08-07-2025
How to cook your way through a California summer
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.
