Canned Spam Is Packed With Saltiness, But There's An Easy Fix

Don't get us wrong, salty Spam has its place in the culinary world. Blander dishes like steamed rice, soups, strews, scrambled eggs, lentils, and sushi (we love this Spam musubi) can totally benefit from the bolder flavor of the salt-loaded tinned meat. It's designed to do the heavy-lifting on the seasoning front, sparing home cooks from having to do too much work to craft a well-balanced dish. But, when pan-frying Spam or otherwise incorporating it into foods like chilis or casseroles alongside other flavorful ingredients, that signature saltiness can be heavy-handed and overwhelming.

That's why, in our definitive ranking of the best Spam flavors (and there are more flavors than you might expect), Tasting Table awarded first place to the brand's 25% less sodium offering. It brings all the classic Spam flavor that fans know, crave, and expect when they open a can, and it skips the overkill salty punch.

However, when a craving strikes and all foodies have on-hand is the O.G. regular version, there's (luckily) a canned Spam hack for taking the salt down a notch. It doesn't require any extra ingredients, either. Just pop that Spam into a pot of boiling water. Hitting it with a quick blanche before frying dissolves some of that salt content. For greater reduction, slice the Spam brick into slabs before parboiling to increase the surface area of meat touching to the water. You could even run it through a Mandoline slicer for even pieces.

To do it, fill a medium-sized saucepan with water and bring it to a boil, then add in the Spam. As the sodium is boiled off, the meat will begin to lighten and float. Some fat may also rise to the surface of the water. After a few minutes, drain, rinse under cold water, strain, chop, and prepare your Spam as normal. We even like to shred our Spam for an unexpected textural element. The longer you boil it, the more salt will be dissolved, but anything beyond 15 minutes is probably too long. (This tip also works to fix overly salty ham, for the record.)

For easier prep, you could even skip the pan-fry or oven bake and hit your Spam with a quick steam in one quick step. After blanching, simply remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid for an additional 15 minutes. The Spam will be slowly, gently cooked by the steam trapped inside.

From there, your DIY lower-sodium Spam is ready to use in your favorite recipes. It'd be great in a stir-fry, and with this blanching tip, you don't have to worry about the soy sauce imparting too much saltiness. Pairing it with other absorbent ingredients like potatoes and beans can also help reduce Spam's salty strength.