Spam Fritters in Beer Batter

Spam fritters are all about nostalgia with a little update, mine come wrapped in a crispy mustard and beer batter, school dinners, but better!

These delicious crispy bites cook in just 10 minutes and take less than 10 minutes to prepare, which makes them a quick and fun meal.

Crispy Luncheon Meat Fritters

When it comes to food, very little is off the table for m,e and nostalgia plays a huge part in the food that I love.

Recipes like cheese and potato pie, toad in the hole, savoury mince, gammon, egg & chips, corned beef hash, fish finger pie, corned beef stew and corned beef pie fill my heart with joy!

Spam is something I became quite "snooty" about as I became more obsessive about food.

But we got someone in a "memories from home" package when we lived in Hungary, and I rediscovered my love of this dish, my favourite spam and egg breakfast sandwich and Spam fried rice!

Spam fritters invoke memories of school dinners and the local chippy. However, you get no flabby and soggy batter with mine; they have a crisp mustard and beer batter.

They are also stupidly easy to make. There is no need to make the batter in advance, or indeed to beat it until it is smooth. In fact, some lumps are good!

Prep is a leisurely 10 minutes, and cooking them takes just 8-10 minutes too.

If you like fritters but deep frying is not your "thing", check out my corned beef fritters and prawn fritters recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What beer should I use?

I have taken to using an IPA or APA of late, but I used to use Leffe Blonde; any beer typically served cold that is fizzy works well.

Lagers or Pilsner-type beers are good, as are weisbiers (wheat beers). Incidentally, this is a very similar batter to the one that I use for my beer-battered cod tacos.

Do I have to use beer?

No, but cold and fizzy really does help with getting a nice crispy batter. You could use carbonated water or even tonic water.

What is the difference between Spam and Luncheon meat?

Spam is just a type of luncheon meat and a brand name. You can make this recipe with many different types of tinned pork.

Can I make this in advance?

Not really, this dish is best made and served immediately. The longer that you leave it, the soggier the batter will become.

Do I have to deep-fry spam fritters?

For me, yes! Any other method really does not work quite so well! Yes, they are indulgent, but they are a treat, and we all deserve them sometimes!

Serving Suggestions

Spam fritters are all about nostalgia, and my serving suggestions lean into that nostalgia.

Here they are pictured with chips, mushy peas and tomato ketchup! Crushed minted peas or my minted pea salsa would also work really well.

If you have your deep fat fryer all set up, then why not make some proper chip shop style chips?

You could make it a little less indulgent but keep all the flavour by knocking up some air fryer wedges.

Baked beans are another firm favourite for me to dip this crispy batter in.

Now you could just open a tin and be done, which is more than acceptable. But I like to play around and serve them with my sage-rich fagioli all'uccelletto, or Italian baked beans.

You could even play around with making your own British style baked beans.

Equipment Used

I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Hob/Stovetop. Not needed if you are using a deep-fat fryer.
• Wok or deep fat fryer.
• A thermometer for checking oil temperature. Not required if you are using a deep-fat fryer.
• Mixing bowl.
• A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
• Whisk.
• Chopping board.
• Knife.
• Kitchen paper.