Living on a boat and being a cook, I have become a master at recipe substitutions. Back when I lived land life, I’d find a recipe I wanted to make, hop in the car, drive to the supermarket, buy every item on the list, then make the recipe precisely as instructed.
Living on a boat has changed me. Now, I browse recipes to find ones that closely match what I have on hand. If I don’t have something, my first thought is not to go out and buy it. Rather, I figure out how to substitute it with something similar.
This change hasn’t come just from living on a boat. It comes from how we use our boat. We usually make one or two big shopping trips (or deliveries) a month — sometimes less. We like to anchor in rural areas away from towns and big stores. When I visit local stores, I’m left to pick from what they offer, not the exotic flavors from some recipe. They’re often expensive and poorly stocked.
When provisioning for The Bahamas, remember you can often find food, but finding spices, sauces, or specialty foods is nearly impossible. And we’ve found plenty of places in the US to spend time that are just as barren when it comes to yummy provisions.
Pantry provisioning list purpose
I’m putting this list together to complement future recipes published on this site. For new boaters, I hope to give you a little guidance on what has worked for us over the years. When we first started, we relied on other boaters’ lists to try to figure out what to provision. The result was a lot of unopened cans of weird things rolling around in the bilge until it finally rusted and had to be tossed.
These aren’t all-inclusive lists of what we have to eat onboard. This is basically my supplies list. When visiting new towns, I always look for farmers’ markets, seafood mongers, or butchers. I will occasionally add things like frozen chicken breasts or frozen ground turkey meat to have some protein on board, especially if heading to the islands.
If I had one rule about stocking food on the boat, it would be, “Do not buy something you can make with what you have on hand.” For example, I never buy salad dressings because I can quickly whip up my own — usually with better-tasting results. The same goes for most store-bought sauces, flavor packets, and whatnot.
Highlighted items are things that I stock up on in the big cities because I know they are unavailable or more expensive in the boondocks.
The Basics — Some things no cook should do without
First, the essentials. I can’t imagine cooking without these, and there are no substitutes.
Some things are particular to my cooking style (EVOO, kosher salt, types of vinegar) and could be subbed with similar products if needed. But you can’t cook without oil, salt, vinegar, etc.
- Kosher salt (Maybe coarse sea salt if you’re in a pinch, but it’s not the same cooking-wise.)
- Pepper grinder with mixed peppercorn medley (Ok, maybe I am starting to get picky in my old age.)
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Nice butter (Irish, New Zealand, or Amish. Freezes well, so I stock up from Aldi.)
- Some flavorless veg oil (I’ve been using avocado)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar (I’ve been using a reduced glaze instead)
- Cane or raw sugar (I like Morena, which is also vegan)
- Fresh garlic
- Onions
- Milk or a dairy substitute (I like unsweetened oat milk)
Keep It Cold — Some things in my fridge
Fridge space is at a premium on most small boats, and ours is no exception.
TIP 1: I store many condiments in the pantry unrefrigerated unless they contain a lot of sugar. Many products seem to say “refrigerate after opening” out of an abundance of caution, but I haven’t had any trouble with vinegar, oils, most chili/hot sauces, or citrus juices. Always check things before you add them to other foods, and toss them at the first sign of nastiness.
TIP 2: You can keep some things in the fridge longer if you carefully avoid cross-contamination. Never use a dirty spoon in your mayo jar, for example. The same goes for knives in jelly…a little bit of butter in all that sugar, and it’s done! Squeeze bottles are my go-to because they require no utensils, and less air gets in, so they last the longest. Boater bonus: they’re available in smaller sizes!
- Sour cream (squeeze bottles keep longer)
- Mayo
- Eggs
- Extra-sharp white cheddar cheese
- American cheese slices (Don’t judge me; it’s handy sometimes.)
- Block of real parm
- Jalapeno slices
- Nice fruit preserves (usually purchased at local farmers’ markets)
- Fresh mini sweet peppers (TIP: a bag of these replaces 4-5 bell peppers and keeps much longer since you use a whole pepper at a time!
- Store-bought BBQ sauce (Too difficult to DIY. I like the Jim Beam brand.)
Dry Goods — Things always in my pantry
Pantry items keep for a long time, so I stock up whenever possible.
- Unbleached AP flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Yeast (large blocks or bread machine jar)
- Baking powder
- Lemon and lime juices (I prefer real citrus, but I keep jugs of juice on hand for when I run out)
- Coconut milk
- Coconut oil (I use this as a sub for shortening, lard, and usually 50/50 with butter for baking)
- Unsweetened coconut flakes
- Natural peanut butter (not the kid’s stuff)
- Dark chocolate chips
- Nuts for baking — I like pecans and walnuts
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Thai sweet chili sauce
- Asian garlic/chili sauce
- Honey
- Whole grain mustard
- Canned beans (garbanzo/chickpeas, chili/pintos, black beans)
- Hatch green chiles (jars from 505 Brand are the best!)
- Brown rice
- Basmati rice
- Jasmine rice (occasional treat)
- Corn tortillas
- Salsa
- Hot sauce (usually Tabasco and Chahula)
- Plain instant mashed potatoes
‘George Likes His Chicken Spicy’ — Spices I use most
I probably have a more extensive spice collection than most boaters, but that’s because we favor flavorful cuisines like Indian, Thai, and Cajun. Yes, I try to make these as often as possible.
TIP 1: To save space, I ditch the plastic jars and keep all my spices in envelopes in a drawer. I picked the envelopes out specifically because they fit the inside dimensions of the drawer I had. It has worked well.
TIP 2: Never pour spices directly into your cooking dish on the stove, as steam can enter the spice container and add moisture. Measure your spices in your hand or a separate dish, then add them to the cooking pot. This helps you keep your spices longer.
- Garlic powder (it cakes constantly in the humidity; replace often)
- Ground cumin
- Dried parsley
- Dried thyme
- Cajun seasoning (I like Paul Prudhommes)
- Italian seasoning
- Garam masala (Indian seasoning)
- Curry powder
- Smoked paprika
- Ground cayenne or chipotle
- Red chili flakes
- Bay leaves
I have other spices on hand for baking and specific treats, but these are less important overall. (They keep nearly forever and take up no space, so why not?)
- Whole nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Whole cloves
- Cardamom
- Regular paprika
- Ground white pepper
- Turmeric
- Coriander seed
- Whole cumin seed
- Dried cilantro leaf
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