This is the Best Beach Sandwich for all your summer visits to the ocean! Also delicious for lake days and picnics!
I LOVE living in New England – it has a little bit of everything. When I’m so done with the heat and humidity of summer, a nice crisp fall comes along. Then, when I’m sick of the freezing cold, we get a beautiful spring with cherry blossoms, dandelions, and singing birds. Another thing I love about New England is access to beautiful beaches. I know North Atlantic beaches can have a bad reputation, but I’d take the salty, briny New England ocean over anything else. I’ve been to beaches in Hawaii, the Florida Keys, Mexico, and the Bahamas, but the beaches of Connecticut and Cape Cod have my heart.
Every summer my family and I vacationed in Chatham, Cape Cod with our close family friends. Those trips to the Cape were the best memories of my childhood. The second we left, I would start dreaming about next year’s trip. Our family friends and us stayed in two houses side by side, within walking distance to a local beach. Every day we’d load up our beach gear, then spend hours at the beach. I loved swimming in the cool Atlantic water, beachcombing for slipper shells and scallop shells, chasing down hermit crabs, and building sand castles with my friends. Then, at the end of the day, we’d trudge back up the road to our houses – they were build with the classic Cape Cod cedar shingles, dried out by the salt air. We’d rinse off in the outdoor showers, then get ready for our next activity of the day. Those were the best times of my childhood.
About The Recipe
Now that I’m an adult, I still chase those happy memories at the beach. Of course, an integral part of any beach trip is the snacks. And there is no better beach snack than a sandwich! I made this recipe for my cousin Rebekah and my bestie Emily for a girls’ beach trip, and suffice to say we were all ~*shook*~ at how amazing this sandwich was. Which is why I feel this recipe deserves the title of “Best Beach Sandwich”!
The star of the show is definitely the sun-dried tomato butter. Using fresh tomatoes in a sandwich is always delicious, but tomatoes can easily get soggy and watery, especially on a hot beach. Instead, the sun-dried tomato butter keeps the sandwich just the right amount of soft, with a HUGE flavor payout.
One last note – while this recipe isn’t vegetarian, it would be delicious without the turkey! There are so many layers to this sandwich, it’ll still be fantastic without any meat. I hope you love this sandwich as much as I do! :)
I have to add in this quote from Popeye – “I wish there was a boardwalk on this beach. If I had some bread, I’d make a sandwich if I had a witch.”
The Best Beach Sandwich FAQs
Best sandwich bread for the beach?
This recipe calls for ciabatta, but you can also use another crusty bread, like a baguette, in this recipe. DO NOT use regular sandwich bread – it’s too soft and won’t hold up well at the beach. On the other hand, crusty, firmer breads will do just fine in the summer heat.
What sandwich won’t get soggy?
Making sandwiches with a lot of watery ingredients, like fresh tomatoes or bibb lettuce, can lead to a soggy sandwich. In this recipe, I used sun-dried tomato butter to still get that tomato flavor without risking a soggy sandwich.
How to pack sandwiches for the beach?
I recommend wrapping your sandwich segments in parchment paper, tied with twine (which is what I did). You can also use aluminum foil to wrap the sandwiches.
How to keep sandwiches fresh at the beach?
Keep this sandwich in your cooler until you’re ready to eat it!
What’s the best beach sandwich for kids?
This would be a great option for kids! Just be sure to check the ingredients list in case you have any picky eaters.
Why do sandwiches taste better at the beach?
I think it’s a combination of the activities most enjoy at the beach – swimming, playing beach games, being out in the hot sun, etc. Doing a lot of physical activity would make anyone hungry! So a sandwich like this is the perfect answer for beach cravings!
Why is a sandwich called a sandwich if it doesn’t have sand?
Backstory – I always look up frequently asked questions on Google pertaining to recipes I write, to provide helpful information for readers. I saw this question pop up and it was too funny not to add (but still a valid question!). Apparently, sandwiches are named after an 18th-century Englishman named John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. It seems that he is attributed with being the first person to serve sandwiches when playing card games with his friends. For the record, I highly doubt this was the actual first creation of a sandwich in the entire world. But for better or worse, this is how sandwiches got their name!
The Best Beach Sandwich
Ingredients
Sun-Dried Tomato Butter
- 1/3 Cup Salted Butter softened
- 1/4 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes in oil
- Pinch Salt
- Fresh-Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Marinated Avocado
- Juice from 1/2 Lemon
- Pinch Salt
The Beach Sandwich
- 1 12" Loaf Ciabatta Bread
- 1/2 Lb Deli Turkey
- 1/4 Lb White Cheddar Cheese
- 1/4 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1/2 Cup Pickles sliced
- 2 Cups Arugula
- Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Pinch Salt
Instructions
- Start by prepping your sun-dried tomato butter. Add the softened (NOT melted) butter to a bowl, then mix in the sun-dried tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- Prep your avocado by pitting it, removing the skin, and cutting it into thin slices. In a small bowl, mix the avocado slices with the juice from 1/2 lemon, and a pinch of salt. Mix until all the slices are coated.
- Cut your loaf of bread in half. Spread on the sun-dried tomato butter on both sides.
- Layer on the ingredients in this order – cheddar cheese, turkey, basil leaves, avocado slices, slices pickles, and arugula. Over the top of the arugula, drizzle a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- Fold the sandwich, then using a serrated knife, cut into as many sections as you like.
- To take the sandwich to the beach, wrap the sections of sandwich in parchment paper and twine.
- Enjoy! :)
Notes
- I recommend using ciabatta bread or a baguette for this recipe. You want a sturdy bread that isn’t too soft, that will hold up well on hot beach days!
- Don’t skip marinating the avocado in lemon juice – it keeps it green and fresh.
- You can omit the turkey if you like – there’s enough ingredients in here to make a very filling and delicious sandwich!
P.S.
For more plant-forward recipes and New England lifestyle inspiration, be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok! If you make a recipe, please tag me in the photo and use the hashtag #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your creations!
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