Spanish Jamón Serrano Wrapped Green Asparagus is my favourate recipe during the asparagus harvest seasons. I live in the German countryside. My house is just next to a large field growing seasonal vegetables year-round, including the green asparagus. During the peak season in the spring, I buy bunches of asparagus from my local farmers’ market or supermarkets and make various asparagus recipes. I can hardly get enough of it.
The Spanish Jamón Serrano is one of the favourate cured hams that I eat regularly. It makes the asparagus super tasty! I enjoy this food as an appetizer, a type of tapas, or a side dish. It is a real treat in the late Spring season.
What are the main ingredients?
Green asparagus
Look for asparagus stalks that are bright green and vibrant. The stalks should stand tall and feel firm. The bottom of the stalks should not dry out or woody. Choose asparagus whose tips should be firm and tightly closed. If the asparagus has a dried or yellow tip, that is the sign that the asparagus is old. The thinner asparagus spears are tender and sweet. The thicker stalks are chewier or have a woody texture.
Spanish Jamón Serrano
Jamón Serrano cured ham is served in every part of Spain. The production of Serrano ham is not limited to a geographic area and slightly differs depending upon the regions and the manufacturer. The Jamón Serrano I have bought from the German supermarkets does not have the same dryness. Sometimes it is not dry enough. I choose the dried ham since it gets crusty efficiently when being cooked over medium-high heat.
How to make Spanish Jamón Serrano Wrapped Green Asparagus
Preparation
Peel the asparagus spears with a vegetable peeler and also cut off the tough end. To reduce the cooking time, I blanch the asparagus in the salted water for 30 seconds. Then, cut each slice of ham in half, in lengthways, and wrap a slice of ham tightly around each spear.
Cooking
Then, I place the bundles, seam side down, onto the frying pan. Fry the asparagus bundles on each side until they caramelize lightly, and the ham becomes crispy. Since the Jamón Serrano turns salty after cooking, I do not add any salt but a few drizzles of fresh lemon juice.
Tips for the recipe
It is also possible to grill the wrapped asparagus. If the spears of asparagus are too long, just cut them in half before wrapping.
To add extra taste, you can use Allioli mayonnaise as a dip.
The Italian Parma ham or French Bayonne ham is also suitable for this recipe. But the smoked ham does not take well in this recipe.
Did you make the recipe?
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Spanish Jamón Serrano Wrapped Green Asparagus
Ingredients
- 12 spears green asparagus
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 6 slices Jamón Serrano
- drizzles fresh lemon juice
- Fresh groundblack pepper
Instructions
- First, trim all green asparagus using a vegetable peeler. Cut off thehard end.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch theasparagus for about 30 seconds. Drain the asparagus and pat dry.
- Cut each slice of Serrano ham in half and lengthways, wrap a slice ofham tightly around each spear.
- Add one tablespoon of cooking oil to a large frying pan and heat overmedium-high heat.
- Fry the asparagus bundles on each side until they caramelize lightly,and the ham becomes crispy.
- Arrange the wrapped asparagus as you wish, season with black pepper, anddrizzle with fresh lemon juice to serve.