One of my favorite things to do at the beach is to stop by the farmer’s produce stands to purchase garden fresh tomatoes to make tomato sandwiches. I like to make tomato and cucumber tea sandwiches, just the right size to enjoy with a cold beverage on the beach! I slather my sandwiches with prosciutto mayonnaise, so tasty!
Prosciutto Mayonnaise
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet with rack
Ingredients
- 5 slices prosciutto
- 1 cup mayonnaise I like Duke's Mayonnaise for this recipe
- 1 1/2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
- Zest of 1 large lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place slices of prosciutto on a rack placed in a baking sheet. Bake prosciutto for 10 – 15 minutes until crispy. (Watch carefully so prosciutto does not burn.) Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Place mayonnaise, chives, lemon zest and black pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Using kitchen scissors, snip prosciutto into very small pieces. Add prosciutto to the mayonnaise mixture. Stir to combine.
- Cover bowl and place in refrigerator until ready to use.
TO MAKE TOMATO AND CUCUMBER TEA SANDWICHES with prosciutto mayonnaise:
Prepare tea sandwiches no more than an hour before serving to prevent the sandwiches from getting soggy.
Cut crusts off slices of Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White Bread. Cut each slice of bread into 4 squares. (Save the crusts to make bread crumbs: Put small amounts of bread crumbs in blender or food processor and blend to create crumbs. Place crumbs in plastic bag, seal and date and keep in freezer until ready to use.)
Spread each bread square with prosciutto mayonnaise. Top with very thin small slices of fresh tomato or cucumber. Top with another bread square. Place sandwiches on serving plate. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Watermelon is so refreshing at the beach. Here’s my boozy twist on watermelon:
Margarita Watermelon Wedges
Ingredients
- 2 1 inch slices watermelon
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons tequila blanco
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut each watermelon slice into 6 wedges.
- Place wedges in a flat food storage container.
- Combine lime juice, tequila, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Mix well to combine all ingredients.
- Pour lime juice mixture over the watermelon slices.
- Cover container tightly and refrigerate for one hour. Turn container over and shake container lightly to cover the watermelon with lime mixture. Continue to refrigerate for one more hour. Place 3 watermelon wedges on each chilled plate. Serve very cold.
Crab meat is always a special treat at the beach since it’s so fresh from the ocean. Here’s my spicy recipe for crab meat dip: (Clark and Hopkins Chesapeake Bay Pepper Sauce is available on-line. I like making dips at the beach because they are easy to make, can be made ahead of time and everyone loves the fanciful dips I serve at the beach.
Chesapeake Bay Crab Dip
Ingredients
- 4 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Clark and Hopkins Chesapeake Bay Pepper Sauce + 2 teaspoons Clark and Hopkins Chesapeake Bay Pepper Sauce to place in the center of the dip for service.
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces jumbo crab meat (remove any bits of shell)
- Finely chopped green onions and Spanish paprika for garnish
- The Fine Cheese Company Lemon and Sea Salt Crackers or table water crackers for service.
Instructions
- Place softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
- Add mayonnaise, lemon juice and sour cream to the cream cheese. Stir to combine.
- Add celery, pepper sauce, white pepper and salt. Stir to combine all ingredients.
- Add crab meat and stir carefully to keep from shredding the crab meat.
- When all of the ingredients have been combined, transfer dip into a serving dish and garnish with green onions and Spanish paprika. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. To serve, make a small indentation in the center of the dip with the back of a serving spoon. Place pepper sauce in the indentation. Serve with lemon sea salt crackers or table water crackers.
Million Dollar Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 15 slices pre-cooked bacon, crisped in microwave and crumbled
- 1 cup good quality mayonnaise I like Duke's mayonnaise for this recipe
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 6 green onions, chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ounces pine nuts, toasted
- Kettle cooked potato chips or table water crackers for service
Instructions
- Place cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Add bacon (reserve 2 tablespoons crumbled bacon to sprinkle on top), green onions, and salt and pepper. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed.
- Cover and chill until service. Sprinkle reserved crumbled bacon and toasted pine nuts on top of the dip just before serving. Serve with kettle cooked potato chips or table water crackers.
2 Responses
FABULOUS summer recipes! Can’t wait to try them all. Thanks for the inspiration
Looking forward to lots of sunny fun days at the beach 🏖 with lots of snacks and cocktails 🥂