Predict the contents of a Southerner’s jam-packed beach cooler, and you’ve probably got a few of the usual suspects in mind: Pub subs or King’s Hawaiian roll sliders, fresh watermelon, boiled peanuts, and maybe even some fried chicken. But when my extended family all gathers under our yellow beach umbrella for the Fourth of July, there is another, slightly less-expected addition that we just can’t celebrate without: dozens of tea sandwiches.
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Dailey
Why Tea Sandwiches Are The Best Beach Snack
While you can certainly make them yourself, we have a go-to source. Like most places, my hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, has a locals-favorite spot for the grab-and-go foods you serve at bridal luncheons and baby showers and the like: Hamby Catering & Events. The crust-free, white-bread sandwiches stuffed with pimiento cheese, chicken salad, and shrimp salad are ideal for festive lunches and celebratory gatherings, but they’re also surprisingly perfect for the beach—so long as you keep them properly chilled, of course.
Stored in aluminum foil tins with clear plastic lids in the cooler, the sandwiches deliver a ton of flavor in bitty, two-bite stacks. They’re the quintessential grazing food—light, but delicious—which is just what you want when you’re spending hours in the sun and on the sand, plus they’re a nice complement to our heavier beach-snacking essentials, like fried chicken and potato chips. Snack on a couple tea sandwiches whenever you’re feeling a little peckish, and you’re good to go until you start craving another round.
So while you might typically associate tea sandwiches with bridal showers and your Sunday best, it’s time to start enjoying them in your bathing suit and bare feet on the beach too. Salt air somehow makes even the yummiest ones taste better.
Read the original article on Southern Living
