Fine Dining on Lillian B

Sept 6 2025

As Brimmer, Burke, and I were motoring about in the Zodiac in Brent Cove, Hill was back on-board preparing dinner. If you ever crew on the Lillian B, you will, in turn, be assigned to be  Chef and bottle-washer for the day. You can choose whatever you want to offer the crew, subject to any dietary restrictions, but you have to prepare, serve and cleanup  lunch and dinner for the entire day. Breakfast is left to the individuals given the irregular sleep hours. The meals can be  as mundane or as epicurean as you choose. There is a  decades-old agreement  that the menu can even be as basic as a can of Dinty Moore Beef  Stew. This  rule is rumored to owe its origin to Navy Chief Dick Hiatt as a concession to get him to agree to sign-on as crew. Be that as it may,  whatever container Dick Hiatt might open as chef-for-a-day  is welcomed with enthusiasm, albeit along  with  an over-worn ribbing about his cooking prowess.

Crew member Burke Munger in action in the galley.

Planning and stocking supplies is perhaps the most important and  time-consuming aspect of preparing for an ocean voyage.  As a crew member, you will get an e-mail  weeks before departure asking for your specific menu ingredients, in great detail. This is admittedly tedious, but it avoids having to make a special stop for rock   salt to properly brine and finish a reverse seared steak. These requests are subsequently  input into an excel spreadsheet.

Starting as early as a week or two before departure, non-perishable items are loaded onboard. Heavy and bulky items get loaded anytime the boat is on the dock, while smaller, lighter supplies ride out with the zodiac.  Excel sheet in hand, finding ingredients usually demands  trips to multiple stores, especially, for example, when looking for Brimmer’s grits above the Mason Dixie Line.    The day before departure, Lillian’s refrigerator/freezer is turned on to give it time to cool down and be ready to load.   The final event is often a chaotic group shopping trip to buy and load perishable items like fish, meat, vegetables, and fruits  as well as a last chance for any hard-to-find items. In practice, ingredients occasionally get overlooked and meals do get modified once at sea … but we always eat well.

On this particular evening, Hill was preparing steak and an heirloom tomato salad with quick pickled shallots and a garlic and anchovy infused olive oil, which he said was a riff on a recipe he found in Bon Appétit several years ago.

Hill Harman’s Heirloom Tomato salad

Brimmer Sherman and Burke Munger evaluating  the heirloom tomato salad

as Chef Harman anxiously awaits their judgment.

Despite the stern expressions on the judges faces, Hill’s dinner was excellent as always. And, in general, even Dinty Moore Stew is consumed with enthusiasm at sea, but selected crew members, in particular Hill and Brimmer, go above and beyond. They typically  embrace their day as Chef as a challenge worthy of reality TV.  The challenge is made even more so when dealing with a boat rolling rail-to-rail and a stove that is now down to one burner. Brimmer in particular has distinguished himself over the years with delicious meals and refined presentation while bouncing out on the high seas. The following are some of his recipes in sailing from the Canary Island to Cabo Verde and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean:

Sailing Recipes Courtesy of Brimmer Sherman

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion

2 cans mixed beans (black, pinto, etc.)

1 can chopped green chiles

1 can shoe peg corn (regular will work)

3 cans Mexican stewed tomatoes

1 package Ranch dressing mix

1 package taco seasoning mix

Brown ground beef, drain.  Sauté onions.  Add all ingredients to pot.  Bring to a simmer and let simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

1 lb bucatini or spaghetti

1 cup ricotta

 1/2 c. Olive oil

1/2 c. Freshly grated pecorino or Parmesan

Zest and juice from 1 lemon

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Freshly sliced basil

In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions.  Reserve 1 cup of past water then drain.  Return to pot.  In medium bowl, combine sauce ingredients and toss with pasta.

Brimmer Flay’s Shrimp & Grits

4 cups water

Salt & pepper

1 cup stone ground grits

3 T. Butter

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

6 slices bacon, chopped

4 teaspoons lemon Juice

2 T. Chopped parsley

1 cup thinly sliced scallions

1 large clove garlic, minced

Bring water to boil, add salt and pepper, add grits and cook until water is absorbed.  About 25-30 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

Rinse shrimp and pat dr.  Fry bacon in large skillet until browned; drain well.  In grease, add shrimp and cook until pink.  Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic.  Sauté for 3 minutes.

Spoon grits into serving bowl.  Add shrimp mixture and mix well.  Serve immediately.

*Captain’s note. This recipe is restricted to calmer seas. Perhaps the most dangers aspect of sailing is scalding liquid on a gimbled stove top.

