While some of the very best restaurant food on this earth is available beachside—Hello, fried fish! Hello, freshly grilled burgers!—some beaches require you to pack your own beach snacks. After all, if you want a strip of sand that’s not teeming with tourists, you’re probably going to tread a little farther away from civilization than said tourists.
But there’s no need to panic: the humble cooler can yield a top-notch beach lunch if you pack it right. The key to a proper seaside lunch is making sure everything is ready to eat the second you remove it from the cooler—you don’t want to be prepping anything with sandy hands—and ideally doesn’t require utensils. This is not a time for last minute prep, not even dumping some dressing on a salad or cutting up a tray of brownies. This is the beach! Eat your lunch and get back in the water.
Here’s your 3-step game plan:
Sandwiches
The centerpiece of your beach lunch should be a sandwich. Yes, there are other things you could make, from big hearty salads to fried chicken, but sandwiches are the easiest and (let’s be honest) tastiest things to pack in a cooler.
The key to a good beach sandwich is to do everything in your power to prevent the bread from getting soggy. This means no tomato and no lettuce. In fact, it probably means minimal vegetables—sorry to all you vitamin freaks out there—unless they’re particularly hearty (shredded kale or carrots) or cooked (roasted slices of broccoli or summer squash). Give the inside of each piece of bread a thin smear of mayo. It won’t waterproof the bread, but it’s a good start.
Load up on the fillings of your choice (meat, cheese, chicken or tuna salad) and add a good dose of something flavorful (mustard, mayo, chopped olives, or pesto). Wrap that sandwich up and pop it in the cooler, and for the love of lunch make sure it’s protected from anything wet, including ice. Spring for one of those freezer packs, the kind your mom used to put in your bag lunches. It’ll keep your beer cold, too.
Alternate plan: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Never not a good idea.
Snacks
Again, you want things that are easy to eat. My all-time favorite beach snacks are a bag of cherries (bring a container/baggie for the pits and stems), pretzels, Twizzlers, and some raw vegetables—carrots or celery or broccoli or all three. But really anything you can eat with your fingers will work. [Ed. note: Ruffles potato chips or bust!]
Sangria
No one is saying you should bring alcohol to a beach that doesn’t allow it. But...some beaches only prohibit visible alcohol consumption, like, you know, cans of beer. Who’s to say what’s in your jug of bright pink liquid? Get a jug with a lid that screws on tight—an empty 2-liter bottle would work—and fill it with a mix of wine and juice (and brandy, if you’re feeling spunky/traditional). Pack it in your cooler directly next to the ice to get it as cold as possible. Add slices of orange to serve.
And, as always, make sure you dispose of your trash properly or, better yet, take it with you. The dolphins will thank you.
