In collaboration with Spam.
Good weather was predicted for yesterday. 16 degrees C, the BBC weather app was saying, with full sun the entire day. In reality, the car temperature thermometer read 22 C. It rarely gets that hot here in Shetland even in the middle of the summer, let alone the beginning of May.
Some outdoor adventuring was needing to be had.
My eldest son has finished all his exams for this year, meaning he’s got a few weeks off before he starts high school at a different school. Our rural high school only goes up to Secondary 4. S5 and S6 are done in the town school, a half hour drive from here. It’s going to be a big change for him.
So, on this gorgeous beautiful Monday when he would normally have been at school, I convinced him to get out of bed (how can teenage boys sleep for so long?!) and come along with me for a beach picnic. Packing some simple provisions – my Mariner’s Compass handmade quilt (our family picnic blanket and the first quilt I ever sewed together) a gas camping stove, a cast iron pan, an onion, a tin of spam, some sauce, fizzy juice, chocolate and some sun-dried tomato and Parmesan bread rolls I’d made the day before, we hit the sand and the sun.
The only occupants on this large stretch of sand when we arrived was a handful of turnstones. I love watching these birds flit along the water edge searching for food underneath rocks and seaweed. Their darting ways are quite amusing, like they fear getting their feet wet.
We also saw a few great skuas (bonxies), arctic terns (tirricks) and one single lonely seal poked its head out of the sea to have a look at what we were up to.
So, my eldest set the blanket out and assumed the position of basking in the sun while I prepared our lunch.
May 8th – 14th 2016 is National Sandwich Week in Britain – “a week-long celebration of the greatest food to go and quite possibly the most iconic British culinary invention, the Sandwich.” To find out more about this celebration visit www.britishsandwichweek.co.uk.
Our contribution to this national celebration? A fried egg picnic spamwich.
Spam, you ask? Why Spam of all things?! Ok, I’m not going to lie. Spam is not something that regularly appears on our plates. In fact, I can honestly say I have only ever cooked it the once, as an experiment, and I did something awful with mashed potatoes with Spam mashed up in it, like a Spam corned beef and hash. I’m sure my family still haven’t forgiven me.
I spoke with a chef friend of mine, a chef who cooks for hundreds of gas plant workers here in Shetland every single day. He said mashed potatoes and Spam? “No, you just don’t do that. What you need to do is to thinly slice the spam, fry it, and put it in a sandwich with fried onions on the bottom, a runny fried egg on the top and a generous slosh of your favourite bbq sauce, maybe on a brioche bun or some nice bread.”
You know what?
He was so totally right.
Cooking on cast iron in the outdoors also helps improve the flavour of absolutely everything too, right? Plus the seasoning of that little bit of beach sand that invariably ends up in the food.
I’m a Spam convert now.
I tucked into this fried egg spamwich with some trepidation, not sure what sort of flavours I was going to expect, and in all honesty, so did my son. Both of us were really impressed. Frying the Spam until it’s nice and crispy gives it a fantastic texture and it’s unique salty flavour goes really well with the fried onions and eggs (both cooked in the Spam fat released as the Spam fried). A squoosh of Encona American Chilli Ketchup (pictured above) for my son, and Encona Smokey Jalapeno Sauce for me, and bam – one super awesome fried runny egg picnic spamwich.
Eating your fried egg spamwich on the beach means you can go wash the dripping egg yolk and excess sauce off your hands in the sea. Win-win. My son wouldn’t recommend dipping your toes in the North Sea just yet though – it’s still a bit nippy.
Fried Egg Picnic Spamwich on Sundried Tomato & Parmesan Bread
Ingredients
for the sundried tomato & Parmesan bread
- 3/4 tsp fast-action dried yeast
- 400 grams strong white bread flour
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp Shetland sea salt
- 50 grams Parmesan cheese grated
- 75 grams sundried tomatoes chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil I use Pomora, see badge in sidebar
- 270 ml water
- 1 free-range egg beaten, to glaze
- coarse polenta for baking
for the fried egg picnic spamwich
- 2 sundried tomato and Parmesan bread rolls
- 200 grams SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham sliced into 6 or 8 slices
- 2 free-range eggs
- 1 red onion finely sliced
- chilli ketchup to serve
- Smokey Jalapeno Sauce to serve
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Instructions
- Cover the sundried tomatoes in boiling water and leave to soak for 30 minutes before draining and chopping up fine.
- Place all the the ingredients, except for the beaten egg and polenta, in your bread machine in the manufacturers recommended order and select the dough cycle.
- Alternatively, combine the dry ingredients together, make a well, pour in the wet ingredients and knead in the sundried tomatoes. Knead for 10 minutes, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size.
- When the dough cycle has finished, transfer the dough to a floured surface and knock back. Either divide into eight bread rolls and place on a baking tray sprinkled with coarse polenta, or form into a single loaf. Leave to rise, covered, until doubled in size, about half an hour.
- Using a sharp knife score the top of each bread roll in an X, or slash across a single loaf, glaze with the beaten egg and bake at 230 C/ 210 C (fan) for 15-20 minutes, until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, covered with a tea towel.
Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary was compensated for her time writing this post. This is a paid post, but all thoughts and opinions expressed are our own.
kels
Wow it looks amazing! Who knew spam could look so delicious! Mmmm
Sarah Maison Cupcake
Looks tasty! What fun to make it on the beach!
Del's cooking twist
Looks so yummy, love it!
Katerina
I wish I could be there eating this delicious sandwich and enjoying the sea view!
Joanne/WineLady Cooks
We love making special sandwiches to take to the beach. It’s so much fun, the kids are surprised when they unwrap their sandwich, I’ll have to try your spamwich.
Catherine
Dear Elizabeth, this looks absolutely delicious! What a beautiful spot for a picnic…looks like a perfect day! xo, Catherine
Linda (Meal Planning Maven)
We love taking a picnic to the beach and your sandwich looks yummy!
Ronda Eagle
My husband and I were just talking about Spam sandwiches last week. Now we’re going to have to try out your delicious egg sandwich!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist
Fantastic pictures. It’s been YEARS since I have had spam, but this makes me want to try it again.
Debi @ Life Currents
What beautiful pictures. They make me long for the beach! And that sammie looks awesome! Great work!
Anosa
I am loving the look of this spamwich, I didnt know there was such a thing as sandwich week but I am game.
Jennifer Johnson
I love the idea of the Parmesean bread for sandwiches, great flavor!
Linda @ With A Blast
In South-Africa SPAM is commonly referred to as “bully beef” (no idea why!) and I love it from time to time, but have never tried it on a burger type sandwich – Thanks for sharing !
Rachel
I had never heard of sandwich week, and this sandwich looks yummy! 🙂
Jessica
Never did this in the beach. You gave me a cool idea. Looks fun, easy to made and yummy.
Tanya Brannan
This looks absolutely fabulous! I love Spam and haven’t had it for ages, the thought of it and a runny egg is making my tummy rumble!
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours
I LOVE fried SPAM. It is so so good. My not so secret pleasure.
Working mum Blog
I’ve never tried spam before. I’ve seen it for years in the Supermarket but never been tempted to buy as from what I’ve heard it is not the greatest thing to eat. Your recipe is seriously challenging that perception. I am going camping later this month and this spamwich sounds and looks yummy!
Elizabeth
You should definitely give it a go. I wasn’t keen on eating it either, if I am to be absolutely honest, but I’m always willing to try new things and now I’m hooked!
Hannah
This looks delicious. I haven’t been to the beach in so long I will have to try and get down when the weather is good
WhatLauraLoves
Gosh I haven’t had spam for ages and ages. Love getting a spam fritter from the fish and chip shop but I’ve never tried it in a sandwich before! xxx
Ali
I love a picnic on the beach, I’ve never though to take the gas stove down there though – my husband would love it – bacon sandwiches at the beach!!
Charli Bruce
This has just made me crave a fried egg sandwich right about now! I don’t think I have had spam in forever, since I was a little kid but I do love a good fried egg, cheese and brown sauce sandwich… It’s to die for! xx
Amy Hunt
Looks like a beautiful day out at the beach, I bet the kids loved taking a ‘proper’ British picnic down with you!
Psychic Nest
I’m a big fan of Spam Musubi, so this Summer recipe sounds delicious to me! I love the presentation and the beauty of the beach next to such a feast! I should get to the beach soon! 🙂
Vishva
Liz Mays
What a nice little picnic at the beach. It’s great that you were able to see some wildlife while you were there.
Ana De- Jesus
I love that you are celebrating sandwich week and that does look like the ultimate meat lovers sarnie. For me I would like some avocado please :p
Silly Mummy
That is some sandwich! I really dislike spam, but I do like a fried egg sandwich! My OH would be all over this, so I may not suggest it to him! 😉
Life as Mum
That looks so tasty! I know me and my partner would love this.
Rhian Westbury
That looks like an amazing sandwich and it’s so nice that you’ve been able to eat and be outside x
Stella
I have never tasted Spam before but oh gosh it looks good.
Rachel
OMG… I love fried eggs and I love spam, I need this in my life!
Harriet from Toby & Roo
Take the onions out of that and that would be my husband’s dream! He LOVES spam and fried egg… I will have the onions for him 😉
Lindsay At Newcastle Family Life
This looks delicious, my partner would love this as he is a spam fan. I have never tried it myself xx
Sarah Bailey
Oh my goodness this sounds like the perfect sandwich I have to admit I didn’t know it was sandwich day till someone said this morning! x
The London Mum
Oh yes please! That looks and sounds great. I went to Hawaii a few years back and they are all total lovers of spam. It’s everywhere! lol
Sarah Ella (Mumx3x)
Yum! A friend egg spamwich sounds right up my street! What a good idea taking your own stove. Congrats to your son on finishing his exams and I hope you still have some nice weather! Your photographs are truly stunning, what a beautiful part of the country. The beach looks amazing. xx
Cassandra Mayers
Awww, I so need to get myself one of those for the summer. I want to move to where there is a beach near by that we can do that on. Also Spam… mmmm yum 😀
Angela Milnes
oh this is something i can no longer have but it is seriously yummy looking and my daughter would probably love . Angela From Daysinbed
Laura @ dearbearandbeany
What a beautiful place to live! I love that you can cook on the beach, this looks delicious I would never think to use spam X