Southern Ham Salad: Recipe + Step-by-Step How To

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Ham salad is a classic Southern staple, and it's perfect for a picnic! With salty, smoky ham, celery, green onion and toasted nuts in a creamy mayonnaise dressing, this salad is succulent on sandwiches, crackers or lettuce.

As a lifelong Virginian, I was born and raised on hams of every kind! Whether they're smoked Smithfield hams or cured land hams, our state takes cracking pride in producing some of the finest pork products in the world. While baked or glazed hams are always popular for big family unit meals and holidays, nothing beats an erstwhile-fashioned salad on a bed of lettuce or tucked inside a sandwich for an easy, satisfying dish. It's a slap-up fashion to use upward leftovers, or you can purchase ham specifically for this recipe.

What Is Southern Ham Salad?

Ham salad is a common cold dish that's similar to tuna salad, egg salad or chicken salad. It's popular in the South (especially in Virginia), where we have a long history of pork and ham production. The salad typically consists of minced, cubed or ground ham that'due south combined with finely diced vegetables (such every bit celery, onion or relish) and bound together by a flossy mayonnaise-based dressing. It's delicious spread on sandwiches, crackers or but on its ain.

How to Make Ham Salad

Use leftovers from a holiday ham, or take a shortcut and purchase pre-diced ham at the grocery store. Either way, this like shooting fish in a barrel recipe comes together in just minutes and can hands be prepared in advance. Information technology'south a simple, succulent and convenient way to feed a crowd!

Ingredients

• three/four cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup sliced light-green onions
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon dear
• 2 teaspoons spicy dark-brown or Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ane/ii teaspoon seasoned salt
• 5 cups diced fully cooked ham
• 1/3 loving cup chopped pecans or almonds, toasted
• Slider buns, split, optional

Tools

• Stainless Steel Bowl: A very large mixing basin is essential to concur all of the salad and easily stir the ingredients without spilling.
• Whisk: I adopt a large whisk to smoothly combine the dressing ingredients. Ameliorate nevertheless if your whisk has a fancy blade on one side for scraping the edges of the basin (like this Whiskle from a recent Taste of Habitation Special Delivery Box).
• Spatula: A silicone spatula or a large wooden spoon is helpful for stirring together the salad.

Directions

Footstep 1: Brand the dressing

Blair Lonergan for Taste of Habitation

Mix the kickoff 8 ingredients in a large basin.

Step 2: Add ham

Blair Lonergan for Gustatory modality of Home

Stir in the ham, encompass and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pace 3: Stir in nuts

Blair Lonergan for Gustation of Habitation

Merely before serving, fold in the toasted pecans or almonds.

Serving Suggestions

Blair Lonergan for Taste of Home

Ham salad is a archetype addition to an appetizer tray or snack table when paired with crackers. Information technology'southward likewise succulent on slider buns for a bridal shower brunch or baby shower commemoration, spread on sandwiches for a picnic lunch or lite dinner, or merely served on a bed of lettuce for a ladies' luncheon. Y'all can also get artistic and pair the ham salad with croissants, small biscuits, homemade crescent rolls or soft dinner rolls.

To circular out the meal, serve ham salad sandwiches with any of these favorite picnic salads, such as Southern Potato Salad, Kansas Cucumber Salad or Sparkling Fruit Salad.

How to Store Ham Salad

Ham salad is a great make-alee pick because information technology will go on in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Stir in the pecans just before serving so that they stay crunchy and firm.

Do not let the ham salad sit out at room temperature for more than two hours to prevent bacteria from growing. You tin can go on the salad cold by setting a bowl on top of ice, or by storing the container in a libation at your picnic.

Recipe Variations

• Add eggs: Stir chopped hard-boiled eggs into the salad.
• Make it cheesy: Stir in grated Swiss or cheddar cheese.
• Add pickle savour: Add sweetness pickle relish for a tangy flavor that balances the salty, smoky ham.
• Utilize ground ham: Many traditional ham salad recipes telephone call for ground ham or ham that is pureed in a food processor. This gives it a smoother, more spreadable consistency. Y'all can certainly do that here, likewise!

Tips for the All-time Southern Ham Salad Recipe

• Apply leftover baked ham from a previous meal, and die the meat into very modest pieces.
• Don't have any leftover ham? Buy hickory smoked diced ham at the grocery store.
• Toast the nuts for a crunchier texture and a richer, warmer flavor.
• To quickly toast the nuts, place them on a microwave-safe plate. Cook on high for a total of about ane 1/2 – 2 minutes, stirring every thirty seconds. You'll know they're done when they're browned and fragrant.
• Stir the nuts into the salad just before serving and then that they don't become soggy.
• Employ a high quality, full-fat mayonnaise for the all-time flavour and texture.

More Leftover Ham Recipes to Try

In add-on to ham salad sandwiches, enjoy your leftover holiday ham in recipes similar Shortcut Split Pea Soup, Ham Casserole or Ham and Cheese Scones. These Ham and Cheese Pockets are also calling my name!

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Source: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/southern-ham-salad/

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