Food and Recipes Dish 45 Classic Summer Recipes To Make All Season Long By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on May 22, 2019 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox In the South, summer is marked by more than a few traditions, like catching lightning bugs in the dark, spending long days at the lake, and sitting pretty (and sweaty) under a haint blue porch ceiling. Yet many of our most favorite summer traditions center around the classic dishes we make from May all the way to September. We're filling every casserole dish, cast-iron skillet, and cake pan that we can get our hands on with a farmers' market haul of tomatoes, peas, corn, squash, peaches, berries, and more. Think creamy casseroles, cold salads, icebox pie, and gooey cobbler. These summertime recipes have been around for generations, and they aren't going anywhere, anytime soon. With every passing hot summer's day, you get a chance to make these beloved Southern classics that range from fried green tomatoes to berry sonker. Here are the vintage summer food ideas we're making all summer long. 01 of 45 How To Make Mama's Fried Chicken Recipe: Mama's Fried Chicken Our most shared fried chicken recipe of all time, this Southern classic is perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. This recipe will take you back to the days when your mother used to fry her famous chicken. Soak your chicken in buttermilk at least two hours before frying. We promise – it'll be nothing short of finger-lickin'-good, sheer Southern comfort. Enjoying a heaping helping of Mama's Fried Chicken will be reminiscent of your childhood when Mama would tell you to play in the yard with your siblings after Sunday church while she prepared the meal. No doubt, it would be complete with mashed potatoes, collard greens, and mac & cheese. There isn't any other dish as quintessentially Southern. Are you curious about the secret to this decadent recipe? It's the buttermilk. Soaking the chicken in buttermilk for at least two hour before frying will insure the dish is perfectly golden on the outside and tender on the inside. Of course, don't forget to make chicken and waffles with the leftovers on Monday morning! 02 of 45 Fried Green Tomatoes Jennifer Davick Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes Ask anyone: These crispy 'maters are a treat come summertime when tomatoes are at their best. 03 of 45 Old-School Squash Casserole Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Old-School Squash Casserole This casserole is go-back-for-seconds good, and it's practically a sin not to have squash casserole in the summer. 04 of 45 Summer Pasta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette Alison Miksch Recipe: Summer Pasta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette Nothing says summertime like a nectarine-speckled pasta salad. It's the perfect side for pulled pork or barbecue chicken. 05 of 45 Classic Banana Pudding Jennifer Davick Recipe: Banana Pudding We do love a warm, gooey cobbler even on the hottest day, but this layered pudding might be the ultimate summer treat. 06 of 45 Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake The upside-down cake is something delicious to behold, with its gooey, caramelized topping and all. 07 of 45 Tomato, Cheddar, and Bacon Pie Hector Sanchez Recipe: Tomato, Cheddar, and Bacon Pie Here's one genius way to use a pie crust this summer. A classic tomato pie is hard to beat. 08 of 45 Classic Deviled Eggs Southern Living Recipe: Basic Deviled Eggs A platter of deviled eggs makes a worthy addition to every summer meal in our not-so-humble opinion. 09 of 45 West Indies Crab Salad Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: West Indies Crab Salad This classic Southern salad hails from Mobile, Alabama, and is made with fresh crabmeat and a citrusy vinaigrette. 10 of 45 Classic Fresh Field Peas Photo: Iain Bagwell Recipe: Classic Fresh Field Peas Southern field peas and smoky ham hocks go together like Johnny and June in the summertime. 11 of 45 Whipped-Cream Corn Salad Southern Living Recipe: Whipped-Cream Corn Salad Imagine a cold salad version of creamed corn, but it's enveloped in a light and fluffy cloud of whipped cream. That's how this fresh corn salad rolls. 12 of 45 Peanut Butter-Banana Icebox Pie Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Peanut Butter-Banana Icebox Pie This treat would leave Elvis singing some praises. The no-bake pie recipe gets some lovin' with peanut butter, bananas, and chocolate. 13 of 45 Peach Cobbler Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Easy Peach Cobbler For Southerners, making peach cobbler in the summer is just the right thing to do. 14 of 45 Egg Salad Sandwiches Jen Causey Recipe: Egg Salad Sandwiches This nostalgic spread is always there to feed a hungry group of Southerners. 15 of 45 Best-Ever Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Slaw Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Best-Ever Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Slaw Summer calls us with the promise of fresh, crispy crab cakes. And these cakes really are the "best-ever." 16 of 45 Best-Ever Succotash Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Best-Ever Succotash What should you serve with your crispy crab cakes? The ultimate summer side: succotash. 17 of 45 Memphis Dry-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Memphis Dry-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs We make sure to get plenty of at-home barbecue action during the summer, and this dry-rubbed recipe will wow the crowd. 