Coastal Cooking: Three Recipes with East Coast Flare

Breezy, East Coast vacation towns have been making a name for themselves in popular culture and all over the internet the last few summers. Shows like “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and vacation read authors like Emily Henry and Elin Hilderbrand bring the setting to life in their bestsellers. Even the effortlessly chic and ultra-relaxed “Coastal Grandmother” aesthetic has infiltrated fashion, home design, and our everyday lexicon.

Playing a major supporting role in this trend is the food.

Whether it’s a rustic fish shack serving up the day’s catch, a tourist packed main street full of specialty food shops, or an open-air patio with an ocean view, the food in coastal towns is as much a part of the experience as the sun and sand.

Capture the feeling of summer on the coast, a trend that has no sign of going out to sea, all while staying close to home.Try these East Coast beach town classics with an Indiana twist.

Specialty Grocery Store Brownies 

Inspired by Ina Garten’s “Outrageous Brownies”

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE

Ina Garten shares the story of her “Outrageous Brownies” in her 2024 memoir, “Be Ready When the Luck Happens.” Ina tells us it was a recipe she was testing for Barefoot Contessa, her East Hampton specialty grocery store, but she was worried they would never sell. She couldn’t get the cost of the ingredients down, causing her brownies to cost $2.25 while others in the area were only 75 cents. 

She decided to see what would happen if she didn’t skimp on quality ingredients and just charged the premium price. Pan after pan of these brownies sold. She learned that if you bake something with the best ingredients—and it’s delicious— people do not care what it costs.

You can skip the specialty store and “outrageous” prices by easily whipping these brownies up at home. The only “outrageous” thing is the chocolate flavor that is enhanced thanks to the addition of espresso and vanilla extract. These bold flavors help to cut the sweetness and counter the chocolate, making it much more rich and complex.

Beach Day Chicken Salad

Inspired by Round Swamp Farm’s Viral Chicken Salad

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE

Internet travel vloggers bring us along and share their insights on the hidden gems, making the once off the beaten path, local spots hot. Round Swamp Farm is a working farm in East Hampton that started as a small farm stand and has grown into multiple locations throughout the region. The now famous chicken salad has a crazy-fine texture that is almost more like pâté and is achieved by shredding chicken and grating celery and shallots versus a traditional chop. The technique is a little labor intensive, perhaps justifying the price tag that has become as much a part of its lore as the flavor. It works great as a sandwich, but it looks like the locals love to eat it on a cracker almost as a dip— perfect for cocktail hour on an open air patio or for a day at the beach.

Lobster Roll Panzanella

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE

Out east, lobster rolls are a summertime favorite because they are a tad elevated, but still easy enough to take to the beach or on a picnic. A classic roll is chilled, cooked lobster in a mayo-based dressing. There may be some vegetables like celery or romaine for crunch, and it is all served on a soft, buttered split-top roll. There is a little debate in regards to which region and style does it best out east, but this deconstructed salad version has it’s own special twist with lots of juicy, sun warmed tomatoes. And, there is no need to travel: A summer tomato is one of those things that Indiana just does best.