Onboard Hors D'oeuvres
Back to Basics
by Alan Jones
March 14, 2007
Face it, most onboard party appetizers are pretty lame: chips, dip, and the occasional supermarket
meat and cheese tray. Next time, wow your guests by creating fantastic hors d'oeuvres, easily
prepared at home and served hot off the grill. Whether you call it shish kabob, yakitori or stuff
on a stick, grilled bite-sized, marinated tidbits of shrimp, steak and chicken on bamboo skewers
make for the perfect boating-party eats. The three recipes at the bottom will together feed 10
people, so adjust accordingly.
Food Prep
For easy preparation at home, place gallon-sized, zip-lock freezer bags inside of bowls to
neatly combine the marinade ingredients into the bags. Shake the bags to mix, add the meats to the
marinades, seal up airtight and refrigerate for several hours. Buy heavy-gauge bamboo skewers and
soak them in water for an hour to resist burning. Just before heading to the boat, pre-skewer the
food, put it back inside the marinade bags (making sure you don't poke a hole with the pointy end),
and place them in a cooler with ice to take on board.
The Grill
To brown the food without overcooking it, you need as hot a fire as your grill can muster.
Turn it on high, and shut the lid to preheat before cooking each course. You can also try
the "Cadillac" of grills: the Solaire Anywhere portable infrared gas grill, a 14,000-BTU
monster made of 304 grade stainless steel that uses infrared heat to quickly grill food without
drying it out. It's available with a rail mount, or if you need a rod holder mount, use a portable
fish-cleaning station and anchor the grill to it. It costs around $440, but it's worth every penny.
Cooking It Up
Serve each item individually as it's cooked on the grill. As you're cooking each course,
place a couple of loose pieces aside on the grill, and taste-test to make sure that you aren't
under/overcooking them. Start by grilling the shrimp, which should only take 3 to 4 minutes to
cook. Next, grill the chicken for about 6 to 8 minutes, again testing a few pieces before serving.
Save the steaks for last, and cook them medium rare for 5 to 6 minutes. For serving, de-skewer with
a fork and serve on a platter (forks and plates optional).
The recipes
Spicy Lime Shrimp: Take 3 pounds of 16- to 20-count, extra-large shrimp, shell and devein.
Combine 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon lime zest, the juice of 2 limes, 1
teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 5 cloves minced garlic and 5 dashes of
hot sauce (to taste).
Steak Au Poivre: Take four thick Delmonico steaks (the budget-conscious can substitute
flat-iron steaks) and pull them apart along the fat lines, trim excess and cut into 1-inch chunks.
Combine 6 tablespoons soy sauce, 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons freshly
cracked pepper, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon Grey Poupon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon thyme
and 4 cloves minced garlic.
Lebanese Chicken: Take six skinless, boneless breasts and six thighs, and cut into 3/4-inch
pieces. For the marinade, combine 6 tablespoons lemon juice, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,
1/2 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon allspice and 2 cloves
minced garlic.
Illustrations by Brian Buxton