Nothing is better than a day at the beach.  The pounding of the surf, the cry of the gulls, the heat of the sun, and the kiss of a salt-laden breeze—it’s paradise.  I’ll confess, I’m one of those people who would prefer to spend every summer moment from sunup to sundown hanging out on the sand.  There are a lot of different “styles” of all-day beaching.  Some people prefer to swim and surf, some to walk and shell-collect, and some to just sit and read a book, watch the waves, or nap between long, lazy games of bocce.  Eventually, however, even the most diehard beach lovers get hungry.  Perfect beach days are rare and beautiful things, and it would be a shame to waste even a moment searching for sustenance.

With good sunscreen and a perfectly packed cooler or two, there’s no good reason for you—or those whom you’ve chosen to share your perfect beach day with—to step foot off of the sand. 

Spending an entire day on the beach requires a new look at beach picnics.  Most picnics include just one somewhat elaborate meal served at some point in the middle of the day.  A day at the beach, however, is perfect for a number of smaller snack-like courses, as well as one or two more substantial selections, all of which your companions can help themselves to pretty much whenever they want. 

Package single servings of salads, snacks, and other foods in reusable plastic containers or resealable plastic bags.  Arrange the food in coolers so that a guest can open them up and see what’s offered, take what they want, and then close the cooler keeping the rest of the food nice and cold—which is important on hot summer days. (See Keeping Food Safe.)

This might sound like a little bit of planning to set up, but the advantage here is that your picnic is pretty much maintenance free for the rest of the day and your guests can eat at their own pace. 

Pros and Cons of Picnic Baskets

I love looking at picnic baskets in those fancy department stores and mail-order catalogs.  They’re just so pretty with all of the coordinating plates, silverware, and plastic glasses that they’re downright irresistible!  Just looking at them can inspire all kinds of flights of fancy involving overflowing hampers of food for some alfresco dining in the English countryside.  The English, however, tend to picnic in fifty-to-sixty-degree weather, so wicker baskets make a certain amount of sense. 

In this climate, however, those pretty baskets are about as practical as a wetsuit crocheted by your grandmother.  The most important problem is that they’re not insulated, so there’s no way to keep food at the proper temperature.  And the first time you set that basket down on the beach, you’re going to find that sand has managed to work its way through the rattan and fabric to lodge itself in between those beautifully nested plates and into the charming but easily scratched wineglasses. 

And where do you put the wineglasses, plates, and forks once they’ve been used?  There’s nowhere to wash those dishes at the beach, so now you’ve got to lug them all home.  In short, picnic baskets are often more trouble than they’re worth.

What you need for a day at the beach are insulated coolers.  Even for a small group, I recommend that you take two coolers; one for beverages and one for food.  Pack the beverage cooler with ice.  Bottled and canned drinks will only benefit from the ice-to-water ratio that will occur as the day goes by.  For the food cooler I recommend reusable ice packs (and plenty of them) so that you can avoid soggy sandwiches and watery salads.  (See Cooler Packing Tips.)

Perfect All-Day Picnic Foods

When choosing what to pack for your day at the beach, keep in mind that you want to pick foods that will last in the cooler all day long and will take no last-minute preparation before eating.  A garden salad might seem like a good choice, but if you dress the salad in the morning, it will be soggy by the time you feel like eating at noon.  Even putting the dressing on the side will not necessarily solve the problem, since the simple act of juggling a container of salad and an open bottle of salad dressing while perched in a beach chair seems like an open invitation for a sand-laden gust of wind.

So think “grab and go” when you’re packing your picnic and you can’t go wrong.  A resealable bag of sliced watermelon will always be welcome on the beach, as well as grapes, plums, apples, or other whole fruit.  An individually-packaged serving of fruit salad, slaw, cucumber salad, potato or pasta salad, tomato-mozzarella salad, or mixed grilled vegetables would make terrific snacks or side dishes. 

For heartier fare, my personal favorite is cold fried chicken, but if you want to try something a little different, how about a shrimp salad or a variation of the Pan Bagnat, which is a stuffed sandwich with grilled chicken, olives, and fresh herbs?

My favorite food for a beach snack is a chilled soup.  Mexican carrot soup or tomato gazpacho are both so refreshing and delicious that I wouldn’t consider a trip to the beach without one of them.

It’s never a bad idea to include some of the more traditional snacks on your trip that don’t require refrigeration:  nuts, tortilla chips, pretzels, or snack bars can be welcome nibbles on a hot day, and they have the advantage of replacing some of the salt that you may have sweated out while playing volleyball in the sun. 

Beach Bevs

For many of us, the ideal beach beverage would be a perfect pina colada or strawberry daiquiri delivered to us whenever we snap our fingers by a handsome, uniformed young man with a sultry smile .  .  . Oh, is that just me?

Of all of the choices you can make for your beach drink, pina coladas, strawberry daiquiris and other frozen drinks are about the worst selection.  Years ago, a group of my friends experimented with a battery-powered blender to make “boat drinks” on the beach and ended up with a few somewhat tasty beverages that were peppered with dangerously sharp ice slivers and sand.  The experiment was short-lived, as were the batteries in the blender.

