Recipe Background
A creamy, tangy ham salad with chopped celery and pickles adds texture.
This ham salad offers a delightful blend of creamy, tangy, and savory notes that dance on the taste buds. The mellow richness of mayonnaise mingles with the zesty pop of whole-grain mustard, creating a harmonious base. Leftover baked ham brings a smoky depth, while chopped bread-and-butter pickles add a sweet crunch. Each bite is a nostalgic nod to picnic lunches and casual gatherings, bringing a bit of tradition to the table.
Textural variety is key here. Finely chopped celery ribs and red onion lend a satisfying crispness, enhancing the overall mouthfeel. Assembling the dish is quick and rewarding. Make sure to pulse the ham and pickles just enough in your food processor to retain their character without turning into purée—this keeps the salad’s structure intact, ensuring that every forkful offers distinct flavors.
Serving this salad on slices of your favorite bread transforms a humble snack into an inviting treat. The tangy juices soak slightly into the bread, melding flavors beautifully without losing the sandwich’s integrity. Sharing this dish is a simple pleasure, instantly connecting family or friends over a shared love of classics. It’s a dish to savor while reminiscing about past meals and celebrating new traditions.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise plus more, to taste
- 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
- 1 pound leftover baked ham cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 1/4 cups bread-and-butter pickle chips drained, plus 1 tablespoon pickle juice, plus more, to taste
- 2 inner ribs celery finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons leaves from the inner ribs, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 small red onion finely chopped
- bread to taste, sliced, for serving
Directions
- In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise and the mustard together.
- In a food processor, pulse the ham and the pickles until they are finely chopped but not puréed.
- Add the ham mixture, the pickle juice, the celery, the celery leaves, and the onions to the mayonnaise mixture and stir to combine.
- Taste the salad and if it seems too dry, add more of the mayonnaise and/or the pickle juice.
- Serve the ham salad on the bread.
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