I know . . . I can see you wrinkling your noses, and I can't say that I blame you, but hear me out. Loathe it or love it, Spam has been around for a very long time.
During my husband's WW2 and Post War childhood, it was often on the menu in the family home, along with tinned corned beef, and it has long been a staple of school dinners.
It's a cheap alternative when it comes to meat, and in lean times has been a real mainstay for a great many families.
One of the ways it is often served over here in the UK, is as a tasty fritter. Indeed, you can buy Spam Fritters in lots of chippies. What we call a fish and chip shop over here.
Generally speaking, they are a fast food place, without seating, where people line up to buy cones of chips, pieces of fried fish, meat pies, sausages, burgers, fritters, curries, kebabs, etc. They take their goodies home, wrapped in plain paper and tied up in a plastic bag.
You can even buy Spam Fritters already prepared in ASDA, one of our top grocery store chains. A lot of people eat them with mushy peas and chips, but it's also quite acceptable to have them with hot mashed potatoes and English peas, which is how my husband likes them. But then again . . . he is a real lover of mash.
They make a very filling and economical supper for today's family at a time when the cost of groceries is rising and rising and family's are having a difficult time making ends meet, and they need not be considered all that unhealthy and full of fat.
Make sure your fat is hot enough will help to keep down the absorption of oil, and of course draining them well on paper toweling once they are cooked also helps to absorb any extra oil.
My husband just loves these. I have to admit they are rather tasty. Of course, you could do the same thing with tinned corned beef and they are pretty good also.
Whilst I wouldn't recommend eating these every night of the week, they do make a delicious addition once a fortnight, and go a long ways towards keeping down the food costs.
Yield: 4
Spam Fritters
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 18 Min
These may not be to everyone's tastes, but they have been around for a very long time and are a very quick and economical family meal.
Ingredients
- 1 340g tin of Spam (12 ounces)
- For the batter:
- 140g (1 cup) plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 120ml of milk, milk & water, water, or beer (1/2 cup)
- cooking oil for either shallow frying or deep frying
To serve:
- mashed potatoes
- mushy peas, or regular peas
Instructions
- Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the salt and liquid. You will want to have a thick batter in order to coat the spam properly.
- Carefully remove the Spam from the tin in one piece. (I take a sharp knife and carefully slide it into the tin between the meat and the tin all around and then holding the tin upside down, gently shake and the meat slides out.) Cut the Spam into 8 slices.
- Heat 2 to 3 TBS of oil in a frying pan, or heat a depth of oil in a deep fryer to 170*C/350*F, or until a cube of bread turns golden brown in 1 minute.
- Coat the Spam slices with the batter and then carefully drop them into the hot oil. If shallow frying, allow two to three minutes per side. If deep frying, allow a total cooking time of three to four minutes, turning the fritters over as needed. Drain well on paper towels.
- Serve hot with buttery mashed potatoes and peas.
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Found this post very interesting. Only yesterday I was saying to my husband as we went through the supermarket, I really fancy some Spam. This recipe looks like another delicious way to cook it. Thanks for the recipe. Spam is a big staple over in Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteThere's something irresistible about these. I think I'll give the Spam Fritters a try... you know, for the kids! ;)
ReplyDeleteMy hubby loves spam Fritters! We usually buy them already made from our local supermarket but I think your recipe is a cheaper way to eat them. Thanks for sharing...will be making these!
ReplyDeleteIt sems that its either Spam lovers or Klik lovers,, do you remember Klik Marie, our family always bought Klik,, I've never tried this way before although I have fried Klik and its good,, my husband loves Klik sandwiches with Kraft sandwich pread,, (kind of pickle mayo), thanks for sharing marie
ReplyDeleteThese look wonderful. Spam really does get a bad rap. People don't know what they're missing. I will certainly try this recipe.
ReplyDeletethis look delicious, dear Marie, hope you have a nice day, huggs, gloria
ReplyDeleteOnly you could make spam look so good! I remember having it as a child and loving it -
ReplyDeletehave a great day
Mary ox
We're big fans of spam! I've never thought to make it a fritter though! Delish!
ReplyDeleteI've never had one! *sob* Now I can when I make your recipe. The closest I've ever gotten is a couple of slabs of Spam in between 2 slices of toasted bread. ツ
ReplyDeleteMy only complaint is the batter really seems to soak up the oil when shallow frying. Low fat these are not.
ReplyDeletegotta make sure oil is the right temperature.
DeleteFor sure Anonymous! When frying anything if the oil is not hot it will soak the oil right up. Having it at the right temperature is the key!
DeleteDefinitely not low fat Pat! Posted merely for nostalgia purposes. These used to be weekly fare for lots of people here in the UK, especially during the War when fresh meat was rationed and afterwards when rationing continued up until the late fifties and early sixties. It was an economical way to feed a family, whilst providing them with the caloric energy needed to go about their days! Mine did not soak up the oil, perhaps your oil wasn't hot enough? In any case they made a great once in a blue moon treat for my husband who grew up during the War!
ReplyDeleteLove them, where can one purchase the catering tin of spam.?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea Jim! Perhaps at Costco or any other warehouse cash and carry type of place. I just pick up the family size that you can get in the local shops and grocery stores!
ReplyDeleteI made these with my dad, you can see a picture on my blog. They tasted yummy.
ReplyDeletehttp://owlandteddy.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/wartime-cooking/
Teddy, that's soooo cute! Thanks for letting me know and I am glad you liked them!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tips!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Gary!
DeleteGrowing up my grandmother used to fritters very similar to these. Followed the instructions and shallow fried and came out just like she used to make. Thanks for the artery clogging nostalgia :)
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome! Not an every day treat for sure, but once in a while they go down a real treat!
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