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With the arrival of springtime means it time to whip up fresh seasonal dishes. Think vegetables, color and freshness this month as sunny weather will be here to stay soon, and you need the perfect flavors to compliment the weather.
Here are nine recipes worth making during springtime in Austin.
Grilled shrimp tacos with mango salsa
Although the beloved Austin dish is enjoyed year round, modifying your toppings as the seasons change is the best way to eat tacos this springtime. These grilled shrimp tacos with mango salsa are super easy to make and have a wonderfully bright tropical taste that will leave you wanting more. This recipe is simple enough for any cooking level and will only take up 20 minutes of your time, leaving everyone in your house with a meal for any time of day.
You can find the recipe for grilled shrimp tacos with mango salsa here.
Brown butter gnocchi with asparagus and peas
Craving a meal with more of a warm substance? Brown butter gnocchi with asparagus and peas is a comforting and flavorful dish to enjoy for dinner, yet refreshing enough to enjoy during a warm day out. Pop out your cast iron skillet on any weeknight to make this fun and easy-to-make weeknight recipe. Pair this dish with white wine to enjoy the full spring effect.
You can find the recipe for brown butter gnocchi with asparagus and peas here.
Vietnamese spring rolls
Springtime in Austin calls for refreshing appetizers, such as Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, to help pass the warm days. This recipe is simple enough for anyone to make and will only take up 30 minutes of your time. With shrimp, pork, lettuce and herbs, this small dish is perfect for anyone looking to impress their guests with a refreshing springtime bite. Serve your spring rolls with peanut sauce or a traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce called nuoc cham which contains fish sauce, lime juice and sugar.
You can find the recipe for Vietnamese spring rolls here.
Spring vegetable quiche
Looking to host some friends and enjoy a springtime brunch? This spring vegetable quiche has everything you need to impress your guests. An easy and fast recipe to make, you can prep your ingredients and bake the quiche in under an hour. Not sold yet? This recipe is versatile where can add your favorite seasonal vegetables for a filling and delicious brunch option.
You can find the recipe for spring vegetable quiche here.
Lemony spring pasta salad
Something about springtime makes lemons and salads more appealing. Maybe it's the preparation for the hot summer days Texas will endure, but this lemony spring pasta salad, filled with feta cheese, arugula, pine nuts, fresh basil, rotini pasta and lemon vinaigrette is the perfect mixture of filling and vibrantly refreshing. You can make this pasta salad in under 30 minutes and it is a guarantee that it will be loved and eaten up on a springtime afternoon.
You can find the recipe for lemony spring pasta salad here.
Pan-fried cod with orange and swish chard
Adding some seafood to your springtime diet is the best way to avoid all responsibilities and pretend you are on a nice beach enjoying the warm weather. This pan-fried cod with orange and swish chard recipe has all the ingredients for spring: a source of protein, sweet vegetables and acidic fruits. You can make this recipe in 30 minutes to be enjoyed as a late afternoon weeknight dinner or a weekend lunch dish.
You can find the recipe for pan-fried cod with orange and swish chard here.
Taco stuffed peppers
Looking for a healthy colorful meal to feed your household? These taco stuffed peppers are the real deal. With vibrant colors, a delightfully familiar taste and healthy ingredients, this is your next meal to try. Filled with ground beef, tomatoes, onion, black beans, corn, brown rice and cheese, you'll opt out of ordering Chipotle for a long time. This recipe will take up an hour of your time and will improve your night no matter the day.
You can find the recipe for taco stuffed peppers here.
Vibrant spring broccoli Buddha bowl
This is the recipe to try if you're looking for a healthy springtime dish that will give you the energy you need while enjoying the warm weather. This vibrant bowl is filled with hearty ingredients such as sweet potatoes, broccoli, purple cabbage, lemons, avocado and lentils. With 50 minutes to spare, you can enjoy this healthy bowl jammed with proteins, healthy fats and delicious flavors.
You can find the recipe for vibrant spring broccoli Buddha bowls here.
Cucumber gazpacho
Although you might be hesitant to make a cold soup, this cucumber gazpacho is so creamy, vibrantly refreshing and hydrating you will keep refilling your bowl as warmer days hit Austin. In 20 minutes, you can have yourself this flavorful dish to serve as an appetizer, or a whole dish by adding your favorite protein such as shrimp. This simple and almost ordinary dish is inviting with its vibrant color and will impress all your guests with its flavor.
You can find the recipe for cucumber gazpacho here.
Popular
Now, after a surge in the Austin employee headcount, the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp and a name change by its parent company to Meta, preparations are being made for its most striking local office yet.
A drone video taken by Austonia shows the building Meta will occupy, Sixth and Guadalupe, is well into the process of rising up to its full form as a contender for the tallest building in Austin if a 74-story project at 98 Red River St. doesn’t beat them out. Once it's completed in 2023, it’ll have 589,112 square feet of office space and nearly 350 units of residential space.
