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.

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5 from 2 votes

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Grilled Ham Steaks with Southern Kale Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes minutes

Easy delicious Grilled Ham Steaks with Southern Kale Salad. Wilted kale salad with crispy cornbread crumbs served with thick juicy ham steaks.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

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

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 8ounces, Calories: 773kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 54g, Fat: 43g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 116mg, Sodium: 3359mg, Potassium: 1258mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 1885IU, Vitamin C: 123.5mg, Calcium: 189mg, Iron: 6mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: Sommer Collier

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