be able to do while underway on the outside. We had the last of the cereal at the dock for breakfast. Lunch… I was able to put together some deli wraps and cut up an apple. Here’s the deal on the deli meats. When I first brought them to the boat, I split them up into two separate packages. So, this set of meats have never seen the light of day, or been outside of the fridge since the beginning. Consequently, they are Day 1 fresh.
There are some of advantages, and some disadvantages, to being the cook.
SCRAPS – Like the time that I was making cheeseburgers. Some of the ground beef broke into little bits and cooked to a very nice crispiness. Then, as I was melting the cheese on top of each burger, some cheese dripped off the burger and onto the pan where it cooked into little golden brown bits. Both the burger and the cheese bits stayed in the pan when I served the burgers. When I came back to the galley to do cleanup, there in the pan were these wonderfully delicious little scrap bits. Toss them out? Are you kidding?! A couple of spoonfuls of unplanned heaven awaiting only the cook! This happens sometimes with some dishes, especially if you’re cooking one-pan meals. It’s like AI. The remnants of the planned meal had taken on a life of it’s own. This sometimes produces some incredible surprises.
LEFTOVERS – Sometimes, there’s just a little left over after serving full plates to the entire crew. I was making tuna salad and had about a quarter of a cup of chopped onion and celery left on the cutting board. Yes, I should have just wiped it off into the garbage. But wait. A quick dash of balsamic mixed with a dash of mayo (both already out when making the tuna salad) mixed in with the left over onion and celery and you’ve got a pretty good tiny pre-lunch celery salad just for the cook.
SHORTS -I do my best to evenly distribute the portions to each person being served. Well, actually the Captain might get a little more.
Just as sometimes there might be a spoonful or two of something extra, sometimes I come up short. When that happens, the cook always, always gets the short. Making deli salads the other day, there were only two slices of roast beef left. There are three of us on board. I really felt that each serving needed a full slice of roast beef. So, the cook didn’t get roast beef in his salad.
Also on that meal, I was finishing up the Romaine and spinach but, didn’t have enough for three full plates. Instead of everyone getting just a little salad, the cook gets the deli meats, but no greens.
So, sometimes the cook gets scraps. Sometimes they get leftovers and sometimes they get shorts. No matter which, it’s always good to be the cook.
Colcannon Lyrics
Did you ever make colcannon,
Made with lovely pickled cream
With the greens & scallions mingled
Like a picture in a dream
Did you ever make a hole on top
To hold the melting flake
Or the creamy flavored butter
That your mother used to make
CHORUS:
Yes you did, so you did
So did he and so did i
And the more I think about it
Sure the nearer I’m to cry
Oh wasn’t it the happy days
When troubles we had not
And our mothers made colcannon
In the little skillet pot
Well, did you ever take potato cake
And boxty to the school
Tucked underneath your oxter with
Your books, your slate and rule
And when teacher wasn’t looking’
Sure a great big bite you’d take
Of the creamy flavoured soft and meltin’
Sweet potato cake
(Chorus)
Well did you ever go a courtin’ boys
When the evenin’ sun went down
And the moon began a peepin’
From behind the hill o’ down
And you wandered down the boreen
Where the clurachan was seen
And you whispered lovin’ praises to
Your own dear sweet coleen
(Chorus)
Portsmouth, Va – Engine Trouble
GALLEY LOG – Sunday, 5/31 – Tidewater Yacht Marina, Portsmouth, VA
Last day on the boat for me. Had to leave the trip early due to delay; engine problems and previous commitments back in Florida. I’ll be leaving for the Norfolk airport tomorrow morning. I’ll be meeting Bob from Portside Taxi Service at the gazeebo at 0800.
Galley Confidential – For the last seven days the daily pace has been as follows – Two hour driving the boat. Two hours at the nav station spotting for the helmsman. Two hour off (nap, prep breakfast, lunch, read, catch up on brokerage emails and voicemails). Repeat until docked for the day. Today is the first day in seven days that we have not been underway. Still have to prep meals, follow up on emails, etc. But, one part of the day is sorely missing. Where’s my nap time?! Where’s my “free time”?! Oh, this is going to take some getting used to.
Dinner – Pasta cu lo Succo – Spaghetti with sauce. Zucchini side. Browned zuch. Seasoned with basil, organo, pepper and garlic salt. When just al dente removed from CSK 150, wrapped in aluminum foil and set aside. It continues to steam cook once wrapped in the foil. It also retains it’s heat for quite awhile.
Put pasta (8oz) and 8 oz of peeled red potato in boiling water.
Browned 19 oz Italian sausage (goat cheese and garlic). Threw in green peppers, onion, garlic and potatoes from pasta. When sausage was browned on all sides, removed and cut into 1″ rings. Returned to CSK 150. Added one 25 oz jar of 365 organic eggplant marinera sauce to CSK 150. Added oregano and basil, and 4 oz of red wine, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Built a Caprese type of salad. Bed of Romaine and spniach, sliced tomatoes. Dressed with olive oil, balsamic, pepper and basil. Topped with Moz, drizzle with olive oil and dash of basil.
Plated all and served with Yellow Tail Cab.