18 of 45 Tomato Sandwiches Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Tomato Tea Sandwiches On a hot summer's day, a simple tomato sandwich with an ice-cold glass of lemonade is all we need. 19 of 45 Strawberry Pretzel Salad Southern Living Recipe: Strawberry-Pretzel Salad This vintage gelatin recipe will make more than one appearance at your Southern potlucks this summer, trust us on that. 20 of 45 Berry Sonker with Dip Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Berry Sonker with Dip We came for the berry-filled cobbler-like dessert, and then we came back for seconds because of the creamy vanilla sauce (or "dip"). 21 of 45 Classic Pimiento Cheese Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Basic Pimiento Cheese This is the ultimate Southern spread, no matter the season. 22 of 45 Fried Pickle Chips Alison Miksch Recipe: Fried Pickle Chips Pickle chips, battered and fried, make a snack fit for the beach, especially when dipped in buttermilk ranch. 23 of 45 Shout Hallelujah Potato Salad Hector Sanchez Recipe: Shout Hallelujah Potato Salad When in doubt, bring a bowl of potato salad—every summer occasion would do well with it. 24 of 45 Fried Delacata Catfish Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick Recipe: Fried Delacata Catfish To us, crispy fried catfish on a lazy summer evening sounds just like heaven. Bonus points if you're fresh off the lake. 25 of 45 Field Pea, Corn and Bacon Salad Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Field Pea, Corn and Bacon Salad Nothing displays your fresh summer produce like a simple salad—with bacon, of course. 26 of 45 Southern Buttermilk Pie Iain Bagwell Recipe: Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie This is what Mama makes when it's too hot to think. The ingredients are sitting right in the kitchen already. 27 of 45 Peach Fried Pies Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Peach Fried Pies You can take these hand-held fried pies on the go, making them all the more appealing. 28 of 45 Muffin Pan Tomato Tarts Alison Miksch Recipe: Muffin Pan Tomato Tarts And what a tasty little tart it is. These tomato bites can be made right in your muffin pan. 29 of 45 Crab Boil with Beer and Old Bay Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Crab Boil with Beer and Old Bay Nothing screams summer on the Southern coast like a classic, family-style crab boil. Bring plenty of Old Bay. 30 of 45 Lady Pea-and-Corn Patties Alison Miksch Recipe: Lady Pea-and-Corn Patties Here's another tasty way to make use of your summer veggies. These perfectly browned, crispy patties are a fun side dish to keep around. 31 of 45 Cheese Puffs with Ham Salad Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Ham Salad This old-school spread is the perfect make-ahead dish for every summer trip. 32 of 45 Creamy Overnight Fruit Salad Abigail Wilt Recipe: Creamy Overnight Fruit Salad Sometimes we need to dress up a bowl full of fruit salad, and this recipe helps out any hostess in a pinch. 33 of 45 Cherry Flag Pie Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cherry Flag Pie It's the All-American dessert for the ages: Cherry pie. 34 of 45 Strawberry Lemonade Pie Micah A. Leal Recipe: Strawberry Lemonade Pie This fresh pie is like spring in a slice. 35 of 45 Classic Macaroni Salad with Ham Jen Causey Recipe: Classic Macaroni Salad with Ham This old-school cold salad pairs well with any backyard barbecue main or lake day sack lunch. 36 of 45 Slow-Cooker Pork Shoulder Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Tangy Slow-Cooker Pork Shoulder This versatile BBQ dish has been feeding Southerners during the summer for decades. 37 of 45 Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad Jennifer Davick Recipe: Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad It's not summer without pasta salad, and this classic recipe is full of tasty ingredients. 38 of 45 Classic Baked Beans Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Baked Beans We can't think of any summer occasion where this crowd-favorite side wouldn't get along. Any backyard barbecue, cookout, or picnic is fair game. 39 of 45 Millionaire Pie Micah A. Leal Recipe: Millionaire Pie If you haven't heard of this slightly gelatinous Southern pie, it's time to get acquainted. It's cool and creamy for summer. 40 of 45 Key Lime Pound Cake Jen Causey Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake This heavenly recipe gives you the best of both dessert worlds: pound cake and Key lime pie. 41 of 45 Oven-Baked Barbecue Chicken Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Oven-Baked Barbecue Chicken Nothing says summer like barbecue chicken, and these sweet and sticky chicken drumsticks can be made in the oven. 42 of 45 Fresh Corn Spoonbread Photo: Iain Bagwell Recipe: Fresh Corn Spoonbread A spoonful of spoonbread is always a treat when made with fresh corn. 43 of 45 Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Jennifer Causey Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus In our mind, bacon-wrapped is the only way to eat asparagus during the summer. 44 of 45 Dainty Cucumber Sandwiches Southern Living Recipe: Dainty Cucumber Sandwiches These cucumber sandwiches make the prettiest tea party snack. 45 of 45 Crab Pie Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Crab Pie Instead of your usual Quiche Lorraine, try this coast-inspired crab version for summer. 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