17 Best Beach Food Recipes To Have On Your Mexican Vacation
You're on vacation enjoying the pristine beaches in Mexico. The sun is resting on the horizon, bathing your body in its golden glory as you sip a margarita and cherish the tranquility of the beach. Just then, you are hit by something, and it's not a crashing wave. It's hunger pangs. But there is an interesting catch. You're pretty tired of eating the same beach food from the local stalls repeatedly. While the snacks at the stalls and in nearby restaurants are delicious, they take a toll on your purse and on your health too. So let's explore some delectable beach food that you can easily prepare yourself on your next Mexican vacation.
Essentials To Prepare Your Own Beach Food
While there's lots of great Mexican food, and wonderful restaurants, before you get your hands dirty making delish sandwiches or tacos, you need a few essentials for beach food. You would need a well-insulated cooler that keeps all the ingredients fresh and healthy so your beach food hits all the right spots. If you don't want to buy one while on your vacation, you can get a cheaper Styrofoam one sold at most convenience stores in Mexico, such as OXXO.
To help keep things cool, you can use ice. But, you can also use frozen food or drinks and have room for more food in the cooler! To help keep the temperature under control, it's recommended to use shade to protect yourself and all your ingredients for beach food recipes from direct sunlight. So perhaps take a beach umbrella to shade the cooler if there isn't another shaded area nearby.
Now that you have stored the food and made everything safe, how do you keep everything around you under control? After all, keeping sand out of your beach food isn't always straightforward.
There are a few things that can help, including:
- A mat to keep the sand off and provide stability to all the portable tables, chairs, and baskets
- A blanket to cover the cooler if you don't have an umbrella
- A few napkins, towels, and wipes
All of these items are helpful to prepare beach food easily.
Best Beach Foods
With the basics covered, let us explore some traditional and modern Mexican beach food options. Ones that are nutritious and that meet the needs of everyone from kids to the more sophisticated palates amongst you. And ones that can be prepared on a budget with little fuss or bother. Without further ado, let's dive into the 17 Best Beach Food Recipes To Have On Your Mexican Vacation.
#1 - Pico de Gallo – Bring Fresh Salsa To The Beach
This is a popular homemade salsa in Mexico. There are different varieties to choose from. All require chopped fresh tomatoes, chili peppers, red onion, cilantro. And some lime for a zesty flavor, you can never go wrong with a Pico de Gallo. Tomatillo salsa verde, red chili salsa, and a fresh tomato salsa.
We recommend going with fresh tomato salsa as it can usually be stored for as long as 5 days if it is chilled. Just make sure to choose some firm and juicy tomatoes since they hold up the best and last longer. We have an easily prepared traditional Mexican Pico de Gallo recipe for you in our complimentary recipe cards.
The best thing about Pico de Gallo is its freshness and great flavor. And the subtle peppery spice complements the saltiness in the air from the ocean spray! Pico de Gallo can be served with almost everything and anything, ranging from tacos, burritos, tortilla chips to pinto or black beans.
#2 - Traditional Mexican Guacamole
High in protein, tremendously delicious, and unapologetically Mexican, guacamole is the ultimate choice for a tasty beach food dip. A dip to die for, guacamole is as easy to prepare as it is delicious to eat.
To make this tasty Mexican beach food delicacy only requires a few simple ingredients, including avocados, tomatoes, onions, etc. Claim your complimentary beach food recipe cards, which include a recipe for traditional Mexican guacamole.
Guacamole is truly an all-rounder. Whether you pair it with chips or tag team it with tortillas, guacamole is a champion when it comes to complementing any beach food. It's a great beach food staple, often used as an accompaniment to tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes.
#3 - Peanut Butter Popcorn Bars
Beach food has to be nutritious, easy to prepare, but also fun to eat! Especially for kids but also adults alike. Peanut butter popcorn bars are just the trick.
The ingredients you require for peanut butter popcorn bars are pretty easy to handle and carry too.
They include:
- a few cups of popped popcorn
- sugar
- cup light corn syrup
- peanut butter
- vanilla extract
Once prepared, peanut butter popcorn can either be presented in the form of a ball or a bar – whatever option kids want! Using natural peanut butter eliminates any artificial sugar and helps you enjoy beach food without any guilt. As a chewy and crunchy beach food snack giving a well-balanced taste and texture, they're hard to beat.
#4 - Mexican Tortilla Rollups
Let's get down to some bite-sized delicacies! Typically, Mexican Tortilla Rollups are consumed as starters. But they make excellent beach food given the rich flavors, their bite-size, and ease of preparation. You can make them using a variety of your favorite foods. But often, they might consist of sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, diced green chilies, chopped black olives, and salt for seasoning.
