How to cook your way through a California summer
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Panzanella salad with burrata, walnut-basil pesto and heirloom tomatoes. Photo: Nadia Lopez/Axios
California's summer boasts some of the best produce with fresh seasonal varieties that make it easy to cook dishes that are local and packed with flavor.
Dig in: Axios reporters have compiled some of our favorite recipes perfect for enjoying on a breezy sunny day or warm evening.
🍆 Nadia Lopez in San Francisco takes a culinary trip to the Mediterranean by mashing charred eggplant with tahini, lemon juice and tons of garlic to make a creamy baba ganoush.
- Sprinkle some paprika, pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley with a drizzle of top-notch olive oil before pairing with warm pita or crudités.
🍅 When tomato season is at its peak, Nadia loves to make an ultra-easy panzanella salad with heirloom varieties, burrata, cucumber dressed in a tangy sherry vinaigrette and topped with a homemade basil-walnut pesto.
- Add some crunchy croutons doused in anchovy-infused olive oil for extra flavor.
🍸 Plus, this pre-batched freezer-door martini is the perfect beverage to enjoy during apéro.
🥙 Claire Reilly's must-make salmon bowl topped with fried onions and spicy mayo can easily be customized.
- It's what her sister calls a "messipe" — a messy improvised recipe.
- This one uses basmati rice and salmon as the base with radishes and bell peppers from the farmers market, and seaweed salad and frozen edamame from Nijiya Market.
🥒 Shawna Chen revels in cucumber salad made with chili crisp and minced garlic, an easy staple in Chinese households and a tasty way to cool off.
- Claire's version includes ginger dressing and Trader Joe's "Everything But the Bagel" seasoning. Her verdict: To die for!
🌽 In San Diego, Kate Murphy grills corn on the cob using this elote recipe that cancels out any nutritional value but levels up the flavor of this summer staple.
- It's a tasty side at a cookout or with shrimp tacos, another go-to in her kitchen.
🍉 Use ripe farmers market finds for this refreshing chopped fruit salad with strawberries, mangoes, cantaloupe, watermelon and pineapple that's tossed in a honey lime mint dressing.
🍍 Both pair well with this simple spicy pineapple margarita in a bottle to beat the southern California heat.
🧊 Andrew Keatts stumbled on a recipe even he can't screw up, based on Longplay HiFi's cold brew highball — half cold brew, half Topo Chico, served in a tall glass with a few ice cubes.
- Make your cold brew at home or use a can; it's your call.
How do you eat your way through summer? Email us and let us know!