Everyone always asks me what I eat on charter, and how I stay in reasonable shape with all that temptation at my fingertips. The answer:…
Top Shelf: by Chef Tim MacDonald
Some 30 years ago, on Richmond’s Victoria Street in Australia, the Vietnamese rice paper roll was a staple for the locals.
Along with the French baguette sandwich filled with barbecued pork, coriander and lettuce – a throwback to the French days in Vietnam – the rice paper roll was one of the quintessential snack foods that the new Vietnamese hung on to as a go-to snack.
Rice paper rolls can be filled with any number of ingredients, but adaptation is the key to survival on yachts, depending on where you happen to be in the world.
In Thailand, I am not cooking confit duck, but healthy options based on what the client wants.
At the height of mango season in Thailand, out in the jungle the mangos lie on the ground rotting. What the monkeys leave behind, the locals scoop up and sell in the markets. The extra large ones go for €1.60 per kilogram.
Not often seen are the green mangos used in a variant on the green papaya salad. The mango at this stage has the perfect balance of sweet acid and texture. Adapting it to the yachting world with the additional combination of avocado and shrimp make for the perfect harmonious marriage.
Crushed roasted peanuts, fresh local hot mint and bird’s eye chili adds that all-important backdrop to the green mango at center stage. Perfect for a healthy lunchtime buffet option while on anchor. A simple sweet chili sauce dip is all that would be needed.
The trick is finding mangos that are in the “green-but-on-the-way-to-being-ripe” stage. This sweet/sharp contrast is the secret.
Ingredients
Preparation
Tim MacDonald (timothymacdonald.weebly.com) has more than 20 years experience as a chef. He was named Concours de Chefs winner for Yachts over 160 feet at the 2011 Antigua Charter Yacht Show. His recipes are designed for the owner and guests. Comments are welcome below.
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