Easy to make, all ingredients are mixed together first and then spread on a tortilla and rolled up. The roll is then refrigerated and cut into bite sizes when cold or frozen to make it easier to cut. Tortilla rollups are indeed a time saver and a lifesaver when it comes to the list of best beach food recipes.
#5 - Frozen Grapes
What's one beach food that you can enjoy even when you are engulfed by splashing waves? Frozen grapes! Sweet and fresh, frozen grapes are a great beach food snack. Not only do are they nutritious and tasty, but they cool you down in the hot sun. And they offer you some extra hydration.
Pair frozen grapes with some strawberries and frozen cherries, and you'd have a fruit festival! Or even better, mix the frozen fruits with some yogurt, and you will have a beach food snack that can be your breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
#6 - Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
The ultimate superfood and every traveler's joy, especially at the beach, the next beach food will tantalize your tastebuds even before we have shared the recipe with you. And they're a kid's delight. There are not many who would turn down this chocolatey and filling sandwich.
To make this easy beach food requires only a few simple ingredients:
- natural creamy peanut butter
- honey
- ground cinnamon
- chocolate chips
- few slices of whole wheat bread
- thinly sliced banana
Packed with protein and without any cholesterol, these peanut butter sandwiches with honey, chocolate, and bananas will keep you fit and fulfilled at the beach. The bananas are a great source of fiber. So will help maintain healthy digestion to allow you to be active at the beach for a bit of beach soccer or volleyball.
#7 - Fruit & Cheese Kabobs
Fruit and Cheese kabobs bring the taste of natural fruit to the beach. They can be both a nutritious snack or dessert. Or an accompaniment to your lunch. When surrounded by saltwater and hot sun, they are an easily prepared beach food. And one that's no fuss to handle when at the beach. You can use a variety of fruit and cheeses that are skewered into Kebabs in advance. Cheddar and Mon Jack cheeses are often used, but a combination of hard cheese can be used.
Fruit can include strawberries, grapes, honeydew melon, pineapple, and much more. And to make this an even more delicious snack or dessert, make a dipping sauce out of a bit of yogurt or sour crème and honey. Yum. They are refreshing, tasty, and easy to eat on the beach.
#8 - Parmesan – Ranch Snack Mix
Whether you want just a handful or a stomach full, this Parmesan Ranch Snack Mix will satiate your hunger and offer a savory experience to your taste buds. All you need are some cereals, pretzels, crackers, and a few other everyday ingredients to make this mouthwateringly ideal beach food.
And one of the best things is that it's the quickest and easiest of our beach food recipes to prepare. So get your must-take snack mix recipe now from our complimentary beach food recipe cards we are giving away.
#9 - Avocado – Ranch Chicken Wraps
There's nothing better than avocado and ranch chicken wraps for something a little more substantial than a beach food snack. They're easy to prepare in advance, store well, and are easily handled at the beach. With avocado ranch chicken wraps, your afternoon meals at the Mexican beach will be well taken care of.
While the recipe list might seem long, it is straightforward and serves more than 4 people.
- skinless chicken breast
- cherry tomatoes
- avocado
- cheddar cheese
- chopped onions
- garlic salt
- lime juice,
- ranch salad dressing
Simply mix the chicken breast with some ranch dressing first, assemble your wraps and roll them up burrito style. A yummy, easy to prepare, and eat beach food.
#10 - Antipasto Kabob
While the beach is the most fun place to be, beach sand finds its way inside your fingernails and crevices of your skin. Would it not be a blessing to have beach food that keeps our hands clean and food free from any sand or beach water? And one that is elegant and easy to prepare?
Antipasto kabobs on a skewer are the snack that will make your Mexican vacation at the beach more fun and less sandy. It's an elegant, flavorful beach food that delights your friends and family. Think of them as a charcuterie board on a stick. Use local cheese, olives, pepperoni, and salami, and your favorite vegetables. Add in pickled jalapenos, and this beach food recipe cannot get any more Mexican and delicious than this.
#11 - Watermelon
Full of vitamins, water, and light, watermelon is a popular beach food snack choice for all the right reasons. Watermelons offer protection against the harsh sun and provide our bodies with water that prevents dehydration.
More critical is that watermelons have little to no calories and yet keep you satiated and hydrated.
#12 - Caprese Pasta Salad
So I know you're on vacation, but you might also want to watch your weight a little while also enjoying excellent beach food. This next food option in our line-up will help you get the best of both worlds: nutritious as well as tasty! Caprese Pasta Salad is not only healthy but also provides a yummy vegetarian beach lunch.
