Tired of post-Christmas ham toasties? Turn leftover ham into five delicious dishes

The Christmas ham is an undisputed culinary workhorse, effortlessly travelling from the oven to the table, and then back into the fridge. However, its reign as a festive table centrepiece is tragically short-lived, shifting to fridge-consuming pink monolith status quicker than a celebrity who suddenly finds themselves cancelled.

But the ham requires consistent fandom, a devotion that reaches far beyond the quick-fix cycle of toasties, fried rice, and ham’n’eggs. If you reimagine how to slice it, dice it, fry it or chill it, your only remaining dilemma will be: what do you do when the last glorious morsel is gone?

Here are five ways to embrace the porky leftover goods with versatility and ease.

Ham and charred pineapple XO skewers with coriander salsa

Barbecue season, my leftovers are coming for you. This is your “ham steak Hawaiian” with smoky, sweet and spicy glow-up.

Thread cubes of ham (or fold thick slices) with fresh pineapple pieces and thick batons of spring onion onto metal skewers. Give everything a quick brush with a loose mixture of XO sauce, sweet soy sauce and a dash of olive oil. Place the skewers on a hot barbecue until the edges caramelise, the pineapple blisters, and the XO glaze gets glossy and sticky.

While the skewers are cooking, make a quick coriander salsa by blitzing coriander leaves and stems with a deseeded green chilli, a few garlic cloves, the zest and juice of 1 lime, a generous pinch of sugar and a bit of flavourless oil in a food processor. Spoon the sauce over the skewers just before serving.

Asian salad with charred corn, ham and makrut lime leaf oil

Those post-Christmas days call for dishes that are light but layered. This salad hits the sweet spot.

Shave kernels off fresh corn cobs and blister them in a ripping-hot pan. Remove from the pan and combine in a bowl with thin matchsticks of ham, soft herbs (Thai basil, mint) and quick-pickled green mango for tang and crunch.

Finish with a dressing made from blitzed makrut lime leaf, coriander stems, green chilli and a little flavourless oil. The dressing will stain everything a luminous green and tastes like summer breathing down your neck and the sort of dish you get at those underlit Asian restaurants that don’t take reservations.

Loaded ham bagel

Sometimes you need to elevate your ham sandwich. Enter this bagel, which effortlessly traverses breakfast, lunch and dinner. Filled with soft scrambled eggs, fried ham, magic spices, herby mayo and some greenery for cut-through, this is perfect alternate holiday universe eating.

Make a spice blend by combining a pinch of sea salt flakes with 1 teaspoon each brown sugar, sweet smoked paprika and yeast flakes.

Make a herby mayo by combining Kewpie mayo, chopped fresh herbs and a pinch of the spice mix.

Crack four eggs into a bowl with a dash of cream, and stir to combine. Scramble in a pan over low heat and scatter over a bit of cheese for good measure.

Flash-fry a few slices of Christmas ham. Toast your bagels, then layer on the omelette, ham, herb mayo and some green leaves. Sprinkle with any remaining spice mix and serve.

Lemon ricotta pasta with ham, peas and herbs

It’s not a toastie, but it’s just as easy. Boil short pasta shapes that can hold pockets of ricotta (rigatoni, orecchiette). In a pan, warm a glug of olive oil, then add a crushed garlic clove, tip in peas (fresh or frozen, I promise nobody cares at this point in the holiday season), then tumble through a handful of diced ham.

Add the zest of 1 lemon zest, the juice of ½ the lemon, a decent dollop or three of soft ricotta, and a good grind of pepper and a pinch of sea salt flakes.

Let the ricotta melt just enough to coat everything in a creamy, sunshiney gloss. Scatter over some basil leaves or whatever soft herbs you may have left over from the big day, and it’s a meal done.

Cold soba noodles with ham, pickled cucumber and sesame-yuzu dressing

A dish designed for the hottest week of the year, AKA when you want lunch but the idea of turning on an appliance feels outrageous, and you can’t remember what it feels like to be hungry as you have snacked and picked your way through the holidays.

Cook some soba noodles according to the packet instructions. Chill them down, then toss with crisp cucumbers that you’ve half-pickled with rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Add thin ribbons of ham, toasted sesame seeds, nori threads, and soft herbs. I like to go heavy on the coriander here – it just works.

Make an easy dressing of yuzu juice, smoked soy sauce, sesame oil, grated ginger and a healthy splash of mirin. It’s the perfect dressing to bring brightness and depth without any of the heaviness.

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