Cooking on Vacation With Sunshine Coast Ingredients
Cooking on vacation with Sunshine Coast ingredients is one of the best ways to enjoy everything this beautiful area has to offer. From fresh local seafood to seasonal produce like juicy peaches, we filled our cabin kitchen with simple ingredients that made every meal feel special. With the ocean right outside and family gathered around, cooking together became just as memorable as the beach days and paddle boarding.
Home Cooked Meals During Our Beach Side Staycation
This year for my mom’s birthday, we planned a summer escape to the Sunshine Coast and stayed at a cozy cabin right by the water. Between paddle boarding, relaxing on the beach, and soaking up the fresh air, we spent most of our time in the kitchen cooking together. With fresh seafood, local produce, and market finds, every meal felt like part of the celebration. Cooking on vacation made the weekend feel extra special. So, here’s everything we cooked during our family birthday staycation!
Where We Got Our Sunshine Coast Ingredients
Sechelt Fish Market
For the freshest seafood, we stopped by Sechelt Fish Market. The shop carries an amazing lineup of locally caught wild fish, live tanks of shellfish, and their signature Fish Market Soup. We grabbed some of the freshest clams imaginable for a garlicky white‑wine clam pasta that literally tasted like they’re straight from the sea.
They’re open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5:30 pm, and on Sundays during the non‑winter season (otherwise closed on Sundays). The staff there are friendly, hands-on, and clearly love what they do!
Clayton‘s Heritage Market
I stopped by Clayton’s Heritage Market and picked up fresh peaches, creamy burrata, and a few other local ingredients. Opened since 1950, this is a family-owned and operated supermarket. They’ve got a great mix of produce, a well-stocked deli and bakery, and plenty of everyday staples that make it easy to pull together something special without running all over town.
Clayton’s Heritage Market is open Monday–Thursday and Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm, Fridays until 9 pm, and Sundays from 10 am to 6 pm, so it’s simple to fit a visit into any schedule.
Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market
One of my all-time guilty pleasures is visiting farmers market. Sechelt’s Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market might just be one of my favorites ever. The market has over 60 stalls, and every stall is filled with so much love. There’s everything here: garden fresh produce, handmade crafts, warm baked goods, smoked meat, beautiful wild mushrooms, fresh flowers, and more. There’s even ready to eat meals made by incredibly talented local chefs.
We definitely had to grab a little bit of all the local ingredients to make the yummiest lunch at home. Even though it only happens once a week on Saturdays from 9 AM to 2 PM, it actually is the largest outdoor market on the Sunshine Coast. So, if you’re visiting, I’d highly recommend stopping by on Saturday to taste some yummy locally made treats!
What We Cooked with Local Sunshine Coast Ingredients
White Wine Clam Linguine
On our first night in our Sechelt Airbnb, we made a light dinner of Clam Linguine in White Wine Sauce. We got our fresh clams for today from the Sechelt Seafood Market, and other local ingredients from Clayton’s. It’s cooked in a sauce of white wine cooked down with local garlic, shallots, and fresh herbs sautéed in butter. The combination of clams, tender linguine, aromatic white wine garlic sauce makes this seafood pasta super light but packed with the umami flavors of fresh calms. It’s an effortless dinner that’s easy and so cozy for our staycation.
- 16 oz Linguine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 Bundle fresh parsley chopped, divided into 2 portions
- 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 lb clams
- 1/2 cup white wine
Peach Tomato Burrata Salad
As a side to our clam pasta, we’re making this juicy peach and tomato barata salad, finished off with a drizzle of honey balsamic sauce. Since tonight is all about keeping things fresh, simple, and celebrating local ingredients, the local peaches, herbs, and fresh burrata was perfect for a side salad. It was so refreshing, and the perfect balance of creamy, salty, sweet, and spicy.
Mushroom Pierogi
This wild mushroom pierogi came together from Sechelt’s best local farmer’s market ingredients. We visited the farmer’s market this morning, and come home with so many local gems. including some super fresh wild mushrooms and handmade frozen vegan pierogies from Mama Musey’s Pierogies. It was a meal that truly tasted like the Sunshine coast!
- 28 oz frozen pierogies
- 1 lb mixed mushrooms cleaned, bite sized chunks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots about ½ cup finely diced
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp black pepper or to taste
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley about a small handful, loosely packed
Oven Roasted Whole Chicken
This whole oven-roasted chicken is the centerpiece for my mom’s birthday dinner this year. She requested a simple, cozy night-in with a homemade feast, and this chicken definitely fits the bill. This chicken is covered generously with a homemade garlic compound butter. Then, it’s roasted in the oven over chunks of potatoes, onions, and carrots. It was super juicy, flavorful, and super satisfying.
- 1 whole chicken about 4-5 lbs
- 2-3 tbsp salt
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp dill
- 1/2 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1/4 tsps salt or to taste
- 1/4 pepper or to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 7 small potatoes halved
- 3 carrots cut in chunks
- 1 onion sliced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine
Lemon Parmesan Roasted BROCCOLINI
Our chicken needed a high-fiber side dish, so I’m making this Lemon Parmesan Roasted Broccolini alongside it. This broccolini recipe comes together in minutes with just olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. The seasoning is light, savory, and bright enough to stand out next to juicy chicken. It’s not just tasty, its high in vitamins A, C, and K, and also a great source of fiber, iron, and calcium.
- 450 g broccolini about 2 bunches
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese 20–25 g
- ½ lemon or 1 tbsp lemon juice
Pesto Cold Cut Sandwich
For a quick lunch, we made a Pesto cold cut sandwich from some ingredients we still have from the Farmer’s Market. Nothings more simple and tasty than a quick toasty sandwich. Instead of just using proscuitto, we’ve also added soppressata and ham. The fresh mozzarella we got from the market makes for a creamy, but savory bite.
- 1 Long Ciabatta Roll
- 2-3 Tablespoons Pesto
- ½ cup Fresh Greens
- ¼ Cup Pickled Radishes
- 2-4 Oz Prosciutto
- 1 ball fresh burrata
What is the name of this beautiful Cabin? Tried ur pasta with clams! Bomb!