I love dawn on the boat, whether we’re getting an early start on the day’s travel or just enjoying life aboard. With a mug of steaming coffee in hand, we watch the sun rise and the world come to life. More often than not, we eat breakfast on deck, watching the birds diving for fish and, if we’re lucky, even spot a dolphin or two.
One unforgettable morning in the La Mona anchorage of Bahia de Los Angeles in the Sea of Cortez, we watched two adult dolphins teaching a baby to leap into the air. One adult at a time would execute a perfect arc, then the youngster would try. The first few times, it barely poked its head out of the water. Half an hour later, it got totally out of the water. Even though it was more of a belly flop than arc, we felt like applauding!
Whether we’re at anchor or on the move, we enjoy breakfast burritos. If we’re eating outside, I can easily wrap them in foil so they’ll stay warm on a chilly morning. And if we’re underway, they’re nice, tidy and easy to hold at the helm. Best of all, they’re hearty enough to carry us from early morning to lunch time.
My basic recipe follows, but you can vary it considerably according to what’s available and your preferences. Make a keto/LCHF version by omitting the tortillas and serving in a cup or on a plate; use gluten-free corn tortillas for a gluten-free version; go dairy-free by omitting the cheese; leave out the meat for a vegetarian option.
Breakfast Burritos
Ingredients
- 4 ounces sausage ham or bacon, cut in small pieces
- 1/4 onion diced
- 1/4 green pepper diced or little bit of a spicy pepper, minced
- 1 tomato diced
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 large tortillas OR 4 small tortillas (corn or flour)
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese
- 1/4 cup salsa
Instructions
- Sauté the meat, onion, pepper and tomatoes over medium-high heat until the meat is done (if using bacon, cook it partially before adding the other items).
- Add the eggs and cook to your preferred doneness. At the same time, heat a dry skillet over high heat. When hot, heat the tortillas one at a time by placing them in the skillet for about 15 seconds per side (they will get a few light brown spots on them – if they have any black spots, heat the rest a few seconds less).
- Place a hot tortilla on a plate, add half the egg mix, half the cheese and a bit of salsa and roll the tortilla up. If you use a large tortilla, you can first fold the bottom up about one-quarter of the way, then roll it. If you use small tortillas, make four burritos with one-quarter of the ingredients on each.
Notes
Want over 800 boat-friendly recipes, over 100 substitutions, and tons of tips for cooking on a boat?
Dave Skolnick (S/V Auspicious) says
Burritos are a great way to repurpose leftovers. Starting with Carolyn’s recipe as a base, if you have leftover pasta sauce you can use it as a sub for the meat, salsa, tomato, and maybe some of the veg. If you have lettuce that is getting iffy that can be shredded and added in. You can use shrimp or clams instead of the pork-based products. You can simmer diced conch in tomato sauce for dinner (a la shakshuka) and use leftovers in burritos. Leftover hamburgers can be broken up and used for the meat. Feta cheese. Short on veg and days from a grocery? Canned corn. Dice leftover potato. Leftover Cajun or French mirepoix? In it goes.
Burritos are one of the ultimate “refrigerator scraping” meals.