Jul 09, 2019

Family Meals at Your OBX Vacation Home

Deciding What to Eat is Almost as Important as Deciding Where to Stay

Blog / OBX Guides
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Planning What To Eat During Your Outer Banks Vacation? 

 

Quality time with family is what it’s all about during a yearly vacation on the Outer Banks. Eating together is a big part of a family vacation. Planning meals is almost as important as choosing a vacation home! Some families have a list of restaurants to visit during their vacation. Other families buy groceries for their entire stay and don’t leave their vacation home. If your family prefers to stay home for meals during your vacation, we have some recommendations for our favorite meals to enjoy with one another. 

EC2 Guests

The cheerful ladies that drove this truck and trailer to Corolla for their April vacation have known each other for 40 years. They came from Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Mississippi for their Outer Banks vacation. The entire trailer was full of gourmet food that they enjoyed throughout their week on the Pine Island oceanfront.

outer banks boil 1

An OBX Seafood Boil

 

On the Outer Banks, a seafood boil is a combination of a traditional coastal meal and socialization with loved ones. A Coastal Low Country Boil consists of local jumbo shrimp (deveined), spicy andouille sausage, corn on the cob, sweet Vidalia onions, and red bliss potatoes, all layered, seasoned, and cooked together in a large steamer pot. Add-ons are available, such as snow crab legs, clams, mussels, or lobster tails. You can find all of the ingredients for a seafood boil locally, but we recommend bringing in the experts at Outer Banks Boil Company to maximize your OBX seafood boil experience. 

outer banks boil 2

Outer Banks Boil Company has two options: a “you steam” to-go steamer pot option or a “we steam” full-service seafood boil. Call their Corolla or Kitty Hawk store ahead of time if you’d like to reserve a to-go steamer pot. We highly recommend taking advantage of the full-service catering option, which includes delivery, cooking, and cOuter Banks Boil Company has two options: a “you steam” to-go steamer pot option or a “we steam” full-service seafood boil. Call their Corolla or Kitty Hawk store ahead of time if you’d like to reserve a to-go steamer pot. We highly recommend taking advantage of the full-service catering option, which includes delivery, cooking, and cleanup. This is a vacation, after all! leanup. This is a vacation, after all!

outer banks boil 3

The full-service seafood boil is where it’s at! The folks at Outer Banks Boil Company come to your vacation home with everything, and we mean EVERYTHING. The food, propane burner, tablecloth, plates, napkins, condiments, trash can…..everything! Watch them cook or continue to spend quality time with family and friends – the choice is yours. The Coastal Low Country Boil is dumped out of the steamer pot straight across the middle of the table so everyone has easy access to the food. Once your belly is full, simply step away from the table and relax. Outer Banks Boil Company handles all of the cleanup. It’s a great way to get a true taste of the Outer Banks without leaving your vacation home. Let the yearly Outer Banks seafood boil tradition begin! 

Let the Kids Make Dinner

 

Kids love to prepare meals! The good thing about being on vacation is that there’s generally a range of ages of children in each group. Older kids can help younger ones, and everyone can contribute to the preparation of the meal, from preschoolers to teens. Keep it simple when choosing a meal for the kids to prepare. A taco bar, a salad bar, or homemade pizzas are excellent options for kids to make. Grownups get to kick back and watch! Bonus if the kids clean up too. 

grill and chill

Grill and Chill

The quintessential Outer Banks vacation is not complete without an afternoon or evening of grillin’ and chillin’. Burgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken, kabobs…..the possibilities are endless. Be sure your group’s grill master has a steady supply of cold beverages – it’s hot outside!

 

donut

A Big Breakfast

 

Many families are all together at breakfast time before they split up for the day’s activities. Take advantage of everyone being together! The first meal of the day can be as elaborate or as simple as you’d like. Make pancakes and set out a toppings bar with fresh fruit, syrup, granola, and whipped cream. Buy all of the sugary cereals that the kids aren’t allowed to have during other times of the year (vacation cereal!). Make eggs to everyone’s liking when they wake up and wander into the kitchen. Make homemade donuts – another favorite with the kids. 

 

Pro Tip: Bring more bacon than you think you’ll need. Trust us on this one. 

Christmas in July

 

Many families only gather together once per year, on their Outer Banks vacation. We’ve heard of more than a few Christmases or Thanksgivings happening at OBX vacation homes during the middle of the summer. You could go the traditional turkey or ham and all the fixings route, or you could mix it up with traditional summer foods like BBQ and watermelon. 

 

A Night Out

Planning to cook most meals at home and go out for one special meal? Local seafood is a specialty on the Outer Banks. Check out our recommendations for the best seafood recommendations on the Outer Banks in each town.

shrimp cocktail
Twiddy & Company

Twiddy & Company

Jul 09, 2019

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