Chef Isabel
Acedías Fritas de Cádiz
Acedías fritas belong to Cádiz: tiny wedge sole, salted, dusted in frying flour, and dropped into very hot olive oil so the rims crisp while the fish stays tender.
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Jamón de Teruel
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Jamón de Teruel is Aragón's clean, sweet mountain ham: white pig, slow cure, fine fat. Your job is not to cook it, but to let it warm, slice it thin, and leave it alone.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Make Ahead
15 min
Active Time
0 min cook•45 min total
Yield4 servings as charcuterie
Jamón de Teruel belongs to Aragón, to the high dry province where the air does half the work and the ham comes out clean, sweet, and gently nutty. This is not ibérico, and it isn't a random serrano with a prettier name. It is DOP ham from white pigs, cured slowly in Teruel, with the fat firm enough to slice fine and soft enough to melt once it reaches the table.
The method that decides it is almost embarrassingly small: room temperature and thin slices. Serve it cold and the fat goes waxy, the salt comes forward, and the sweetness disappears. Cut it thick and you chew when you should be letting it melt. So bring it out of the fridge in time, slice it fine, and lay it in one loose layer. The curing was the producer's work. Your work is not to spoil it at the last minute.
If you can't find Jamón de Teruel DOP where you are, buy a good jamón serrano reserva or gran reserva from white pig, sliced very thin. It will usually be a little saltier and less rounded, but it stays in the right family. No hace falta haber pisado España, but you do need to buy carefully. Count 50g per person as a starter. Pésalo, no lo adivines.
Serve it with plain bread, pan de cañada if you can find it, and nothing poured over the ham. Not oil, not vinegar, not a shower of herbs. My Margin note for this one is short: cold is the enemy. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Jamón de Teruel belongs to Aragón's high sierra, where cold winters, dry air, and household pig curing made preservation part of the region's larder. The DOP protects ham from white pigs, commonly Duroc crossed with Landrace or Large White lines, cured within Teruel and marked by the eight-point Mudéjar star and the word Teruel on the rind. It was the first cured ham in Spain to receive a Denominación de Origen, proof that this quieter mountain ham has its own rules and name.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Jamón de Teruel DOP
Quantity
200g
freshly sliced 1 to 1.5mm thick, or vacuum-packed slices
pan de cañada or plain rustic bread
Quantity
200g
sliced
extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Quantity
20ml
for the bread only
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Jamón de Teruel DOPfreshly sliced 1 to 1.5mm thick, or vacuum-packed slices | 200g |
| pan de cañada or plain rustic breadsliced | 200g |
| extra virgin olive oil (optional)for the bread only | 20ml |
Equipment Needed
- •Jamonero or heavy ham stand, if slicing from a leg
- •Long flexible jamón knife
- •Short stiff knife for trimming rind
- •Large flat room-temperature plate
Instructions
- 1
Buy the right ham
Choose Jamón de Teruel DOP, not just any serrano. Look for the DOP label, and if you are buying from a whole leg, the eight-point star and the word Teruel marked on the rind. The slices should be rose to deep pink, with clean ivory fat and no grey, dry edges.
If you are far from Spain, a good jamón serrano reserva or gran reserva is the honest substitute. It will taste a little saltier and less sweet, but it will still serve properly if sliced thin. - 2
Temper the ham
Take the ham out of the refrigerator 30 to 45 minutes before serving, still covered or sealed so it does not dry. You want the fat to relax and turn slightly glossy. Cold ham tastes flatter, and that is not the ham's fault.
- 3
Slice it fine
If slicing from a leg, secure it in a jamonero, trim only the rind and yellowed outer fat from the area you will cut, and use a long flexible ham knife. Slice thin, almost translucent pieces, 5 to 7cm long, each with a little fat. Thick strips make good ham seem hard work, and this is not a dish for hard work.
- 4
Open packed slices
If using vacuum-packed slices, open the packet 10 minutes before plating and separate the slices gently with clean hands or the tip of a knife. Do not pull them cold from the plastic and stack them like cards; let the air loosen them and the fat shine.
- 5
Plate and serve
Lay the slices in one loose, overlapping layer on a room-temperature plate, never in a tight pile. Put the bread beside the ham, not under it, and keep any olive oil for the bread only. Serve within 2 hours, while the slices still look supple and glossy.
Chef Tips
- •Jamón de Teruel is white-pig ham from Aragón, not ibérico. That is not a downgrade. It has its own clean sweetness and firm, fine fat, and it should be judged on those terms.
- •Buy from a shop that slices to order if you can. Pre-sliced packs are useful, but choose one with visible fat and flexible slices, not brittle pieces stuck hard to the plastic.
- •Do not serve it straight from the fridge. The fat should look faintly glossy at the edge. If it stays opaque and stiff, wait another ten minutes.
- •Keep the plate simple. Bread is enough. Cheese, olives, fruit, and sauces turn it into a mixed board and make it harder to taste the ham.
- •For wine, stay close to Aragón: a young Garnacha from Campo de Borja or a Cariñena tinto works well. If you prefer white, choose something dry and clean, not sweet.
Advance Preparation
- •If using vacuum-packed slices, keep them refrigerated until the day of serving, then temper the sealed pack for 30 to 45 minutes before opening.
- •If slicing from a whole leg, clean only the section you plan to cut. Cover the exposed face with saved white fat and a clean cotton cloth after serving.
- •Slice no more than 1 hour ahead. Jamón dries quickly once cut, and the best plate is the one that reaches the table soon after slicing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 105g)
Calories
305 calories
Total Fat
13 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
35 mg
Sodium
1050 mg
Total Carbohydrates
25 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
20 g
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