Why choose between key lime pie or lemon pie, when you can have both? Inspired by Bill Smith’s Atlantic Beach Pie, my version features a crunchy saltine cracker crust and creamy citrus filling. Top with freshly whipped cream and a sprinkling of sea salt or citrus zest! Typically served at seafood restaurants, it’s the perfect summer pie recipe – and pairs great with a seafood boil!

Atlantic Beach Pie – The Perfect Summer Dessert?

What’s cold, creamy, and so refreshing? You guessed it, Atlantic Beach Pie! We obsess over this dessert every time I make it, which has been a lot lately with the current heatwave! I love that this pie is make-ahead friendly and is always a crowd-pleaser.

When you combine key lime pie and lemon pie, how can you go wrong, right? Topped with freshly whipped cream, this unique pie is perfect for summer gatherings!

Especially if you’re serving seafood, since seafood restaurants traditionally serve this recipe. I served it with prosciutto wrapped shrimp and a couscous salad last week. And my guests were licking their plates… and begging for the recipe! I

What is Atlantic Beach Pie?

If you’re anything like me, you didn’t grow up enjoying Atlantic beach pie (*tears). So I wanted to briefly share what it is, where it came from, and why I decided to make my own version.

• Atlantic Beach Pie is a citrus forward pie that features citrus juice (lime juice and lemon juice). As well as citrus zest, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks.
• Unlike key lime pie or lemon pie that typically feature a graham cracker crust, this pie has a crunchy saltine cracker crust.
• The crust is crunchy, the sweet citrus curd is creamy, and freshly whipped cream on top makes this the ultimate texture combo!
• Atlantic Beach Pie is a now famous North Carolina dessert. Chef Bill Smith, who ran the renowned Crook’s Corner, in Chapel Hill North Carolina, popularized the dessert.
• This pie is popular in seafood restaurants, because it’s light and refreshing.

Although Bill’s recipe is perfect! I decided to create my own recipe based on my own preferences. I prefer a slightly thicker pie filling base, with a super creamy texture. So inspired by Bill’s recipe, I went to work and created my own Atlantic Beach Pie, after some trial and error.

How To Make Atlantic Beach Pie

1. Make the Saltine Cracker Crust: Use a food processor to pulse the saltine crackers into fine crumbs. Then add in the sugar and melted butter until the crumbs hold are well coated and hold together like dough. Bake for 15 – 18 minutes or until the crust is firm and golden brown.
2. Make the Lime Lemon Pie Filling: While the crust is cooling, make the citrus filling. You can just mix everything in a large bowl. The pie needs to completely combine these ingredients well for the flavors to meld. Once the crust has cooled 15 minutes, then bake the pie again with the citrus filling.
3. Cool: This is a great dessert to make in advance because it needs to cool completely before topping with freshly whipped cream!
4. Freshly Whipped Cream: Top the whole baked and cooled pie with freshly whipped cream and a sprinkling of sea salt or citrus zest!

You can make this Atlantic Beach Pie up to 3 days in advance! Just fully cool and store in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. I like to let the pie sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before topping with freshly whipped cream. Then just slice and serve!

Serve It Like Seafood Restaurants

This Atlantic Beach Pie is cold, creamy, and pairs fabulously with seafood! Here are some great seafood restaurant inspired recipes to serve it with:

• Mussels with White Wine Garlic Sauce
• Pan-Seared Cod with White Wine Tomato Basil Sauce
• Lobster Rolls
• Lemon, Garlic, and Thyme Baked Salmon
• Shrimp Scampi