Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam

Sing it with me….You know the song, from Monty Python? I love that skit but I have to admit I am not all that fond of Spam.  It's a can full of mysterious ingredients, lots of fat and it stands up on its own when you finally coax it from its metal shell. Um, not so much.

Is this really edible?

Anyway, my husband and I play home versions of Chopped, Top Chef and Iron Chef challenges. This past week, hubs told me that my challenge was SPAM, and presented me with a can of the stuff.  The first thing that popped into my head was the Monty Python skit and song about Spam that is about a couple trying to order breakfast when nearly everything on the menu includes Spam…

Wife:  I don't like spam!
Husband: Don't make a fuss, dear. I'll have your spam. I love it. I'm having spam, spam, spam, spam, spam …
and the song takes off from there.

Now I lived in Hawaii for four years so Spam was not something unfamiliar to me.  Spam is very popular in Hawaii and Musubi is one of its most popular incarnations.  Musubi is basically Nigiri sushi with the fish being replaced with Spam.  It's pretty straightforward so I wanted to make that along with something a bit more unusual.  I settled on a Spam stuffed potato croquette.
The first thing I needed to do for the musubi was to make the sushi rice.  I did a standard sushi rice with rice vinegar/sugar seasoning which I tossed with the rice as it cooled rendering the classic sticky sushi rice.  I then sliced and seared the Spam, removed it from the pan and added mirin and soy sauce to the hot pan to make a syrup, to which I added the seared Spam to coat.
























Don't skip this step, it makes ALL the difference in the final product.  I then used this crazy cube rice mold I got for Christmas this year (I still don't get the value in it) to make squares from the rice. I sprinkled shichimi togarashi (japanese 7 spice) on top of the rice and then topped it with the Spam and wrapped it in Nori (dried seaweed sheets)

 

Finish the wrap and you're ready to go.  It takes a little practice to get the nori tight enough to keep the sushi intact but not so tight as the rice comes out.



























Next up was the croquettes.  I had some leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge so I started there, sliced the Spam along with some mozzarella and formed the potatoes into balls with my spam and cheese filling.  Then I did the usual for deep fry; flour, egg and panko crust.  However, this time when I seasoned the flour, I went heavy on the pepper and light on the salt, since the Spam has so much salt!

























I fried the in a deep fryer at 350 degrees until golden brown and removed to paper towels to drain and season.
I made a coulis of fresh cranberry, candied ginger and reisling to offset the fatty flavors in the deep friend potatoes and served them together.

























I think the coulis absolutely made the dish:

























I think next time (yeah right, like there will be one) I will pan sear the spam before putting it into the croquette because it just tasted kind of bland and flabby.  oh wait, spam is nothing BUT flab.
I had also planned to do a version of Spam wellington, with mushroom duxelles and puff pastry but I ran out of steam, or perhaps the wine got the better of me.  I will finish tomorrow and post soon.  I promise. honest. In the meantime - tell me what you're cooking!