My vegetarian fiancee finds it amusing to buy me random meat items when she goes to the supermarket. Usually it’s jerky or sardines, but the other day she brought home a can of Spam with Bacon.
I’ve never actually had Spam before, and I do intend on eating it. Suggestions?
First, find a can opener (unless they still have those pull tabs or a key to turn around a metal strip).
Then feel free to eat it straight from the can. I’d be interested in hearing what he thinks.
If he’s ever in Austin Minnesota make sure to stop by the fantastic Spam Museum! The Spam Museum web site has several recipe links and history as well!
Spam and eggs is a go-to dish for my bachelor cooking days. Dice it up with green peppers and onions and make a Denver omelette. It also makes a good substitute for hot dogs in franks & beans. As **terentii **mentions, fry it up in big slabs. Then for my tastes, slather them with hot mustard and make a sandwich or three.
The “with bacon” bit might induce me to not buy it (although I love me some SPAM), but I would surely eat it. It’s fine sliced between two slices of white bread, with mayo and mustard, but I like to heat it in the skillet, myself. I like the crunchy edges that gets me.
Anyway, I’d loudly announce, “Ooohh, I’m gonna eat this bad boy! I’m gonna eat the hell out of it, with my mouth! This mouth, right here!. And then I’m gonna give you a big, sloppy thank-you kiss, just to thank you for being so nice to me! Again, with this VERY! SAME! MOUTH! Now go brush your teeth; you’re not going to want to miss ANY of THIS treat.”
Use Spam essentially the same way you’d use ham, except think of it as a raw product that needs to be cooked. While it’s safe to eat raw, I don’t particularly like the texture of Spam until it has crispy edges - something that most of the other posters have alluded to.
I also like to cut spam up and then rinse it briefly under water to remove a little bit of the salt, but this depends a little on how much you like salt. Spam is very salty; for some people, that’s part of the appeal. However, I think of it more like salt cod, where you’d want to remove some salt before eating.
My favorite application for spam is hashbrowns. Cube up the spam and the potatoes at about the same size and throw them in a hot skillet with a little bit of oil in the bottom. When the potatoes are about half done, I throw in some diced onion as well. I add black pepper, but usually don’t need to add any salt.
Spam sandwiches are also good - I follow the same steps others have mentioned. Toast the spam, put it on bread with mayo. Lettuce, tomato, etc. are all optional.
Spam goes very nicely with teriyaki or other sweet sauces too. I think it’s a tradition in Hawaii to do teriyaki spam sandwiches with a slice of pineapple.
The with bacon part worries me but the traditional method of eating spam is to slice it into rectangles and fry it in a skillet until crispy brown and delicious. Serve with eggs and toast or pancakes. Then die of a salt overdose.
It’s very fatty, so beware. Years ago I had a friend who was a rep for Armor, which has/had a Spam competitor, and she gave me some. The only way I (a mostly vegetarian) could eat it was diced fine and made into an omelet. So that’s my recommendation.
Dad’s favourite, SPAM salad sandwiches. Grind the SPAM in a meat grinder. Mix with Miracle Whip and sweet pickle relish. Chill and spread on soft white bread.
Yes, I said Miracle Whip. SPAM is very salty, and the sweetness of the MW is a good counterpoint to it. This is one of the few times I’ll use MW.
A can of SPAM makes eight slices. So you can make four sliced SPAM sandwiches, with Miracle Whip.
Dice it and mix it into mac’n’cheese, omelettes, or whatever.
SPAM is ham and pork shoulder. Use it the same way you use ham.
May take a little effort (if you’ve never rolled sushi before), but most definitely Spam Musubi !
Not only is it killer, but it has the added bonus of combining all these great vegetarian ingredients (rice, seaweed) with the Spam ! Perfect for “shoving” (not literally) into your fiance’s face !