Coronado Concerts in the Park: Beach Shack Snacks

Welcome to the Coronado Island Beach Shack, where it's been wicked hot and muggy for almost two weeks. We chose Beach Shack Snacks as our Concert in the Park theme to complement the Beach Boys tribute band, Surfin' Safari. I was up extra early Sunday to bake my Tequila Lime Tart while it was still relatively cool, but the oven was off by 9:00 a.m.  Thankfully, I was able to pan sear the scallops for my Scallop Sliders at the park, after the sun went down and the breeze picked up. For the sliders, I prepared John Besh's zesty Remoulade, used King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls for the buns, and added sliced tomato and romaine.

Scallop Sliders with Remoulade

While I was searing scallops in a pan over my little portable burner, Jim and Carmen were grilling all sorts of things for their ultimate beach shack snack - a two-foot long Grilled Baja Torta.  This King of sandwiches, assembled on a Mexican bolillo, was slathered with caper cumin aioli, layered with grilled ahi tuna, grilled nopalitos (cactus paddles), grilled pineapple and grilled avocado, scattered with pickled jalapenos and cilantro leaves, sliced into almost manageable pieces, and handed out to the hovering crowd. Jim and Carmen adapted this recipe, substituting ahi for the swordfish.

Jim grilling ahi steaks

Grilled Baja Fish Torta

Alec's Grilled Corn, spread with a thin layer of mayo and rolled in queso fresco cheese, received unanimous thumbs ups. He found the red corn at Zion Market, one of our Korean markets. The New York Times published a similar recipe for Grilled Corn, Mexican Style, but Alec's addition of queso fresco really puts it over the top.

Grilled Corn rolled in Queso Fresco

The Concerts in the Park really should be on Saturdays, to leave Sunday as a day of rest and recovery from all food and wine we consume over the course of a few short hours.  Here's the rest of the Beach Shack Snack line-up:

Chips and Guacamole

Thomas Keller's Fried Chicken

Pork Belly Wrapped Hot Dogs

Salmon Fillets with Lemon and Dill

I had a craving for something sweet and found Guy Fieri's Tequila Lime Tart. I made a slightly different crust, using gingersnaps and macadamia nuts (he uses vanilla wafers and pine nuts). The top of the tart cracked a little, so I covered it with whipped cream and a scattering of lime zest.

Tequila Lime Tart

You may notice the missing Beach Shack Deviled Eggs. I'm not sure what John would have done with his eggs to complement our culinary theme, but he was off in Georgia for the week taking a class. In fact, I need to get this post wrapped up and go fetch him at the airport.

Blanchard’s Beach Shack, Anguilla (Photo Credit)

For tomorrow's Concert in the Park, the theme is Stripped and Dipped. I have no clue what I'm doing. If this heat continues, maybe I'll strip down and go take a dip in a cold pool and forget about cooking.

For more Beach Shack Snacks, check out Food & Wine magazine's Beach Shack Classics slideshow and recipes.