I screwed up and did not get a photo of the finished (fried) product. Our guests were at the door and I needed to get our snacks served up.On New Year’s day we had as our guests for a brief afternoon visit, several of the best friends a person could ever have, Lew and Leslie, Sandy and Mark, and Pat and Peter. I wanted to make something special for them and went with a recipe I actually learned from Lew many years ago: Hearts of Spam. Oh, I know what you’re thinking so just stop it! My method of blanching the “meat” reduces both the fat content and some of the distinctive taste and saltiness. These little treats are both fun to serve and are a great conversation piece. “Spam? I wouldn’t touch that with a 10-foot pole.” “How digusting!”
Did you know Spam came on the market in 1937, the year Lew was born? I can’t remember if Spam was something my mother ever trotted out. After all, it’s pretty cheap, and with reduced fat and sodium it’s even fair to say it has some nutritional value (not to mention the trailer-park-trash satisfaction of eating it).
Consider this required eating for the losers at Charades at your next party.
You can make a dipping sauce if you wish. I decided to use up some miso paste and mixed it with yogurt (use mayo if you want). Proportions: approximately 1 part miso to 4 parts yogurt, or to your taste.
Hearts of Spam (makes 12 pieces)
1 - 7 oz. can Spam
2 tsp olive oil
Bonus round: Spam dip
Equal amounts of miso paste and yogurt mixed together.
Cut the Spam on the diagonal.
Make V-shaped notches in each of the wide ends. 
Cut into “hearts”.
Did you know Spam came on the market in 1937, the year Lew was born? I can’t remember if Spam was something my mother ever trotted out. After all, it’s pretty cheap, and with reduced fat and sodium it’s even fair to say it has some nutritional value (not to mention the trailer-park-trash satisfaction of eating it).
Consider this required eating for the losers at Charades at your next party.
You can make a dipping sauce if you wish. I decided to use up some miso paste and mixed it with yogurt (use mayo if you want). Proportions: approximately 1 part miso to 4 parts yogurt, or to your taste.
Hearts of Spam (makes 12 pieces)
1 - 7 oz. can Spam
2 tsp olive oil
Bonus round: Spam dip
Equal amounts of miso paste and yogurt mixed together.
Cut the Spam on the diagonal.
Make V-shaped notches in each of the wide ends. Cut into “hearts”.Bring a saute pan of water to a boil. Remove from heat and slide in the Spam slices. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Remove and dry well.
Heat the oil in the same sauté pan. Fry the hearts of a few minutes per side, allowing them to brown slightly. Serve warm with any dip if you wish (horseradish mayo would be great).
Heat the oil in the same sauté pan. Fry the hearts of a few minutes per side, allowing them to brown slightly. Serve warm with any dip if you wish (horseradish mayo would be great).
I will have to try your method of cooking spam sometime.
ReplyDeleteAll of your posts are great but I can't say that about this one. No offense and I'd never play charades if that was the penalty for losing. Bill bought a can, had our older son over and fried it up. The smell gags me so I took off for the store. My mom never had it but Bill's did, he even took spam sandwiches to school. Egad!!!
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say, the boiling of the spam really helps with the flavor of it. It turns out a lot less salty. Great call on that!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea... and hey, if they serve Spam at almost every single restaurant in Hawaii, how can it be a bad thing??? :)
I'll be doing my post on spam probably next week :)
During the summer, I judge cooking contests at the Iowa State Fair. I am not a judge for the Spam contest, but it is one of my favorite contest to watch. It is amazing the dishes that are created with Spam. Maybe you should consider creating a recipe for the Spam contest. Your blanching method is sure to help in making a prize winning entry.
ReplyDeleteWe smoked SPAM once as a spoof but it actually was not totally gawd awful. Not sure I can handled it boiled.
ReplyDeleteWhy am I recalling the scene from Monty Python..."But I don't like SPAM"