Jul 19th - BBQ Brown Sugar Dill Wild Sockeye Salmon

[JUMP to the PRESENT but more GALAPAGOES memories to come]

Mondays are painful.  The first Monday after a holiday is diabolical.  Days like this are perfect for throwing random food on the BBQ.

We grilled some Green Onions and Yellow Zucchini after tossing them with Olive Oil and Salt and Pepper.  I made a quick Cous Cous.  As I was going  through my holiday photos, I came across a rice that Tutu made on the boat where he added tiny noodles to a rice dish.  So I added some to the Cous Cous for texture.  I did not fry them as he did so it was not the same but it was tastey.  I also added some fresh Dill to echo the Salmon. 

BBQ Dill Wild Sockeye Salmon

150 g Salmon per person is usually sufficient.  We sometimes go more.
1/4 c Brown Sugar
2 T Fresh Dill, chopped
1 T Olive Oil
Pepper
Salt

Mix the Dill, Oil and Sugar in a small bowl. 

Spread on the flesh slide of the Salmon only.  Make sure the Salmon is clean, boned and dry first.  Pepper.

You can sprinkle with Salt but only just before the Grill.  You do not want to draw out moisture from the Fish too soon.

Grill skin side down for 3-5 minutes depending on how thick it is.  We like it a little ruby in the middle and not over cooked.   Flip if you are adept with a whole filet.  You could use a BBQ Fish Basket specially designed for grilling fish .  It will break up a bit.  I don't always flip. If you have the lid down, it will get cooked through and most of the cooking will happen on Skin Side.  D flipped it for 2 minutes. 

The Vegetables will only take a few minutes so time your grilling.  We sliced the Zucchini lengthwise. Yummo!

Dill Cous Cous with Fideu Noodles

July 5th - Rabida-Puerto Egas - Galapagoes Boat Cruise - Day 7

Racing Fiddler Crab on Rabida

Along the beach on Rabida, there were several of these little Fiddler crabs. Our guides drew a square in the sand and raced them.  We saw the etchings in the sand from the previous group.  I am guessing this is a regular source of tourist entertainment.

Breakfast Omelette

I had thought I had taken breakfast photos all along but now that I look back on the photos and my notes, I realise that I did not have my sea legs the first few days and was not physically fit enough in the mornings for photography.  We had something different each day on the boat.  We always had fresh fruit, toast and cereal along with the plato fuerte.

Cream of Mushroom Soup on Galapagoes Cruise

Lunch started with a nice cream of mushroom soup.  July was the start of the dry season but that did not mean that it was warm everyday.  When it was overcast, it was quite cool and so the soup was welcome warmth.

Spinach Rice and Preserved Vegetables

Tutu made the rice in a large round form but the chafing dish really did not support it so it sort of fell in.  Too bad, it was pretty.  We just served it on the counter instead. The sides today were unusual.  We wondered if it were an common sort of Ecuadorean side.  There was a platter entirely of preserved, jarred vegetables: Asparagus, Mushrooms and Green Beans.  There were Salads and Cheese as well.

Pineapple Flan/Mousse

Dessert was a nice light sort of .... well, we could not figure it out but it was definitely Pineapple on the bottom.  The top of the dessert seemed like a cross between Meringue and Flan.  It was not too sweet and had a nice smooth texture.

Pan de Yuca (Mantioc) - Cassava Bread

I have a new favourite Ecuadorean food as of this day. After our morning visit, Tutu made us a snack called Pan de Yuca or Yuca/Cassava Bread with a Honey dip.  It was YUMMMMMO! It has a very mild yet sturdy cheese in the centre that made it nice and chewy without oozing.  I could not tell at first if it were cheese or the chewiness of the bread.  It was SOOOOOO GOOOD! 

Swimming Marine Iguana

We saw something today that I had been looking forward to for the whole trip.  We had seen Marine Iguanas on several islands by the dozens and dozens lying sprawled on the beach.  Up until today, we had not seen them swim.  On the beach here on Egas, there were swimming in the little tide pools as they munched on the moss and algae growing on the rocks. 

Pan Fried Fish with Tomato Salad and Broad Beans

Our last dinner on the boat started with a sort of Caprese Salad with a Soft Cheese with Tomatos with Shallots in Balsamic.  There were sides of Roasted Potatoes, Broad Bean sautee and salads.  I had pan fried Fish and D had a kind of Meatloaf.

Meatloaf Roll

Two desserts today! Dessert for dinner was a Caramel Flan.  The use of those green cherries was pretty frequent and superfluous. The pudding was delicious.

Caramel Flan

July 4th - Cerro Dragon/Bartolomé - Galapagos Boat Cruise - Day 6

We visited a fantastic island today. Bartolomé island is one of the younger islands and though the volcanic activity is thousands of years past, the craters and lava flow speak volumes.  The views were spectacular and the snorkelling magical.

Breakfast varied day to day but always had yogurt, cereal and fruit.  The mains were omlettes, fried eggs, and today was French Toast with Syrup. Light and fluffy.  Yum.

Gino our guide mentioned that Tutu was planning something special for us.  Tutu prepared an Ecuadorian lunch which started with a gorgeous Ceviche. Ecuadorian Ceviche is different from Peruvian or Mexican in that is served wet as a soup.  Sometimes they will come with vegetables like Tomatoes and Onions.  It was delicious and I had my eye on the bowl of B sitting next to me who was eating slower :^P.

The main was full of signature Ecuadorian dishes.  We had a light Avocado salad.  I am not certain that there are differences in Avocados there but they were lighter and fluffier.  There was rice, Mote (Hominy) and Fried Bananas.  Of course there was also Llapingachos, potato and cheese cakes. There was a hot sauce and a peanut sauce too.  Everything was delicious.

Everyone else also had Horneada or roasted meat.  Tutu of course made me some fish but I was pretty stuffed with Avocado Salad and Llapingachos.

Dessert was a Fruit Salad served in Juice.  I think it was Guanabana Juice.  It definitely had the creamy fruity characteristics of it.  Guanabana is often served as a fresh juice here.  It is also known as Sour Sop or Durian. 

I am guessing that Wahoo is a very affordable fish.  It is very versatile, that's for sure.  I had it most days but I did not mind.  Tutu went out of his way to do it differently as often as possible and as I have said, his other dishes often filled me up before the fish.  Tonight he also had done Green Beans wrapped in Bacon but he made a small portion for me and another vegetarian with Cheese.  Even the snacks between snorkelling like pizza had a small cheese side.  There was a couple of girls who would not respect that even after polishing off the pepperoni and they were often gone before we got any.  Nice. This ain't an all you can eat buffet! It's a boat.

With the Fish there some lovely roasted Potatos, Egg and Spinach and Fava Beans.  Who needs roasted chicken? Not me :)

45th Anniversary Cake

Dessert was very special.  There was an American couple travelling for their 45th Anniversary! Isn't that amazing?  They were sweet though we were rather surprised they were on an adventure boat. The cake was frosted with a Blue and Pink icing on each side.  The staff made sure that all the boys had blue pieces and the girls had pink.  Though I was stuffed to the gills, I finished the whole velvety chocolatey piece.  Since it was D and my honeymoon, we considered it good luck to eat it.