Southern
Ham Salad

Name: Southern ham salad
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American, American South
Ingredients: ½ cup whole-egg mayonnaise; 3 green onions, very finely chopped; 1 tablespoon very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard; ½ teaspoon salt flakes, crushed; Good pinch ground cayenne pepper, more or less to taste; Several grinds black pepper; 200g smoked leg ham, chopped; Crackers and/or celery heart, for serving

The American South is famous for smoked ham. It’s fried for breakfast, sliced for sandwiches and popular in this party favourite. It’s called Southern ham salad, but it’s really more of a dip or spread, perfect for serving alongside its retro cousins, pimento cheese dip (see video below) and devilled eggs, for an impressive start to a big family gathering like Thanksgiving. Southern ham salad is a great way to use up leftover ham and you can turn it into a more substantial salad by piling it on top of a bed of mixed green leaves. With or without extra greens, try Southern ham salad with a glass of Electric Marsanne from Dirty Black Denim in Heathcote, Victoria. Leftovers keep for 4–5 days refrigerated.

Makes about 1½ cups

Ingredients

½ cup whole egg mayonnaise
3 green onions, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
½ teaspoon salt flakes, crushed
Good pinch ground cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
Several grinds black pepper
200g smoked leg ham, chopped
Crackers and/or celery heart, for serving

Method

Place mayonnaise, green onion, parsley, mustard, cayenne and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
Stir through the ham, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve Southern ham salad with crackers and/or stalks of tender celery heart.