There’s a great selection of canned and bottled drinks out there that are easy to transport, easy to keep chilly and sealed against sand.  Whatever your beverage of choice, it’s a good idea to bring plenty of it, along with lots of bottled water. 

It’s always a good idea to consult the rules of the town whose beach you are visiting.  Some beaches do not permit glass of any kind (including bottles) or public consumption of alcoholic beverages.  It’s better that you are aware of this before you start packing.

A Few Rules

1.  If you bring it in, bring it out.  If you enjoy the beach, then you understand how important it is to keep it clean.  It is not cool to leave trash, cigarette butts, broken beach chairs, or anything else when you leave.  Burying trash in the sand is NOT the same as disposing of it.

2.  Be considerate of those around you.  You may think that Brittany’s latest album is a work of genius, but it is not your job to spread the word.  If you enjoy loud music of any kind while you’re on the beach, then please do the people next to you a favor and invest in some headphones.  Many beachgoers actually prefer the sound of crashing surf and there are few other places on the planet where we can enjoy this particular brand of music live.  As for cell phones, please do not subject your fellow beach lovers to a long-winded business or personal conversation while they’re trying to relax.  Cell phone use on the beach should be restricted to helping your guests find exactly where you’re camped out.  Once everyone arrives, turn the thing off and enjoy.

3.  Take care of yourself.  Bring plenty of sunscreen, insect repellent, and water.  You certainly don’t want your day cut short by sunburn, bug bites, or dehydration.

4.  If your group includes young children or animals, you will want to be able to provide shade for them.  Some local beaches do not allow dogs on the beach during the summer season, and if they are allowed they must be on a leash.  Both children and animals will need to be kept properly hydrated—a Frisbee is a good alternative for a doggie water bowl.

5.  Support local conservation efforts.  Okay, this is more of a suggestion than a rule, but there are groups that need your support to ensure that your children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy the beach as much as you do.   I’ve been a supporter of the North Carolina Land Trust for years.  You can find out more info at www.coastallandtrust.org.

See you on the beach!

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Keeping Food Safe

v Always transport and store food in insulated coolers with plenty of ice or ice-packs.

v Bacteria that cause most food-borne illness grow quite easily between forty-one degrees Fahrenheit and one hundred forty degrees Fahrenheit, so minimize the time you allow food to stay at these temperatures.  Don’t let food sit out.

v It is a little geeky to bring an instant-read thermometer to the beach with you to make sure that your food is cool enough—but it is not wrong.

v Replenish ice or ice packs—food sitting in cold water is not cold enough for the food to remain safe for very long, and ice packs will melt as the day goes on.  Don’t hesitate to designate someone to go out and get some ice.

v Throw out any food that sits out for too long. 

v Wash hands or use sanitary hand wipes before eating.  ________________________________________________________________________

Cooler Packing Tips

v Pack food and drink in separate coolers.

v Pack food in reusable plastic containers or resealable plastic bags for “grab and go” convenience.

v Always put ice packs on top of food in cooler.  Remember, cool air falls, warm air rises.  If you put an ice pack in the bottom of the cooler, it is only keeping the bottom of the cooler cold.  The food above it does not get the benefit of the chill.

v If you don’t have ice packs, fill resealable bags with ice.  That way when the ice melts, the water will stay in the bag instead of making your food soggy.

v Pack heavy stuff on the bottom and lighter stuff on the top.

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A Packing List

Sunscreen:  Whatever strength of sunscreen you think you’re going to need, bring at least one tube of the extra-strength, heavy duty forty-five or above stuff.  When you’ve gotten enough sun with your regular sunscreen, slather this on so that you won’t have to go home early on account of sunburn.  It’s also a good idea to bring a lightweight long sleeve shirt and a hat.

Insect repellent:  Even if the day starts out with a bug-free sea breeze, if the wind switches to a land breeze you will thank me.

Hand Wipes:  There isn’t anywhere to thoroughly wash your hands on the beach, and if you’ve been swimming or handling shells you may have some bacteria on your hands that you won’t want to transfer to your food, not to mention the sand. 

Trash bags:  Depending upon the size of your group you may need gallon-size resealable bags to full-size lawn bags, but you will need a minimum of three bags:  one for trash, one for recyclable materials, and one for reusable containers for you to take home and wash. 

Standard picnic stuff:  If you package your food in individual reusable containers, you won’t have much need for paper plates, but you’ll still need plastic forks, perhaps spoons, napkins, and other obvious servingware.  Bring more than you need—it’s lightweight— and pack each stack of stuff in resealable bags.  If you’ve packed a bottle of wine or a jug of lemonade or other beverages, you will need disposable plastic cups.  Oh, and don’t forget the corkscrew if you’ve brought wine and coozies if you’ve brought canned or bottled drinks.

Standard beach stuff:  Beach chairs, beach towels, umbrella

Optional beach stuff:  Collapsible side table, bocce set or other beach games, juicy novel, cell phone (so that you can call your friends who are stuck at the office and say, “Gosh, it’s just so darned boring watching the waves and wondering what to eat next.  How is your day?”)

