This post contains affiliate links. Have you ever heard of Atlantic Beach Pie? I had never heard of it until last Thanksgiving. I just love pie, so I know a lot about pie. My oldest daughter came home from Thanksgiving with her dad’s family, and her stepmom had made Atlantic Beach Pie. My ears perked up, and I’m thinking “what is that?”
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What is Atlantic Beach Pie?
So, I researched it and came across this gem of a story and recipe from NPR. If you don’t have time to read it, I’ll give you the short story here. Apparently in North Carolina, there is a little bit of lore that you can’t eat dessert after seafood or you’ll drop dead sick. There is one exception – lemon pie, which is often served at seafood restaurants along the coast.
I saw the recipe from Bill Smith, the chef at Crook’s Corner, and decided I had to try it. It’s very similar to a key lime pie, except instead of a graham cracker crust, they use saltine crackers. And, of course, it uses lemon juice or a mixture of lemon and lime juices, instead of key lime juice.
Sea Salt Flakes
Another interesting thing I found was the finished pie has a sprinkling of sea salt, and I’ve seen other versions use sea salt flakes. I decided to get some sea salt flakes to use with my pie. Be very sparing with them, as it can really give you a salty taste. I also learned, I like cooking with sea salt flakes when any recipe calls for salt.
Atlantic Beach Pie
My pie was a little different than the recipe shared from NPR. First, I did not have enough saltine crackers to make the crust. It calls for 1 1/2 sleeves, and I only had 1 sleeve of saltines, so I improvised and added a 1/2 sleeve of Ritz crackers. I love using Ritz crackers in my cooking in place of bread crumbs and other crackers. The Ritz crackers definitely added a little extra “oomph” to the saltine crust.
I also added some extra melted butter to the crackers. The original recipe called for just softened butter, but it felt just like a big mess, so I added 2 additional tablespoons of melted butter, and my crust turned out just perfectly.
I’m not always a fan of lemon pie, usually they are just too lemon-y for me. But, this pie is wonderfully fantastic. It is very reminiscent of key lime pie, and I love key lime pie. The Atlantic Beach Pie is very creamy with the perfect touch of lemon, and the cracker crust just adds to the dimension. I have never been a fan of a graham cracker crust, especially on something like a key lime pie or a cheesecake, and I found I really loved this saltine/Ritz crust. I can’t wait to try out this crust on a cheesecake.
This pie is just a wonderful combination of flavors in your mouth from sweet to salty and tangy. My husband loved the complex flavor. If you’re looking for something new to serve at a summer get together, you’ve got to try this pie!
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Atlantic Beach Pie
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices of pie 1x
Description
This Atlantic Beach Pie is creamy, lemony, and delicious. It’s the perfect pie for a summer celebration.
Ingredients
- 1 sleeve of saltine crackers, crushed
- 1/2 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed
- 6 tablespoons of butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- Crush the saltine crackers and Ritz crackers.
- Combine 3 tablespoons of sugar and softened butter with the crushed crackers and mix.
- Add the melted butter and continue mixing until it’s all combined.
- Press the crackers into a pie plate.
- Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
- Then bake immediately for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
- While the crust cools combine egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk and beat.
- Add the lemon juice and beat until it’s completely combined.
- Pour the batter into the crust.
- Bake for 15-16 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Combine the whipping cream and powdered sugar and beat until soft peaks form.
- Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie.
- Garnish with lemon slices and a sprinkling of sea salt flakes.
- Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
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