25 Summer Recipes to Help You Salvage the Fourth of July

Here’s the thing about the 4th of July: there’s a lot of pressure to prove how foaming-at-the-mouth patriotic you really are. But given America's increasingly complicated understanding of its history—coupled, of course, with the global pandemic—we're not exactly telling you to go out and celebrate. (We're also not gonna tell you to not celebrate; hey, we're not your mom.) In any case, we can probably all agree that wanting our country to be better is part of loving our country, and we can appreciate the fact that we're glad to have been [Bruce voice] born in the USA—but without being jerks about it.

We do know, however, that some people will be donning the ol' Old Navy flag shirt and reveling in the patriotism of it all, and those who aren't will still (hopefully) be enjoying the extra day off. So, whether you're actively celebrating the Fourth or just taking this hot July day as an opportunity to drink some cold beers and eat juicy burgers during a three-day weekend, we pulled together our absolute best recipes for doing just that.

While we're down with a few pickles and a square of processed cheese on a store-bought burger for a casual Saturday grill sesh, a holiday calls for something a little more special—like this burger that's made with brisket and topped with homemade bacon-onion jam.

There are lots of schools of thought on ribs, whether they're lightly glazed or soy-marinated or Filipino-barbecue-inspired. This rib recipe from Matty Matheson is for the people who can't get enough of those super sticky, sweet-sauced suckers. We highly recommended some moist towelettes with these guys.

According to some folks, a great steak doesn't need a marinade. That's probably because they haven't tried this marinade, though, which uses fish sauce, lime, and sugar to get your skirt steak tender, flavorful, and perfectly caramelized.

Because when else can you put a tiny burger, corn, and a few kinds of mayo-drenched salad on your hot dog and feel no judgment? American excess, indeed.

The picky eaters will like the perfectly grilled rib-eye steak, while the slightly more adventurous crowd won't be able to get enough of the briny, sharp orange and olive salsa that we've paired with it.

Truly delicious jerk chicken is a process, so you'll want to start this recipe a few days before. Get your chicken prepped and brined a few days earlier, and all you'll really have to do on the 4th is throw it on the grill.

With lemongrass and ginger, this salmon burger is zingy and a little spicy, perfect for perking up your taste buds if you're getting tapped out on cheeseburger season.

Step up your grilling game from the go-to shrimp skewers with these hefty, head-on grilled shrimp that are absolutely drenched in miso-scallion butter. Again, moist towelettes.

Your meat-free friends and fam deserve a tasty main that doesn't feel like you forgot about them. With nice crusty bread and a homemade olive tapenade that you'll be obsessed with, these grilled vegetable and goat cheese sandwiches prove you've got plant-based options on your list of priorities.

If fish sauce isn't already a pantry staple for you, we hope that by this point, you're stoked on it and can't wait to run out and grab a bottle. The combo of fish sauce, lime, and sugar makes anything grilled taste great, and this squid and shrimp salad is no exception.

Is it even a summer cookout if you don't have corn on the cob? A big smear of butter on sweet corn is great, but butter and mayo and cotija cheese is even more indulgent.

This slightly spicy, mustardy grilled fingerling potato salad is a more flavorful twist on your usual potato salad, but don't worry—it's still nice and creamy too, thanks to a big dollop of sour cream.

Giving your carrots a little smoke and char on the grill helps bring out their natural sweetness. Add a little sauce made with carrot tops and sunflower seeds and serve it on a cooling layer of yogurt, and you've got an easy vegetable side that breaks from the summer corn-and-zucchini rut.

Is there anything more refreshing than eating a big scoop of cold, creamy-meets-crunchy, mayo-filled goodness on a hot summer day? We think not, so make this classic coleslaw.

Of course, not everyone is about that creamy coleslaw life. If that's not your vibe, switch up with this extremely crunchy slaw dressed in sesame oil and lime juice instead.

Kinda like chips and dip meets panzanella meets taco salad. No matter what you call it, we love this gluten-free summer side.

We love a grain salad, because it's a good formula for using whatever you've got around. We wrote it up into a recipe for you, but the structure of grain + bean + crunchy veg + cheese is endlessly riffable.

The best thing about this crunchy noodle salad (other than eating it) is that you get to crush up a bunch of ramen noodle packets as though they're bubble wrap.

It doesn't take much to turn simple grilled vegetables into a thoughtfully composed vegetable side dish: just some homemade vinaigrette, toasted walnuts, and cheese.

Maybe you've grown out of the Jell-O shots years of your life. Time to consider this no-bake Aperol spritz pie, which is a bit like a grown-up Jell-O shot with the added perk of a buttery vanilla wafer crust.

This easy cherry cake is the kind of dessert you can eat with your hands. We'd recommend adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and for all of our sakes, you'll probably want a spoon with that.

What happens when you mix blueberry pie with a perfect, buttery shortbread crust? Well, you get a damn good time, that's what. Obviously, these pie bars are also great with ice cream.

The most ubiquitous drink in New Orleans is arguably the daiquiri, which tumbles around in slushie machines throughout the city 24 hours a day. Take some cues from a city that knows how to party with this recipe for a pink daiquri, which employs fresh herbs, watermelon, cucumber, and light rum.

Whatever happened to the days when a day-drinker could just get a cocktail without any fruit? We get it. You want a margarita—and this margarita recipe has a secret ingredient that will take your drink to the next level. Hint: It's agave syrup.

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