Old Fashioned Ham Salad
This old-fashioned ham salad is an incredibly easy use for leftover ham, not to mention it is totally delicious and nostalgic.
This is just like grandma used to make for lunch when you were a kid. It is perfect for using up the leftover ham from the holidays, has only four ingredients, and takes less than five minutes to come together.
Ham Salad is incredibly popular in the Southern states, but it seems older folks remember it in Northern states too. It is the perfect recipe to use up some of the leftover ham from your Christmas or Easter ham.
What you Need
- Ham: It’s perfect for use in leftover ham from the holidays.
- Celery: Finely chopped celery adds a little freshness and crunch.
- Onion: Finely chopped onion will add some flavor. Use a sweet onion like Vidalia.
- Relish: Sweet pickle relish is typically used. If you don’t like sweet relish, you could substitute it with dill pickle relish.
- Mustard: Just a little dab of mustard will add a bit of a tang. Use spicy, stone ground, or dijon mustard.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise will add a creamy factor to this salad.
- Dill Weed: Dill will add more tang to the salad. Optional but recommended.
- Celery Seed: Enhances the flavor of the celery. Optional but recommended.
- Black Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper is best. Salt is rarely needed since most hams are very salty themselves. Taste the salad. If it is lacking flavor, try adding a pinch of salt.
How to Make it
Step One:
If the skin of your ham is tough, feel free to cut it off.
Cut the ham into chunks that will fit in your food processor.
Step Two:
Pulse the ham. Make it as coarse or fine as you like. You can even make a pate by processing the meat until it is a smooth paste.
It may require a bit of pickle juice to get creamy.
Step Three:
Chop the celery and onion.
Add that to the chopped ham.
Step Four:
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Mix well. Chill.
How to Use the Salad
- Lettuce Wraps: Add your salad to a piece of romaine, bibb, or butter lettuce.
- Sandwiches: Add the salad to your favorite white, wheat, or rye bread with a piece of lettuce.
- Spread: Try to serve it in a bowl with various crackers.
- Charcuterie Boards: Serve it on your charcuterie boards or grazing platters.
What to do With Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Leftovers are good for about 5 days. Take into account how long the ham has been in the refrigerator after opening it.
Freezing is not recommended. The mayonnaise will break.
We hope you enjoyed today’s easy ham salad recipe. Give it a try, and let us know how you like it!
Helpful Tools
More Salad Recipes
Connect with us through our social media pages! Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter.
Please ask any questions or share your comments in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Old Fashioned Ham Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless ham
- ¼ cup Celery
- 1 teaspoon onion
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dill weed
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
For sandwiches
- 16 slices bread
- 16 leaves lettuce
Instructions
- Remove the rind from the ham. Cut it into chunks so that it fits into the food processor. Place the ham into a bowl.1 pound boneless ham
- Finely chop the celery and onion. Add them and the remaining ingredients to the bowl with the ham.1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish, ¼ cup Celery, ¼ cup mayonnaise, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon onion, ½ teaspoon dill weed, ½ teaspoon celery seed
- Mix well. Chill for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
- Serve. To make the sandwiches, top one slice of bread with a few large tablespoons full of the ham salad. Sprinkle with pepper, if desired. Add a slice of lettuce and the other bread slice to the top. See more serving suggestions in the notes below.16 slices bread, 16 leaves lettuce
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
- Lettuce Wraps: Add your salad to a piece of romaine, bibb, or butter lettuce.
- Sandwiches: Add the salad to your favorite white, wheat, or rye bread with a piece of lettuce.
- Spread: Try to serve it in a bowl with various crackers.
- Charcuterie Boards: Serve it on your charcuterie boards or grazing platters.