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Recipes

Gazpacho 
This is my mom’s recipe for gazpacho, and I’ve been using it for years.  Few things are more refreshing when you’ve been sitting in the sun.

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 large beefsteak tomatoes, or 8 roma tomatoes, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
¼ cup celery, diced or thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, diced
½ English cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and diced, or 1 whole regular cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
5 t extra virgin olive oil
2 t balsamic vinegar
2 t red wine vinegar
1 large can V8 juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill thoroughly.  Can be made two days before serving. 

Mexican Carrot Soup

This is my favorite beach snack of all time, and it’s highly addictive.   

Serve with some blue corn tortilla chips.

3 T oil
1.5 lb carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large Russet potato, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cup chicken broth
1 t kosher salt
1 ½ t ground cumin
1-2 t hot sauce, or to taste
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
6 green onions, chopped

In a heavy stockpot, sauté carrots, potato and garlic in oil for about ten minutes.  Do not let vegetables brown.  Add broth, salt, cumin, and hot sauce. Simmer about 15 minutes.  Add cilantro and green onions and simmer for about 5 more minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Let soup cool slightly and puree in food processor or blender.  Soup can be served hot or cold. 

Broccoli Slaw

Once again, my mother gets credit for this one.  It’s a great side dish for any picnic or summer party.

2 bunches raw broccoli, shredded
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 medium onion, chopped fine

Dressing:

 1 cup mayonnaise
 ¼ cup vinegar
 ¼ cup sugar

Combine broccoli, bacon, cheese, and onion in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, combine vinegar and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves.  Add mayo and whisk until smooth.  Pour over broccoli mixture.  Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.  Can be made two days before serving.

Savannah Watermelon Salad

This recipe was given to me by a delightful older woman who came into my shop about three years ago.  I was slicing up a watermelon at the time, and she asked me what I was going to do with it.  I had just planned on serving it as is, but then we got to talking (if you’ve ever stopped in to Coriander’s you know I just love to talk) and she told me about this salad that she had as a girl growing up in Savannah.  So I tried it.  It was an immediate hit with clients.  I wish I’d gotten the woman’s name – I owe her for this one.  (I added the black sesame seeds so they’d look like tiny watermelon seeds.)

6 cups (or more) seedless watermelon, cut into chunks
½ red onion, diced
2 t black sesame seeds (optional)
3 T white wine vinegar
Combine all ingredients and chill.

Shrimp Salad

I adapted this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa Parties! Cookbook.  Just remember, if you bring this to the beach, you need to keep it in the coldest part of the cooler!

2 lb cooked shrimp, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ cup minced red onion
½ cup minced celery
½ t dried dill
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 t Dijon mustard
1 T white wine vinegar
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine shrimp, onion, celery, and dried dill.  In a small bowl, combine mayo, Dijon, and vinegar until smooth.  Pour dressing over shrimp and toss to coat.  Can be made the day before serving.  Keep in the coldest part of the refrigerator and cooler.

Grilled Chicken Pan Bagnat

This is the perfect beach sandwich.  Prepared olive tapenade is available at Harris Teeter.  If you can’t find it you can easily make your own.  It’s mostly olives (Kalamata or Nicoise) that are chopped fine or in a food processor and combined with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and basil. 

Chicken and marinade

 3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
 2 T olive oil
 1 T fresh lemon juice
 1 ½ t dried herbes de Provence
 1 garlic clove, crushed

Vinaigrette:

 1 T prepared olive tapenade
 1 T lemon juice
 1 t fresh garlic, minced
 2 T olive oil

Assembly:

 1 large French bread loaf
 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
 fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried
 1 oz fresh basil leaves (do not try this with dried basil)

Using a meat mallet, pound chicken breasts to a ¾-inch thickness.  Combine 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, herbes de Provence, and 1 clove of crushed garlic in a large resealable plastic bag.  Add chicken to bag.  Shake to coat chicken with marinade.  Chill 2 hours and up to 6 hours. 

Prepare grill.  Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess.  Grill chicken until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.  Cool and refrigerate.

Whisk tapenade, garlic, and lemon juice together in a small bowl.  Gradually whisk in olive oil.  Season to taste with pepper.

Cut bread loaf in half horizontally.  Pull out and discard soft interior from bottom half of loaf.  Drizzle half of the vinaigrette over the inside of the top and bottom of the loaf.  Line bottom half with basil leaves.  Top with chicken breast.  Top chicken breast with more spinach leaves, tomato, and red onion.  Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.

Put top on sandwich and press down to compact sandwich.  Wrap in foil, then place a sheet pan on top of the sandwich and weigh it down with canned goods or heavy skillet.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  (Can be made one day ahead.  Keep chilled.) 

Beth Flaherty is the owner/chef of Coriander’s Fine Foods and Catering at 17011 Highway 17 North, Hampstead, North Carolina, phone: (910) 270-3413.  She was recently featured in Wilmington Magazine’s “Top Chef” competition, is a columnist for the Wilmington Star News Pender Neighbors Section and has been a regular contributor to this magazine for over a year. 

For more information on Coriander’s, including information on daily specials, catering, and cooking classes, please go to www.corianderscatering.com.