Good Advice: Summer Food Traditions to Start Right Now
I asked 18 food pros about their summer food rituals.
There are so many summer dinners and desserts that glimmer in my memory; if I blink I’m back in childhood, holding a dripping popsicle in the August sun. Some foods just taste like summer, and I don’t want to arrive in September without having a bite.
Sometimes it’s the whole process that feels important: the ritual of the campfire s’mores, the moment when everyone sits outside to shuck ears of corn. It can be as complicated as a whole lobster bake or as simple as a walk down the boardwalk to get an ice cream cone.
The secret of traditions (as many parents know) is that new ones don’t start unless you start them. So as we step into the summer months, I wanted to hear about some good summer food traditions in this week’s Good Advice.
Below, you’ll get a bunch of ideas for your summer bucket list from 18 cookbook authors. But let’s consider this list just the beginning. What’s your essential summer food ritual?
If you shop the affiliate links in this newsletter, you’re supporting The Dinner Plan. But signing up as a paid subscriber is even more helpful for keeping the recipes and dinner ideas coming your way.
1. Beach day watermelon
“When I think of summer, I think of watermelon at the beach. But more importantly, I think of my cousins and I playing with that watermelon in the waves. When we were kids, we’d take it into the water and float on it, throw it at each other, try to sink it and watch it pop back up. Grammy always told us the salt water made the inside juicier and sweeter. I’m not a scientist, so I can’t back that up with facts, but at the end of the day, when we finally cut into it, the watermelon was always deep red and delicious. More recently, my friend Eleanore had her bachelorette weekend at the beach, and I brought along a watermelon for all of us to play with. Some of the other beachgoers were maybe a little judgmental about a group of adults tossing a watermelon around in the ocean, but we got to reap the rewards and that’s all that matters.”
—Casey Elsass, author of What Can I Bring?
2. Salmorejo
“If there is one thing you should make this summer, it’s salmorejo—the creamy chilled tomato soup from Córdoba that tastes like sunshine in a bowl. It’s rich and velvety without any cream, intensely tomatoey, refreshing on a hot day, and ridiculously easy to make. It’s the kind of dish that makes you wonder why anyone bothers turning on the oven in August.
The magic is that it only needs a handful of ingredients and it’s very much a no-recipe recipe: 1 kilo of ripe tomatoes, 200 g of stale white bread, and 100 g of extra virgin olive oil (1000/200/100 – that’s how I always remember it). Blend with a small clove of garlic, a splash of sherry, red, or white wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Strain and that’s it. The tomatoes do all the heavy lifting so make sure you are using tomatoes that are at peak ripeness (sorry no refrigerator tomatoes!). The bread gives it body and the olive oil turns it luxurious. Once you remember the ratios, you can make it anytime, adjusting the acidity depending on how sweet your tomatoes are or what bread you have on hand.
Serve it ice cold with good olive oil on top, maybe some jamón ibérico or chopped boiled egg if you want the traditional version, and suddenly lunch feels like a vacation in southern Spain.”
— Aran Goyoaga, author of The Art of Gluten-Free Bread and Cannelle et Vanille
3. Grilled banana splits
“The moment a banana hits a hot grill (that sweet, caramel sizzle) is when summer officially starts. Bananas split lengthwise, brushed with butter, sprinkled with brown sugar, and grilled cut-side down until golden and lightly charred. Three scoops of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry) each get topped differently: vanilla with hot fudge and flaky salt, chocolate with butterscotch and toasted salted peanuts, and strawberry with pineapple topping and toasted coconut. Some summers the toppings are homemade; other times they’re straight from the jar, and both feel exactly right. Finished with whipped cream and three cherries, it’s sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy, fruity, cold, and warm all at once. It’s a childhood tradition I’ve carried into adulthood, and the only rule is that you eat it outside, where it somehow tastes even better as it all melts together.”
—Justin Burke, author of Potluck Desserts
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4. Tomato sandwiches
“My summer food ritual, which I share with one of the protagonists of my novel Down to Earth, is tomato sandwiches. I work part time at a vegetable farm and live for the tomato seconds I take home all summer long. Whether you have the tomatoes sandwiched between slices of soft white supermarket bread (heaven) or open-faced on grainy toast (also great), my biggest tips are: slice them thickly, use more mayonnaise that you think you need, and don’t be shy with salt and pepper.”
—Julia Turshen, author of Down to Earth, What Goes With What, and Small Victories
5. Coffee-rubbed whole fish
“A whole grilled fish is my summer ritual because the visual alone tells everyone: we outside. I season mine with a coffee rub, lay it over the fire, and brush it with lime-herb butter until the skin gets smoky, crisp, and a little dramatic in the best way. It’s the kind of dish that screams alfresco season: big platter, pickled red onions, ember-roasted plantains, maybe some charred citrus, and a cold beverage within arm’s reach. The move is to serve it family-style and let people pull from the fish, drag bread through the butter, and build their own perfect bite. Heaven, basically.”
