Grilled Ham Steaks with Southern Kale Salad
Cozy Grilled Ham Steaks with Southern Kale Salad. A light family dinner that is big on southern charm!
Now, I try to be a good southern girl… often with little success. Growing up in a straight-forward Midwestern family, the concepts of being genteel and prim took second fiddle to hard work and direct honesty.
I’m ok with that. Yet now that I live in the South, I strive to achieve southern greatness in the kitchen, even if I’ll never achieve it in manner.
So when working with raw greens, I went with subtle southern flair. What’s more southern than ham, cornbread, and greens?
Grilled Ham Steaks with Southern Kale Salad is a light modern take on this deep south favorite.
I rubbed ham steaks with brown sugar, cumin and coriander to give them a smoky kick. Then grilled them for a couple minutes per side.
Next I toasted crumbled cornbread and roughly chopped almonds to provide contrast for the kale.
Finally I dressed the salad with a bright citrus vinaigrette made with orange zest, orange juice, honey, chive and almond oil.
The verdict? Grilled Ham Steaks with Southern Kale Salad is YUM. Double yum.
Yum with a southern twist, Ya’ll.
Salty, sweet, crunchy, zesty plate of Kale-icious yum!
Plus, there is much less guilt involved in eating Grilled Ham Steaks with Southern Kale Salad than most southern dinners.
Grilled Ham Steaks with Southern Kale Salad
Ingredients
For the Ham:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4-6 thick-cut ham steaks
For the Southern Kale Salad:
- 1 bunch kale (large), 6 cups chopped
- 2 corn muffins or cornbread squares, crumbled into large chunks
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped almonds
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the Dressing:
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup almond oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chive
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium and preheat a large skillet on the stovetop to medium-high.
- Mix the brown sugar, cumin, coriander and pepper. In a small bowl, rub the mixture on both sides of each ham steak. Set aside.
- Shred the kale into (very) thin strips. Place the kale in a large serving bowl.
- Place the ham steaks on the grill for about 3 minutes per side—or just until grill marks form. Remove and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Meanwhile, add the butter to the skillet. Pour in the crumbled cornbread and chopped almonds. Gently move around the pan until toasted, 5 minutes.
- Whisk the ingredients together for the vinaigrette. Toss the kale with your desired amount of vinaigrette. Then top with the toasted cornbread and almonds. Best if served immediately.
Notes
- Don't salt the ham. It tends to be salty enough on it's own.
- Ham steaks are also precooked, so the grilling is simply for texture and appearance, don't over do it!
- I used whole raw almonds in the kale salad and roughly chopped them, but you could substitute slivered almonds.
- I adore almond oil, but any mild flavored oil will work for the vinaigrette.
- I used store-bought corn muffins for the salad.
you got me convinced .. I have to make this kale salad… :)
Gorgeous Southern meal, Sommer:) That ham has gotten me hungry and craving a piece. I never ate raw kale. I always add it my bean soups or in a pasta dish. Thank you for sharing delicious recipe:)
my hubby loves ham steak, but I should try raw kale..thanks for sharing!!
sweetlife
I actually really like raw kale! This sounds so tasty with almonds and almond oil!
Hi Sommer, This is looking absolutely delightful. Very nicely made and presented. I wud love to give it a shot on the coming weekend… Have a great day !
I’ve never had raw kale before…only cooked it in the skillet or baked it. You’ve convinced me to try it raw with your delicious looking salad! And the ham steaks looks pretty delicious as well!
Wow is all I can say. You did good Midwestern/Southern girl!
This is beautiful. I love this recipe.
Gosh, I never would have thought to eat kale raw, either…glad you have this wonderful recipe to share :)
I think this is good, healthy dose of southernness!(is this a word?) now I will head over to rk page to vote. Go Asheville Team!
This is something I would love to try too.
Photos are simply mouthwatering!
What a MOUTH-WATERING dish ! Great combination, Sommer :)
Aldy.
My momma used to make ham steaks for us. They always bring back memories. I love kale – love. I have got to try this.
I love kale salads – but no one else here does. Maybe with that delicious dressing? The spiced ham steaks are perfect! Lovely change from mine.
I’ve never had raw Kale and I don’t think you can find it here, but I will try it someday! By the way, your pictures are simply gorgeous.
I love kale salad, we eat kale or collar greens raw in Brazil. Your dish looks fabulous, corn bread and ham….what great combo.
What fabulous photos! Everything looks so good!
Kale-icious indeed. This looks stunningly yummy. Thanks for doing the legwork on this :)