A Taste of Pieria by the Sea | Seafood, Local Flavors & Leptokarya

Food & Local Life · Leptokarya, Pieria · Summer 2025

Some of the best meals in Greece do not need a restaurant.

Sometimes all you need is the sea, a little shade, fresh ingredients and enough time to cook without rushing.

That was the idea behind one of our summer Experience Pieria adventures in Leptokarya: take local ingredients to the beach, cook by the Aegean and let the landscape become part of the meal.

There was fresh seafood, local olive oil, vegetables, cheese, toasted bread — and a simple grill that allowed us to turn everything into an easy seaside lunch.

Why Leptokarya?

Leptokarya is one of the coastal towns of Pieria, sitting between the slopes of Mount Olympus and the Aegean Sea.

That combination gives the area a particular rhythm in summer. The mountain is close, the sea is even closer, and the day can move easily between swimming, eating, walking and exploring.

For us, the beach became more than a place to swim.

It became our kitchen for the day.

The Search for Fresh Ingredients

Before cooking, there was one important question:

Where do you find the seafood?

We visited a local seafood business recommended through our network of people who know and experience Pieria.

We asked if the calamari could be cleaned and prepared for cooking. The answer was immediate and friendly.

We also picked up fresh shrimp.

That small interaction was part of the experience. Good food often begins long before it reaches the grill — with knowing where to look, asking for what you need and talking to the people who work with the ingredients every day.

What We Took to the Beach

We kept the ingredients simple.

• Fresh calamari
• Fresh shrimp
• Cherry tomatoes
• Black olives
• Fresh parsley
• Garlic
• Kefalotyri cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Local olive oil
• Toasted bread

Nothing complicated.

The idea was to let the ingredients speak for themselves.

Cooking by the Aegean

Back under the tamarisks, we set up our small outdoor kitchen.

The
Coral Gas Smart Grill
was part of the experience, giving us a practical way to cook outdoors without turning the beach into a complicated kitchen.

The calamari went onto the grill first, followed by the shrimp.

As the seafood cooked, the smell of the sea and the food seemed to merge into one.

That is something you cannot reproduce in a kitchen at home.

The setting becomes one of the ingredients.

A Small Cooking Trick: The Paper Gondola

Then Anna-Maria came up with one of those simple ideas that makes outdoor cooking easier.

Instead of carrying extra plates, she created a small “boat” from baking paper, tying the edges together with string to form a little gondola for serving the food.

It was simple, lightweight and surprisingly practical.

For anyone who enjoys picnics, camping or light outdoor cooking, small solutions like this can make a difference.

When the Sea Becomes the Dining Room

There was no complicated recipe.

No elaborate table.

No need for much more than seafood, bread, olive oil and a few fresh ingredients.

And yet, sitting by the water after cooking, the meal felt complete.

This is one of the reasons we enjoy exploring Pieria through food. The region does not need to be complicated to be memorable.

Sometimes the strongest experiences are the simplest ones.

Watch the Experience

We captured this seaside cooking experience in Leptokarya as part of our ongoing visual stories about food, places and everyday life in Pieria.

Watch the seaside cooking Short on YouTube →

Pieria Through Food

Food is one of the easiest ways to enter a destination.

In Pieria, the connection is particularly strong because the landscape changes so quickly. The coastline opens onto the Aegean, while Mount Olympus and the mountain villages rise behind it.

Seafood belongs to the coast.

Olive oil, vegetables, herbs, cheese and other local ingredients connect the meal to the wider region.

And when you cook them outdoors, the experience becomes part of the landscape rather than something separate from it.

More Than a Recipe

This experience was created with the support of
Coral Gas,
whose Smart Grill was used for the seaside cooking.

For Experience Pieria, however, the story is not really about the grill.

It is about showing how a destination can be experienced through ordinary things: finding good ingredients, meeting local people, cooking together and sitting by the sea.

That is the kind of travel story we want to keep documenting.

Practical Ideas for Seaside Cooking in Pieria

• Choose fresh ingredients: local seafood shops and markets are a good starting point.
• Keep the menu simple: seafood cooks quickly and does not need many ingredients.
• Bring only what you need: lightweight equipment makes outdoor cooking easier.
• Respect the beach: follow local rules regarding cooking, fires, waste and protected areas.
• Leave no trace: take all rubbish and cooking materials with you.
• Think about the heat: summer afternoons can be hot, so shade and water matter.

Discover Leptokarya Beyond the Beach

Leptokarya can be a starting point for exploring much more of Pieria.

From here, you can head towards the foothills of Mount Olympus, explore traditional villages, discover waterfalls and forest trails, or continue along the coastline towards Platamonas and Neoi Poroi.

For a wider view of the region, explore our
Pieria selection.