Early Morning Dip – Started the day by taking a brisk, invigorating dip. As you know we have turbo problems. One possible problem could have been that we wrapped a line on the prop shaft or picked up a crab trap or something. Definitely a low probability, but had to check it. The first ease into the water up to my neck took my breath away. But in less than a minute I got used to it. Extremely low vis, but I was able to feel my way along the rudder to the prop and shaft. It took me three dives, but I felt pretty sure that there was nothing there that might be dragging us down. I was hoping to see the “smoking gun” of a big ball of crab trap line wrapped up around the prop shaft, but it was not to be. A thorough rinsing on the dock (who the heck knows what’s in a marina’s waters) and my early morning swim was done.
Lunch – Grilled Cheese Deluxe Monteray Jack cheese and Mozorella, a slice of ham and a couple of slices of prosciutto in 1/2 of a pita, grilled in the CSK 150 until the cheese was oozing out. Perfect. Sides of leftover tri-color pasta and garbanzo bean salad from the Stuffed Chicken Dinner, potato chips, apple and the last mango in Paris.
Provisioning Start – I start with a high level meal plan. For each day of the trip; what will we have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. How many time might we eat off shore? It’s a high level list of dishes that I’d like to make. I send this to the captain and crew for their review.
Detailed recipes – Once I get the OK from the captain and crew, for each meal, I’ll add main ingredients, side dishes, spices, quantities and any special utensil that I might need. I put this together on a spreadsheet.
Shopping List – Once I complete the detailed ingredient list for each breakfast, lunch and dinner, I then sort the spreadsheet by the ingredient. This becomes the provision list that I use when I go shopping at the grocery store. So, I may have ten “onion” line items with the required quantity (“1/2 medium”, “3 TBS”, etc.). Because each “onion” line item includes the dish that it relates to, I can easily substitute or adjust in the store depending on what quantity and quality that I find there.
Shop – I follow my final provision list closely. However, if I see another ingredient or side dish that might be better for the meal, I’ll adjust on the spot. I do keep in mind price for most items. If I can get a jar of store brand roasted red peppers for $1.69 vs. the Goya brand for $3.25, I’ll certainly go with the store brand. However there are some things that quality over rides the price. For me, Clausen dill pickles are the best. I’m not going to buy store brand. Either way, I spend as little time as possible in the store. I want to get out of there and get this stuff stowed on the boat.
Clewiston to Titusville, FL
FROM THE GALLEY LOG Monday 5/25/15 – Clewiston to Titusville, FL –
0600 departure across Lake Okeechobee to ICW. Moderate winds (10-15 knots) out of the east/southeast. Moderate chop throughout. After 150 nm underway we docked at Titusville City Marine around 1645.
Breakfast – Underway. Scrambled dilled egg wraps with cheese and bacon. Orange and mango.
Lunch – I made deli pita sandwiches, pickles, potato salad, apples. Relatively easy to make when it’s calm on a lake or when travelling on the ICW
Galley Confidential – Mangoes always remind me of the mangoes that I used to eat from my grandmother’s trees when I was a little boy in Ybor City. They taste exactly as I remember. One of the benefits of being the cook is that you get some perks every once in awhile. There was still some mango left on the seed when I finished cutting it up. And, just like when I was a kid, I scraped the remaining meat off with my teeth as the juice ran down my arms. I felt like I was back on my grandmother’s back porch in Ybor
Just to set the scene here. This particular galley consists of one electric burner, a microwave oven and a dorm-sized refrigerator. The “freezer” portion of the refrigerator is about 18″ x 18″ x 9″. I cooked on this boat for around eight years. After a year of so of doing a lot of juggling with the one burner, I got a Cuisinart CSK 150 electric skillet. My world changed significantly the day that I first started using the CSK 150. It is big enough to cook several things at one time. It’s also deep enough to make a sauce in it. With the larger cooking area, the sauce reduces more quickly than if it were in a conventional pot.
Dinner – Fish Tacos – Garbanzo Bean salad, Chili Potatoes, taco fixins, beer, Billy Gibbons Tequila drink… Made the garbanzo bean salad first so that it would marinate for awhile. Beans, corn, onion, green pepper and chorizo. Spiced with cumin, basil and oregano.
While the bean salad was marinating, made the potatoes. Browned small red potatoes, added onion, green pepper and chorizo. Spiced with oregano, ground black pepper and fresh cilantro. Covered with aluminum foil to keep warm.
On to the fish. Two 10 oz grouper filets. One 5 oz snapper filet. Flour, milk, bread crumbs and browned. Prepped fixins of lettuce, tomato, cheese and cilantro. Added red chili sauce and sour cream to the mix
It’s really going to depend on your crew. Do they eat a lot. Not alot. Generally, I plan on 4-6 ounces of protein per person. If you are not familiar with your crew, ask them, before you create your provision list what amount do they normally eat. A good if they are not vegetarian, ask how big of a steak (in ounces) would they normally eat. Of non-meat eater, but pescatarian, how big (ounces) of a salmon filet might they get. If truly vegetarian, you obviously won’t be preparing meat or seafood for them, but ask how much (in ounces) would they normally eat if they were having a main serving of broccoli. Of ask them to describe a typical amount of food they would have.