White Chili

2 cans northern beans

6 cups chicken broth

2 cloves garlic minced

2 medium onions, chopped

2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chiles

2 t. Cumin

1 1/2 t. Oregano

1/4 t. Ground cloves

1/4 t. Cayenne pepper

4 c. Diced cooked chicken (or canned)

3 c. Grated Monterey Jack cheese

Sauté onions until transparent.  Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more.    Add beans, broth, garlic and half the onions in a large soup pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, add chilies and

seasonings and mix thoroughly.   Add chicken and continue to simmer 30 minutes.  Serve topped with grated cheese.  Other toppings could include sour cream, olives, tomatoes, scallions.  Serves 8-10.

*Captain’s note. “Serves 8-10” but there is usually little left over even for a crew of four.

Brimmer’s Green Chili Stew

1 1/5 pounds lean pork stew meat, chopped into 1/2” pieces

1/3 c. Flour or corn starch

3/4 t Salt

3/4 t. Pepper

3/4 t. Garlic powder

1 1/2 T olive oil

1 onion

5 cloves garlic

2 cans green chilis (4 ounces)

2 14ounce cans green enchilada sauce

5 cups chicken broth

6 cups diced potatoes

Combine the pork, flour, pepper and garlic powder in a gallon ziploc bag.  Shake to coat and then set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, warm the oil.  Add the garlic and onion and sauté until translucent.

Add the pork and cook until browned.  About 5 minutes.  Add the chiles, enchilada sauce, broth and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes

Add the potatoes, raise the heat to boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender; about 15 minutes.

Beef Tamale Pie

1 T. Canola oil

1 pound lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, untrained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 c. Bottled chili sauce

1 T. Chili powder

1 1/2 t. Salk

2 large jalapeño peppers, divided

6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 8.5 ounce package corn muffin mix

1/2 c. Milk

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 425.  Heat oil in 10 inch cast iron skillet over high.  Add beef and onion; cook, stirring often until beef is browned and crumbly, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, beans and chili sauce, 1/4 cup water, chili powder, salt and 1 finely chopped and seeded jalapeño.  Bring to boil, remove from heat.  Sprinkle top with 1 cup of the cheese.

Whisk together muffin mix, milk, egg and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.  Pour batter over hot filling in skillet, spreading batter to the edges of skillet.  Thinly slice remaining jalapeño; sprinkle slices over top of batter.

Bake in preheated oven until cornbread is golden brown, 18-22 minutes.

Chicken Curry

2 lbs boneless chicken cut into 1.5” cubes

2 onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch fresh ginger peeled and minced

2 T. Oil

2 T. Yellow curry powder

1 t. Tumeric

1 14 ounce can coconut milk (full fat)

1 T. Maple syrup

3/4 t. Salt

Ground black pepper to taste

4 T. Cold water

1 T. Cornstarch

Rice/quinoa

Cook rice or quinoa per instructions.  Cook onion, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add curry powder and tumeric and cook for 30 seconds, stirring often.  Add coconut milk, maple syrup, salt.  Stir until incorporated and bring to boil. Add chicken, reduce to low and cook for 15 minutes.  In small bowl, whisk cornstarch and water.  Stir into sauce until thickened.  Season to taste and serve over rice.

Salmon Croquettes with Dill Sauce

2 (14.5 oz) cans salmon packed in water

2 c. Finely chopped celery

4 large eggs, beaten

1 c. Finely chopped onion

1-2 t. Salt

1-2 t. Pepper

2-3 T. Olive oil

Drain salmon.  Remove and discard skin and bones.  Flake salmon and place in medium bowl.  Stir celery and next 4 ingredients into salmon.  Shape into patties.  Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat and cook patties in batches until golden on each side.  Serve with tartar sauce, or sriracha mayonnaise (mayonnaise mixed with sriracha sauce).

Dill Sauce

1 1/2 c. Fat free plain Greek yogurt

1/4 c. Dijon mustard

2 T. Chopped fresh dill (less if dried)

1 t. Lemon zest

1 T. Fresh lemon juice

Pinch of ground red pepper

In small bowl, whisk together all ingredients.  Serve with croquets.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Pork Tenderloin

Mix:

2 t. Dried thyme

2 t. Dried oregano

1 t. Garlic powder

1 t. Onion powder

1 t. Salt

1 t. Pepper

Rub pork tenderloin with 2 t. Olive oil and coat with spice mixture.  Transfer pork to an oven preheated to 400 degrees.  Roast until instant read thermometer inserted into center reads 145 degrees or about 25-30 minutes.  Let stand 3 minutes before slicing.