I love a ham and cheddar or bacon and cheddar biscuit. So naturally, as I was watching a video tutorial for how to use leftover diced ham in biscuits, I thought: "How could I make this a little more Asian?" That's how these spam and scallion biscuits where born.
Pin Spam and Scallion Biscuits to try later!
These are perfect for breakfasts, brunches and potlucks, and your guests are sure to be impressed by the slight twist to a classic dish.
Spam, or luncheon meat, is popular in many Asian communities. You might see it in Korean army stew, Hawaiian spam musubi, fried rice dishes and more. The American product made its way to Asian countries during various 20th-century wars.
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🍞 Ingredients
I prefer to use Asian brands of luncheon meat these days, rather than Spam brand. My favorite is Dong Wan.
You will need:
- Spam, or your preferred brand of luncheon meat
- scallions
- flour
- salt
- baking powder
- butter
- buttermilk
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Finely dice your luncheon meat/spam and thinly slice your scallions.
Add a small pat of butter into your heavy-bottomed skillet (I used cast iron) and fry the spam on medium heat until it is crispy. Remove the spam and set it aside to cool, but reserve the fat in the skillet.
In a large bowl, sift your flour and whisk it together with salt and baking powder.
Thinly slice or dice your cold butter and add it to the flour mixture.
Use your fingertips to smear the butter into the flour between your fingers. You want the flour to be a sandy texture, with pea-sized pieces of butter throughout. If you have a pastry cutter, you can use that.
Add the cold buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir until the dough just comes together. It's ok if you still see some dry flour.
Add the cooled spam and sliced scallions to the dough and work it gently into the dough with your hands.
Pat the dough out gently into a floured surface. The dough should be about 1-1.5 inches thick.
Using a 2 ¾ inch biscuit cutter or mason jar, cut out your biscuits by pressing it straight down into the dough. Do NOT twist your jar or biscuit cutter.
Gently press the dough back together in order to cut out more biscuits. Continue doing so until you get about 12 biscuits.
Place the cut biscuits into the skillet you cooked your spam in. Bake them at 450 degrees Fahrenheit until lightly browned.
Hint: Keep everything as cold as possible while you make these biscuits. You do not want the butter to melt. You should still see solid, pea-sized pieces of butter throughout your dough. This is what makes the fluffy layers in the biscuit.
💭 Substitutions
I have not personally tested these substitutions out on these spam and scallion biscuits. These are just my suggestions based on the products I've tried and how I know they've behaved in other recipes.
- Vegetarian: There are some brands out there that make vegan spam. It doesn't quite taste the same, but I have enjoyed the unMeat brand in the past.
- Vegan: You can use vegan butter for the biscuits. Don't use a spreadable one. You want solid, pea-sized amounts of your fat incorporated throughout the dough. Try a thinned-out, vegan yogurt instead of buttermilk.
- Gluten-free: You can use a gluten-free all-purpose flour mix. Check to make sure you can make a 1:1 swap between the gluten-free flour and the regular flour.
🍳 Equipment
I highly recommend using a cast iron skillet to cook these biscuits. You can keep everything in one pan, and the extra fat from cooking the spam flavors the biscuits.
If you don't have one, you can cook the spam in any skillet you own, and bake the biscuits on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
👪 Serving size, suggestions and storage
I was able to make 12 spam and scallion biscuits from this recipe using a 2 ¾ mason jar.
These taste great on their own, and I don't think they need anything! You can serve them with eggs or grits and some coffee for a full breakfast.
These taste best warm out of the oven, but you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven or toaster oven for the best texture, though you can also microwave them in a pinch.
✏️ Top tip
I like to freeze my butter for at least two hours to make sure it stays cold while I'm making the dough. Keep the buttermilk in the fridge until you need it as well. I put the cooked spam in the freezer to cool it down faster. You do not want to add the spam to the dough if it's still warm. If at any time you feel your dough is getting too warm and the butter might melt, put everything back in the fridge or freezer to cool it down.
Spam and Scallion Biscuits
Equipment
- cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed skillet recommended
- sheet pan optional
Ingredients
- 12 oz Spam or preferred luncheon meat brand finely diced
- 1 bunch scallions chopped
- ½ cup cold butter (1 stick) plus extra for cooking the spam
- 2 cups all purpose flour plus extra for flouring the work surface
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon koser salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 450℉
- Dice the spam and thinly slice the scallions.
- Add a small pat of butter into the heavy-bottomed skillet (I used cast iron) and fry the spam on medium heat until it is crispy. Remove the spam and set it aside to cool, but reserve the fat in the skillet.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour and whisk it together with salt and baking powder.
- Thinly slice or dice the cold butter and add it to the flour mixture.
- Use your fingertips to smear the butter into the flour between your fingers. You want the flour to be a sandy texture, with pea-sized pieces of butter throughout. If you have a pastry cutter, you can use that.
- Add the cold buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir until the dough just comes together. It's ok if you still see some dry flour.
- Add the cooled spam and sliced scallions to the dough and work it gently into the dough with your hands.
- Pat the dough out gently into a floured surface. The dough should be about 1 to 1 ½ inches thick.
- Using a 2 ¾ inch biscuit cutter or mason jar, cut out your biscuits by pressing it straight down into the dough. Do NOT twist your jar or biscuit cutter.
- Gently press the dough back together in order to cut out more biscuits. Continue doing so until you get about 12 biscuits.
- Place the cut biscuits into the skillet you cooked your spam in. Bake them at 450 degrees Fahrenheit until lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Note: Nutrition facts as an estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
🦺 Food safety
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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