What could be more indulgent than sitting on a white sandy beach, gazing out at the turquoise waters and sipping a wave-side Mai-Tai? Eating wonderfully delicious beach food, of course.
Beautiful beaches around the world are going the extra mile with amazing, pimped-out fare that is abundant with delicious local specialties.
There will always be food to eat while you relax on a beach… always someone around to offer you a hot dog, a slice of pizza, or something deep-fried that’s greasy and not too delicious — not that you’d complain that much considering the beautiful location — but some beaches across the world go the extra mile. The food on offer is tasty and reflects local flavors while using the best local ingredients on offer (even if some of it is deep-fried, they’re still full of flavor). Good beach food can be as important an experience as the actual beach itself… a really good meal can make your visit memorable and a bad one could leave you with salmonella.
Seafood is a big favorite when it comes to great beach food, and it’s easy to understand why. With so much plentiful fresh fish available, you can enjoy everything from grilled mackerel to fresh and tart ceviche. Fish tacos are a big hit in Hawaii where Maui beach revelers indulge in the dish filled with all kinds of fish from yellowtail to mahi mahi.
Virginia Beach vacationers, on the other hand, usually enjoy a juicy and spicy shrimp skewer while sitting at a café on the boardwalk. If you’re hungry on a beach in Jamaica, however, chances are you’d likely be tempted by the traditional spicy jerk chicken — a Jamaican specialty — that’s often grilled right in front of you on the actual beach.
No matter what beach you find yourself on when the hunger pangs hit, take a few extra minutes to find the best beach food on offer in your area… and for now, check out these amazingly delicious beach foods from around the world.
1. Fish Tacos — Maui, Hawaii
(Flickr/Jen)
Many hungry Hawaii beach-goers have lauded the delights of the locally produced fish tacos on Maui’s sandy shores. Whipped up fresh by curbside vendors and food trucks that set up along the beachfront, traditional choices of mahi mahi, ono (the Hawaiian cousin of the king mackerel), and ahi (yellowfin tuna) are sure to be super fresh. It’s all topped off with crisp shredded cabbage, cilantro-flecked rice, and a salsa-and-sour cream sauce. They don’t skimp on size either… a large fish taco can come as long as a person’s arm for a full day of beach feasting.
2. Alcapurrias — Puerto Rico
(Flickr/Jorge Rodriguez)
It’s a common street food in Puerto Rico but alcapurrias, fried green banana and yucca fritters filled with crabmeat (traditionally) or seasoned ground beef, is also extremely tasty and popular beach food.
3. Coconut Donuts — Ko Phi Phi, Thailand
(Flickr/Alpha)
Thai beach food makes the most of the delicious local ingredients on offer, the most plentiful of those being coconuts! Sip on coconut water straight from the coconut itself (vendors usually walk up and down the beaches with big bags of them and will chop the top off with a machete and pop in a straw right in front of you if you buy one) while snacking on a delicious coconut donut. A thin layer of battered, shredded coconut and coconut cream is lightly deep-fried and each mouthful is slightly chewy and crispy.
4. Fried Plantains & Fresh Guacamole — Costa Rica
(iStock/Thinkstock)
There is a broad swathe of plantain-based beach foods available in Costa Rica for hungry beach-goers. A big favorite are patacones (aka tostones). They’re sliced and fried plantains that are used as chips to scoop up a delicious black bean dip or even chunky guacamole that is mixed with all manner of local ingredients.
5. Shrimp Skewers — Virginia Beach, Va.
(iStock/Thinkstock)
Thousands of tourists flock to Virginia Beach every year to enjoy the sun, sand, surf, and delicious seafood… and the food offerings don’t disappoint. From crab legs to crawfish, there’s an awful lot of tasty treats to enjoy. The spicy and barbecue shrimp skewers, though, are a definite must-try. You can get them from vendors, beachside restaurants, and food trucks all across the boardwalk.
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