Serrano Ham,Tangerine, and Bermuda Onion Salad

Serrano ham is one of my few luxuries now. Boars Head imports it from Spain , and I buy mine at a Publix a block away from Belle Meade Boulevard . The people with houses on the Boulevard can afford to buy a whole pound for $28.00, but I buy a half pound at a time. It is sliced paper-thin, and has the salty nuttiness one might expect from Spanish pigs fed on acorns.

The tangerine I peeled ,then cut up is a Murcotte, a variety new to me. I bought it at Whole Foods. It reminds me of a clementine. I also added pine nuts, a grated carrot, and some dried cranberries.

I like my recipes alive. I do not believe they should stay fossilized- turned into artifacts on a page. I made this one up , but I can see a dozen variations. I could add dried chopped apricots instead of cranberries. No Serrano ham? How about crispy bacon or prosciutto? How about a few olives or some toasted almonds. Sliced pears would work, or fresh peaches. It is your salad. Be brave.

This is one portion, and if you can multiply you can impress someone else with it.


One Murcotte tangerine. (Or substitute a clementine or a basic tangerine).

1/4 Bermuda onion- diced.

One thin slice of Serrano ham-. torn to little pieces

2 tablespoons of pine nuts.

1/2 carrot- grated.

2 tablespoons of dried cranberries ( or dried apricots).


Toss everything into a bowl ,then decide what you want to dress it with. I made a dressing combining the juice from half an orange, a teaspoon of spicy Dijon mustard, and a teaspoon of olive oil. I added a dash of sea salt, whisked the emulsion and poured it over my salad. Its accompaniment for dinner was a home-made corn and potato chowder with Creole seasoning.