Dining on Deck: Foods to Make for a Perfect Day on the Water

Making lunch for a day on a boat requires thinking beyond taste. Like, is the food easy to transport? Does it need refrigeration? Will it be a complete disaster if the water is rocky and it spills? Chef Erin Zircher, the co-owner of Cru Oyster Bar Nantucket, has considered these problems for years while preparing perfect meals for on-deck dining. So when she was writing her new cookbook, Cru Oyster Bar Nantucket Cookbook: Savoring Four Seasons of the Good Life, the chef dedicated an entire section for out-on-the-water recipes.

Her cardinal rules are as follows: “Boat food needs to be easy to eat and won't require much in the way of utensils and plateware” she says. “I also take into consideration the mess—you don't want to stain cushions.”

For her, the best boat recipes are ones that can be served as is: no heating up, no extra garnishes or sauces, and no need for prep space—after all, water vessels can be close quarters. “I flock to dips, sandwiches, grain salads and fresh fruit,” she says.

Below, a couple of her go-to-recipes for when the weather is warm and the water is calling.

Carrot Hummus

Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients
6 carrots coarsely chopped (4 cups)

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained (or 2 cups home-cooked chickpeas)

½ cup tahini

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Olive oil

Black dry-cured olives, pitted

Coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions

Place the carrots in a medium saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil; lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until completely tender. Add the chickpeas to the carrots for the last 5 minutes of cooking. (Heating the chickpeas makes a smoother hummus.)

Thoroughly drain the carrots and chickpeas and transfer to a large bowl. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cumin and puree the mixture, in batches, using a food processor. Transfer to a serving bowl and top the hummus with a drizzle of oil, a scattering of olives, and a handful of mint leaves. Serve.

Roast Beef Sandwiches With Cambozola And Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients

1 (2 ½- to 3-pound) eye of round beef roast

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil or olive oil

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 loaf rosemary focaccia or any rustic bread such as ciabatta or good sourdough

8 ounces Cambozola (or other soft ripened cheese)

Pickled Red Onions

1 large bunch watercress or arugula, washed, large stems removed

Directions

Dry the roast well, rub with the oil, and then liberally coat with the salt and pepper. Let the beef rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.

Set a large cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat the oven to 475°F. Place the roast in the hot skillet, being careful not to burn your hands, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 118°F to 120°F. Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the beef (gently, with tongs not a fork) to a plate to cool completely. Once cool, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (Chilling the roast well makes it easier to slice as thinly as possible.)

Slice the beef thinly. Cut the focaccia in half horizontally and spread the Cambozola cheese over the bottom half. Layer beef over the cheese, and over that distribute the pickled onions and watercress. Place the top half of the focaccia on the watercress, press lightly, and cut into the number of sandwiches you need for your group.

Wrap each sandwich tightly in parchment paper and secure with tape before packing for your picnic.

From Cru Oyster Bar Nantucket Cookbook: Savoring Four Seasons of the Good Life. Copyright © 2019 by Erin Zircher, Jane Stoddard, and Carlos Hidalgo with Martha W. Murphy and reprinted with permission from St. Martin’s Griffin.

Originally Appeared on Vogue