(Gensler)
Ed Muth, Gensler principal-in-charge of the project, says it’s one of those buildings that only comes along every so often.
“However, it seems like in Austin, we have more and more of them that continue to happen,” Muth said. “But this one is very special for us. It’s a combination of three or four building types together with the parking garage, the office and the residential piece all with a ground-level that has retail in it and everything else that makes the building function.”
All these pieces coming together are captured in real-time with a camera documenting the building’s ascent.
A fan cam for the construction process is fitting for a tower poised to be 66 floors. But Sixth and Guadalupe is more than just its height.
“At the end, you get great views out of the residences and the office space is just incredible because of the floor plate size and just the convenience in downtown,” Muth said. “I don't know that there's anything like it or there will be like it for a while in the marketplace. This is gonna set the standard.”
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(Shutterstock)
Now Father’s Day and the 4th of July approach, and a string of 100-degree days lurk ahead in Austin. Here’s our survival guide to Port A.
Weather
The average July high in Austin is 95 and in Port Aransas 90.3.
Cars lined up on the beach during Memorial Day weekend. (Rich Oppel)
Getting there
Driving from Austin, the trip is 200 miles or more. That can take four to five and a half hours, depending on time of day and route. Three strategies:
- Our favorite: Take toll road SH 130 south to Lockhart and take U.S. 183 to Refugio, left on Texas 774 and follow your navigation to Aransas Pass, then left on Texas 361 to the ferry to Port A. Tips: Leave early. Avoid late Thursday or Fridays. Check the Texas DOT website for ferry wait times, which vary from 15 minutes to an hour.
- Second strategy: If the ferry line is long, detour from Bayside south of Refugio to Corpus Christi and come up Mustang Island on highway 361. This adds about 30 miles.
- A no-toll route: Southwest on I-35 to San Antonio, then south-southeast on I-37 into Corpus, north on 361. I-35 can be nerve-racking getting out of Austin and going through San Antonio. I-37 is blissfully boring. About 250 miles.
Money-saving tip
On the way in, refill your tank at the H-E-B in Aransas Pass, cheaper by a quarter a gallon than any fuel you’ll find on Mustang Island.
(Rich Oppel)
Sights and sounds
As you drive through South Texas you will see fields of pump jacks and wind turbines as well as fields of corn and soybean and red brangus ranches. Near the Port A ferry, huge turbine blades made in Europe are stacked high. This is a working port, but it is fast-changing.
Lodging
- Check VRBO for a condo. The big condos lining the beach (Aransas Princess, The Dunes, Sandpiper, Sea Gull, Mayan Princess and more) have a few pricey rentals left, with a 2-bedroom typically going for $250 to $700 a night.
- Camp on the beach. Buy a $12 annual permit at the IGA or any convenience store, and park between markers 0 and 62. Bring a sturdy tent; it can be windy. A trailer or RV are even better.
- Rent a cottage off the beach. Scores of new stilt houses and multi-family dwellings were built after Hurricane Harvey laid waste to Port A in 2017. Factoid: The average elevation of Port A is 7 feet. Even cheaper than a Port A back-island rental: Find a place off-island in Rockport or Corpus Christi.
(Rich Oppel)
Food
Our favorites are the Venetian Hot Plate, Roosevelt’s, Tortuga and Fins. For a cheeseburger, fries and a beer with a Gulf view, the Beach Lodge. There are 60 restaurants on Mustang Island, and the lines are long in the summer. Get there early or late, or order takeout–which is available at many places. Make reservations at the high-end places. Dress is casual. Anyone with shoelaces is way overdressed.
Fun things to do
- Rent a beach cart. They’ll run you up to $150 a day. Port A is one of the few places in Texas where they can be operated by unlicensed drivers 16 and older. Cart rental places outnumber seagulls.
- Cast a fishing line off the South Jetty, and then watch petroleum tankers and cargo ships glide through Aransas Pass, coming from or going to Corpus Christi docks.
- See hundreds of species of birds at the Turnbull Birding Center.
- Eat seafood at Snoopy’s Pier, overlooking Laguna Madre, on South Padre Island Drive 20 miles south of Port A. Afterward, take the kids to Scoopy’s next door for ice cream.
- Ride slowly along the beach and people-watch, or park and stroll or run along the wide strand. Watch the sunrise at Horace Caldwell Pier.
- It’s red snapper season. Take a head boat out of Deep Sea Headquarters for a $125, eight-hour trip 20 to 30 miles out. Limit out with two 16-inch or larger snapper. Great eating.
Hard truth
Port A has gotten expensive since huricane Harvey. Labor costs are skyrocketing because waiters, cleaning people and store attendants can’t find affordable housing on the island. If you haven’t been there in a few years, expect sticker shock.