—Rashad Frazier, author of Cook Out: Recipes and Tips for the Great Outdoors
6. A whole dinner of corn on the cob
“When I was a kid, during the summer my mom would occasionally (like once per summer) serve nothing more than a giant platter of hot boiled, buttered corn on the cob for dinner. And then for dessert we would have mammoth plates of strawberry shortcake. What bliss! I do it once a summer for my family now, too.”
—Jessica Battilana, author of Repertoire and co-author of King Arthur Baking Company’s Big Book of Bread
7. Wings on the grill
“As someone who would rather cook something in 15 minutes instead of 30, or with one pan instead of three, chicken wings on the grill break all my preferences. Maybe that’s why they feel special to me: They require (hands-off, outside) time.
Or maybe it’s because they’re just so delicious: Unlike the globs from the sports bar (which I also enjoy, sometimes), grilled chicken wings have juicy strands of meat as well as skin that’s so rendered, it crackles like a potato chip.
The process starts the day before, ideally. A coating of baking powder and salt raises the pH of the chicken skin, which helps the skin go from flabby to crisp. I toss three pounds of separated wings with a tablespoon of baking powder and two teaspoons salt until both are absorbed, then spread them out on a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for 3 to 24 hours.
Fire up your grill for two-zone cooking. For a charcoal grill, that means banking the coals to one side. For a gas grill, light one burner to high and keep the other off. Add the wings to the cool side of the grill; they don’t need any oil — the wings have plenty of fat. Cover the grill and cook, flipping halfway through, until the skin is dry and light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. This step renders out a lot of the fat and moisture so that the wings don’t flare up over the flames.
While this is happening, dream about your sauces. We usually split a batch of wings between two: a Buffalo-spirited mixture of Cholula, cilantro, sliced butter, grated garlic, and lemon juice (which I learned from Paula Disbrowe’s book Any Night Grilling), and a lemon-pepper combo with lemon zest and juice, olive oil, and black pepper (like my mom learned from my elementary school’s community cookbook).
Now move the wings to the hotter side of the grill and cook them, flipping often, until browned and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes but really use your eyes. An overcooked wing is preferred to a flabby one (right?). Add the wings to the sauce bowl(s) and toss until coated. The heat of the wings will melt the butter into a glossy sauce. Eat right away—though with a dish requiring such patience that looks so tempting, you don’t need to be encouraged to do that.”
— Ali Slagle, author of I Dream of Dinner
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8. Lobster bake on the beach
“Nothing says summertime in Maine like a traditional lobster bake at the beach—it’s my most beloved food tradition when the weather is warm. You’ll need 3-4 hours from start to finish, making it essential for friends and family to pitch in, the beauty of the gathering! Everyone plays a part and becomes essential to the fun, whether it’s digging the fire pit in the sand; layering your food for steaming; shucking oysters for pre-dinner snacking; or playing music to pass the time. There are tasks for young and old and half the fun happens before you even crack open the first lobster. I’ll add that my butter dipping sauce (flavored with dulse flakes, lime, and Aleppo pepper) is also a key component once it’s time to eat!”
—Devin Finigan, author of A Kitchen on Goose Cove
9. Roasted tomato sauce
“There is nothing more divine than a ripe tomato at the height of summer. Each year, I scour the farmers market for the most captivating ones — misshapen heirlooms with striped shoulders, deeply ridged fruits glowing gold and crimson, and varieties prized for their rich, velvety flesh. Then, on a quiet evening with the windows open and fireflies flickering in the yard, I tie my apron loosely behind my back and set to work chopping my haul, roasting the tomatoes slowly with fresh herbs, garlic, olive oil, and lemon.
The result is an irresistible heirloom tomato sauce: sweet, savory, and deeply concentrated with the flavor of summer itself. Tucked into jars, it feels like sunshine saved for a chilly winter day… if you don’t eat it all before the snow falls.”
—Tara Jensen, author of Pizza Practice
10. Grand aioli
“This is the single dish that makes summer for me. A rotating cast of fresh and blanched veg, poached shrimp and smoked fish, with aioli (or other compound mayos). It is the ideal snack that becomes a meal as the sunsets stretch out. Plus, it is perfect with ice cold wine, vermouth, or light beer. Colorful, flavorful, healthy, decadent; grand aioli is summer loving.”
—Abra Berens, author of Ruffage, Grist, Pulp, and the forthcoming Mayo (Spring 2027).
