Deviled ham salad
After a full day in the kitchen, I like to take a walk to clear my head. On a recent stroll, I spotted a friend holding court in a neighborhood Southern restaurant. He had just moved to New York and as I hadn’t seen him in a while, I popped inside and said howdy. We decided to order some light snacks and saw deviled tasso listed on the menu. What’s that, we wondered? We ordered it and after one bite, I realized it was nothing more than a variation on my old favorite, deviled ham.
Deviled ham also made an appearance at a Derby Day party. A friend had found a can of Underwood’s Deviled Ham and brought it to share with the other guests. She’d never eaten it before but was intrigued by the iconic white can with the grinning devil. (Does anyone know what deviled, when applied to food, actually means?) I hadn’t seen that can in years, but I instantly remembered how much I loved deviled ham and pickle sandwiches when I was young. I decided it was time to make a batch of my own.
I didn’t have to look far for a recipe.
At Christmas, my cousin Susan brought her famous ham salad to our family gathering and the big bowl of it was gone in about a minute. We spread it on buttery crackers, a perfect vehicle for the ham salad that was filled with flavors spicy, tangy and sweet.
I asked her for the recipe and she laughed and said she didn’t have one. Of course, she didn’t! That happens so often in my family—we just throw together ingredients and taste until everything is balanced. And I’m not complaining—that’s certainly my favorite way to cook.
She did, however, give me her list of ingredients. There was ham, of course, along with pickles, mustard, and peppers. And like a detective I took these clues and tried to solve the mystery of her famous ham salad. It actually wasn’t difficult—if you have any experience making protein-based salads such as tuna salad, chicken salad or even pimento cheese, you get a feel for how much of each ingredient should belong. This time, however, I kept notes of just how much I was adding so I could pass it on to you.
Ham salad is versatile as you can stuff it into celery, spread it on crackers, scoop it onto an iceberg wedge, or layer it on buttered bread. And while it’s perfect for warm days, I find that it’s pretty much appreciated at any time of year.
Deviled ham salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped ham
- 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
- 1 large dill pickle, diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded, stemmed, and diced
- 3 tablespoons mayo
- 3 tablespoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon pickle juice
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- In a food processor, mix all the ingredients together until blended but not too smooth as you want a bit of texture. Taste and adjust any seasoning or add more mayonnaise and mustard if you like. Keeps in the refrigerator for a few days.
I like the idea of scooping it onto a wedge of iceberg. That sounds crisp and cool for summer snacking!
Another thought from the anonymous pregnant lady. My mother used to make an appetizer with hollowed out brown and serve rolls filled with deviled ham, covered with "nippy" cheese (and I mean nippy in all its 1950's glory), then put under the broiler to melt the cheese.
this made me grin. When I was a kid, the only way I'd eat deviled ham sandwiches was with sweet pickle slices (lots of them), and mustard. I just love that combination. I'll have to give this recipe a try.
I know, you are going to feel really sorry for me now, but we don't have dill pickles in the UK! What they call gherkins or pickled dill cucumbers here are sweet and sour (sort of like bread and butter pickles). Do you think I should try one of those, or avoid the sweetness and just use some fresh dill instead? I have found that some of the fancy pate available here tastes a lot like that deviled ham in the can to me! 😉
I always thought "deviled" meant chopped/mince to the point you didn't know what the devil was in it any more.
I always wanted my mom to buy those little cans of Underwood, but it was a luxury we just couldn't afford. When I finally was able to buy my own can, I hated it. It was over salty and mushy as heck! I guess it's a textural thing. My ham salad has diced ham in it. I do dice it small but no food processor for me thank you. And like another poster, I also thought one of the ingredients in "deviled" foods was mustard. Gotta have me some spicy brown mustard, or heck even yellow.
Loved Twinkies as a kid, had lone last year and nearly heaved. Awful stuff, might have liked the deviled ham when I was a kid, but no thank you now.