Caprese Pasta Salad offers a luxurious experience for your taste buds. Made with whole wheat pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil leaves, parsley, pepper, and salt. It makes your trip to the beach a memorable one. While pasta at a beach sounds quite alien, but trust us, it is an experience that has to be lived. Find out how to make this excellent pasta salad by downloading our recipe cards accompanying this post on beach food. Moreover, if you prefer gluten-free pasta, you can choose brown rice gluten-free pasta.
#13 - Cold Torta Mexican Sandwiches
Tortas are as rich and as old as the history of Mexico. Up until the 1960s, Cold Tortas were the only kind of tortas available in Mexico. These trendy sandwiches are mouthwatering yet straightforward. And are easy to prepare.
Cold tortas are an excellent option for your beach picnic. Often made with ham, cheese, mortadella. Or sometimes salt cod, and sandwiched inside a torta with its recognizable shape due to its three humps on the top side. You can find these at most grocery stores and bakeries.
#14 - Mexican Cubana Torta
Cortana Cubana is a famous sight in Mexico. These sink-style sandwiches are easy to make and flavorful to taste at the beach. Combining 3 types of meats and 2 layers of cheese, every meat lover's slice of heaven, or should we say sandwich of heaven! It is heavy beach food that is not for the faint-hearted.
Download your Mexican Tortana Cubano récipe now (INSERT LINK) and satisfy the most enormous appetites with this famous beach food.
After a rise in the popularity of cold tortas, Mexicans began experimenting. They heated the cold torta and created different flavored hot tortas. What gives hot tortas their signature cheesiness is the combination of multiple kinds of cheese. Such as Quesillo (Oaxacan cheese), American cheese, and manchego, all of which melt and combine to create an orchestra of cheese with distinct flavors, aroma, and texture.
What sets hot tortas apart and makes it a favorite beach snack is that each item is grilled separately, which keeps the bun fresh for longer. And it can be customized as per one's preferences. As an expert on Mexican culture often comments, "Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales nearly anything can become a torta." A hearty addition to your complimentary Mexican Beach Food Recipes.
#15 - Rotisserie Chicken
Chicken is everyone's favorite, isn't it? From its protein content to its delicious taste, there's nothing you can do wrong when it comes to preparing a chicken for a meal. But perhaps you don't want the hassle of roasting your own chicken.. That's where rotisserie chicken helps. You can get rotisserie chicken in advance and store it in a fridge to cool.
Then as you're heading out, add it to your cooler of beach food along with a few Mexican sauces, and you have yourself a delicious ready-made lunch.
#16 - Grilled Shrimp Burritos
Mexico is known for its fabulous shrimp. They are easily found in many stores or straight from a fishing boat at a marina. And they are a great ingredient to add to your beach food menu. One excellent way to experience their elegant flavor in an easy-to-make and easy-to-eat beach food is to have them in burritos. In advance, combine some grilled shrimp, eggs, chorizos, cheese, and sour cream. And perhaps add some guacamole too.
#17 - Mexican Brownies
After all the Mexican herbs, spices, and seasoning, our mouths crave something sweet and savory. What better way to satisfy your sweet tooth than some original Mexican brownies. A tribute to Mexico's diverse culinary experience.
Mexican brownies are easy to prepare and always turn out moist, fresh, and delicious. They are a favorite of kids and adults alike. And make for a delightful surprise addition to your beach food menu.
Easy to make with everyday ingredients. Then visit the beach with an entire pan of Mexican brownies and return with an empty pan and lots of fulfilled smiles! Make sure you download your recipe cards which include this great recipe.
17 Best Beach Food Recipes To Have On Your Mexican Vacation - The Final Word
Deciding what to eat on vacation is often tricky. The pursuit of healthy and tasty food at the beach becomes easier and more fun if you focus on natural cuisine. So embrace the Mexican culture and its flavors, and prepare some of your beach food recipes yourself. Now, whether you are planning a Mexican Beach Vacation or are already there, you know what delicacies to prepare. And don't forget to download your free accompanying recipe cards for 6 of these great beach foods.
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Exploring The Riviera Maya is Ocean Breeze Akumal's Blog. Here we explore the diversity of Mexico's best tourism destination to highlight the best beaches, cenotes, restaurants, attractions, Mayan ruins, etc., etc. We provide information to help you explore this spectacular part of the world and give you tips and tricks that only the locals know. Helping to give you the vacation experience of a lifetime.
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