11. Souvlaki on the grill
“It is time for the souvlaki pita to become a backyard BBQ mainstay for everyone, right next to hot dogs and burgers. Just like you might make a “burger sauce,” toast buns on a grill, then throw some beef patties over a live fire, a Pork Souvlaki Pita (like the one in my new cookbook Grill Time!), is basically just as easy, and makes everyone incredibly happy. Most of the prep can be done that morning or the day before: a quick tzatziki sauce can be made in advance; and butterflied pork chops just get marinated in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and oregano. After that, it’s just a matter of grilling that marinated meat, chopping it up, and throwing it onto a grilled pita which has been slathered with your bright, tangy tzatziki, then topped with sliced tomatoes, onions and a drizzle of olive oil. Don’t want pork? Chicken or steak work really well too.”
—Noah Galuten, author of Grill Time! and The Don’t Panic Pantry Cookbook
12. Cold noodle salads
“Cold noodle salads are a summer staple for me. I especially love buckwheat noodles, cooked and then rinsed in cold water until slightly chilled. Tossed together with cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions and jalapenos that have been well salted and then dressed in a super tangy mix of tamari, coconut aminos, lime juice and toasted sesame oil. Serve slightly chilled topped with a protein of choice, along with an iced jasmine tea with a slice of lemon.”
—Ixta Belfrage, author of Mezcla and Fusão
13. Choose your own adventure ice cream sandwich station
“When the sun is out I relish every moment of it, and if I can eat outside, then I will. That generally equates to a summer of barbecues and pizza parties. For me the perfect end to these afternoons in the sun is a nostalgic ice cream sandwich bar. I bake a batch of cookies, maybe two different flavours, and then I buy a few different flavours of ice cream and various toppings. The idea is that everyone gets to make their own perfect ice cream sandwich. For me it’s a really hands-off dessert, because more often than not my freezer has multiple cookie doughs ready to be baked. Plus everyone loves it because it feels like almost childlike.”
—Edd Kimber, author of Chocolate Baking
14. New potatoes and strawberries
“Summer days are long and bright, that changes what I yearn for. Every day is about eating seasonal vegetables, cooking them while they last. In mid June comes the new potatoes, they are firm, sweet and nutty and should be eaten warm with cold salted butter and dill. The strawberry season starts, we eat them everyday for dessert with a dash of sugar and cold cream.
The best is after a long day at the beach, where I have been listing to the slow rhythm of the sea, the children’s voices in the background, and sun has warmed my body. And I know that soon I will to get up and go back to the beach house and make dinner for everybody. That moment between two things, the expectation of what is to come, and joy of that lazy day: that is what I love about summer. Dinner: salads for sure, the potatoes, maybe some fish, bread I baked as I do every morning and then fresh strawberries that I picked up at the farm in the morning.”
— Trine Hahnemann, author of Midnight Sun: A Scandinavian Cookbook for Long Summer Days
There’s more! Read the whole list online →
15. A melon a day…
“In summer in my house in France we have melon every single day. It’s often a simple starter, just served quartered up and put on the plate, to be eaten with a spoon. Or sometimes for hosting, we go a little bit fancy, taking the cuillère parisienne out to make some little balls of melon. My recipe below is perfect for a fresh appetizer to accompany a cold, crisp drink. When you manage to get the perfect ripened sweet melon, full of flavour and soft and juicy as anything, that’s your lucky day!”
—Manon Lagréve, author of La Saison
Billes de Melon a L’Amaretto
Excerpted with permission from La Saison by Manon Lagréve (Quadrille, May 2026).
If you have spent a summer in France, you might have noticed that every lunch starts with melon—at least, it’s certainly true in my house! This recipe uses a selection of different melons, but you could stick to one type. A Parisienne scoop (also called a melon baller) makes everything look cute!
Serves 4
2 ripe cantaloupe melons
200 g (7 oz) watermelon
200 g (7 oz) honeydew melon
50 ml (1¾ fl oz / 3½ tablespoons) amaretto liqueur
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
handful of mint leaves
Slice the cantaloupe melons in half, scoop out the pips and use a Parisienne scoop to create lots of little balls, then transfer them to a bowl and keep the scooped-out melon rinds to serve. Repeat with the other melons, adding the balls to the bowl of cantaloupe balls.
Add the amaretto and honey (if using) to the melon balls, stir gently and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.
Divide the melon balls between the melon “bowls and top with some mint leaves. Stick a few cocktail sticks (toothpicks) in the balls and let people help themselves, or serve on plates.
