Alcachofas con Jamón is one of the great Spanish tapa classics — baby artichokes quartered and sautéed with thin strips of serrano ham, garlic, and a splash of white wine. The artichokes go golden and crisp at the edges; the ham releases its cured fat into the oil. It is spring in a pan, eaten all over central and southern Spain.
Alcachofas con Jamón is a dish of central Spain — Madrid, Castile-La Mancha, and Andalusia — where artichokes are a winter-spring crop and jamón serrano is in every pantry. The pairing of vegetable with a little cured pork is the defining move of Spanish home cooking: the ham seasons the vegetable, the vegetable lightens the ham. It appears in every tapas bar from Madrid to Seville in spring.
Artichoke hearts with golden edges, slicked in ham-scented oil, with shards of crisp serrano and slivers of garlic. The artichokes are nutty and slightly sweet; the ham adds salt and depth; the white wine brightens it all. Mop the oil with bread.
The artichokes are cut and immediately rubbed with lemon to stop oxidation. They are sautéed hard enough to develop golden edges (this is where the nutty flavor comes from), then finished with a splash of white wine which deglazes the pan and adds brightness. The jamón goes in at the end so it stays chewy and does not turn stringy.
Variations
Some use jamón ibérico for richer flavor; some add peas; some finish with a sprinkle of chopped hard-boiled egg.
On the Palate
Where Alcachofas con Jamón sits in the Spanish flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 25 min active + 15 min waiting
- 15 min
Trim 8 baby artichokes; rub all cut surfaces with lemon; quarter them.
Watch outRub every cut surface with lemon the instant you cut — exposed artichoke browns within minutes, and rusty edges look and taste off.
- 23 min
Slice serrano ham into thin strips; mince garlic.
- 35 min
Heat olive oil in a wide pan; sauté artichokes cut-side down 5 minutes until golden.
Watch outSear cut-side down and leave them be until the edges turn deep golden — that's where the nutty flavor comes from; keep flipping and they just steam pale.
- 41 min
Add garlic; cook 1 minute.
- 51 min
Add ham; cook 1 minute more.
- 64 min
Splash in white wine; let evaporate; cover; cook 4 minutes until artichokes are tender.
Watch outAdd the wine and let it hiss and cook off almost dry before covering — leave it raw and boozy and it turns the dish sharp instead of bright.
- 72 min
Adjust salt (the ham is salty); rest 2 minutes.
- 82 min
Serve hot in shallow bowls with bread.
