Serrano Ham and Cuttlefish Tapas

Serrano ham could be described as the king of all Spanish tapas, along with the humble olive it is probably the most widely enjoyed tapa in Andalucian homes, handy in the fact that if you have a full leg (usually seen on top of the fridge in Spanish kitchens) you can simply carve a few slices at your leisure and when the ham is nearing the end of its life you can get a small knife in all those hard to reach places and carve out thicker strips or 'tacos' (small pieces) which are great for frying or adding to recipes.

Having such a ham is always good to have as sliced ham from the leg also makes a great ingredient and can add some well needed flavour to various dishes. Take the recipe below for example - during the making of some cuttlefish and vegetable kebabs we had too much cuttlefish so in order to enjoy it fresh we quickly whipped up an easy tapa of cuttlefish and serrano ham fried with bay.

As probably one of the easiest recipes on this blog the cooking time is literally under a minute. Put a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and heat, meanwhile cut some serrano ham (quite thick around 3mm) and slice into strips. Cut up the cuttlefish and grab a bay leaf out of the garden. Fry together for a minute and serve in tapas bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Easy as well, tapas! and a lovely flavour from the bay.