16. Grilled sardines with chermoula
“Nothing feels more like summer to me than sardines grilled over charcoal at the beach in Morocco, eaten straight from the grill with fresh bread. To prepare them, we butterfly the sardines and lightly stuff them with chermoula (a blend of garlic, cumin, paprika, cilantro, lemon juice, and olive oil.) They are then clamped inside a fish grill basket (the metal press that secures them together over the flames) and cooked over a hot fire. The key is to not touch them too often; let them blister, smoke, and char slightly while staying juicy and tender inside. Serve immediately, straight from the grill, with extra chermoula on the side for dipping and plenty of warm bread to soak up the juices.”
—Nargisse Benkkabou, author of Madaq and Casablanca
17. Drinks from the garden
“Nothing feels more like summer to me than running out to the garden to grab fresh herbs like mint, sage or basil to make a cocktail. Whether I’m using them for something more complex like a syrup or infusion, adding to a shaker or just a simple garnish, having fresh herbs ready at any time feels like a luxury after a long cold winter.
Wilted leaves in little plastic containers just can’t compare to a bouquet of fragrant green herbs. I also make full use of my garden for my cocktail creations with vegetables like cucumbers or celery, fresh berries, and edible flowers.
Mint grows like crazy in the summer so it’s the perfect herb to plant if you love mojitos or tiki cocktails that often use large amounts of mint for garnish. Mojitos are also very easy to make as mocktails by simply leaving out the rum for a refreshing summer drink.”
—Sarah Gualtieri, author of Sips of the Seasons
18. A simple tomato tart
“Tomato season equals summer to me—and I feel beyond lucky that here in France that season runs from May through September. The moment ripe heirlooms hit the market, I’m making Tarte Soleil: a thin rectangle of puff pastry, spread with a mix of crème fraîche, grainy mustard and herbes de Provence and covered edge-to-edge with thin slices of ripe tomatoes. It’s on rotation all season long in a myriad of ways: packed as a beach snack, served alongside a cold bottle rosé for apéro with friends, eaten with a salad (and, let’s be honest, more rosé) for lunch at home, and so on. The recipe below from Le SUD was inspired by those I ate across the South of France while researching the book and, at this point, that page in my personal copy is covered in sprays of tomato juice.”
—Rebekah Peppler, author of Le Sud, À Table, and Apéritif
Tarte Soleil
From Le Sud: Recipes from Provence-Alpes-Côte D’Azur by Rebekah Peppler, © 2024. Published by Chronicle Books.
I spotted the lone square of ripe, thinly sliced tomatoes shingled over puff pastry and blanketed in herbes de Provence tucked between a pile of croissants and pains au chocolat at a bakery in Antibes. I snagged it. A few months later, something similar during a trip to Marseille: pâte feuilletée covered edge-to-edge with a rainbow of heirlooms, a swipe of mustard hidden underneath. Then, this recipe.
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
4 pounds [1.8 kg] medium heirloom tomatoes (8 to 10 total), halved lengthwise and sliced into ⅛-inch [4 mm] thick half moons
Flaky sea salt
¼ cup [60 g] crème fraîche
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
3 teaspoons herbes de Provence (see Note below)
Freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
One 14-ounce [400 g] package all-butter puff pastry
Directions:
Line a large baking sheet with paper towels. Arrange the sliced tomatoes in a single layer and season with salt on both sides. Let sit for 30 minutes, then pat the tops of the tomatoes dry with paper towels.
Preheat the oven to 400°F [200°C]. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir together the crème fraîche, mustard, and 2 teaspoons of the herbes de Provence. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the puff pastry to a lightly floured surface and roll into a 15-by-10-inch [38 by 25 cm] rectangle (the dough should be about ⅛ inch [4 mm] thick).
Transfer the puff pastry to the prepared baking sheet and use a fork to prick it all over. Use an offset spatula to spread the crème fraîche mixture in an even layer over the puff pastry, leaving about ¼-inch [6 mm] border. Layer the tomato slices on top of the crème fraîche, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of herbes de Provence and black pepper.
Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the puff pastry is deeply golden, about 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Tarte soleil is best eaten the day it is made.
Note: Herbes de Provence is an all-purpose, aromatic dried herb mix made of rosemary, thyme, oregano, and savory (and sometimes also basil, marjoram, fennel, sage, and lavender)—all plants that grow in happy abundance across Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. To make your own, hang bundles of whatever fresh herbs you want to include in your herbes de Provence in a dry corner of the house. Once the herbs are very dry, pull them from their stems, crush them, and combine in equal portions. Store in a jar for up to 6 months.
Tomato sandwiches with mayo mixed with finely shredded white cheddar and fresh ground pepper. Toast the bread, smear the mayo cheese add tomato slices, salt. 🤌
#6 is iconic